Appolinaire Djikeng is a Cameroonian biologist and Professor and Chair for Tropical Agriculture and Sustainable Development and Director of the Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. He was awarded the 2020 UNESCO Center for Peace Nelson Mandela Justice award in recognition of his international peace work.

Early life and education

Djikeng is from

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in biology at the

University of Yaoundé I The University of Yaoundé I ( French: ''Université de Yaoundé I'') is a public university in Cameroon, located in the capital Yaoundé. It was formed in 1993 following a university reform that split the country's oldest university, the Universi ...

. Djikeng earned his doctoral degree at

Brunel University London Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In June 1 ...

where he studied the genome of ''

Trypanosoma brucei ''Trypanosoma brucei'' is a species of parasitic kinetoplastid belonging to the genus '' Trypanosoma'' that is present in sub-Saharan Africa. Unlike other protozoan parasites that normally infect blood and tissue cells, it is exclusively extrace ...

''. After earning his doctorate, in 1999 Djikeng moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Here he joined

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

where he worked in the J. Craig Venter Institute on gene expression, next generation sequencing and RNA interference. While working at

, Djikeng started volunteering for the UNESCO Center for Peace.

Research and career

In 2009 Djikeng moved to the International Livestock Research Institute in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

, where he helped to establish the Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA) initiative. In 2013 he was appointed Director of BecA. In this capacity Djikeng was responsible for building research capabilities of biosciences research teams across Africa. He oversaw the formation of novel partnerships, including identifying new donors, university collaborators and programmes in

developing countries A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreem ...

. At BecA he specialised in livestock genetics and animal health. In 2017 Djikeng joined the

Roslin Institute The Roslin Institute is an animal sciences research institute at Easter Bush, Midlothian, Scotland, part of the University of Edinburgh, and is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. It is best known for creat ...

at the

, where he works as a livestock genomic scientist. He looks to create sustainable solutions to improve the productivity, sustainability and resilience of livestock in low-income countries. He was made Director of the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH). Here he works on livestock that are resistant to disease, such that farming can be healthier and more productive. On 19 January 2023, he was appointed the Director General of ILRI and CGIAR Senior Director of Livestock-Based Systems. He was awarded the 2020 UNESCO Center for Peace Nelson Mandela Justice award in recognition of his international peace work. The award was signed by

Chris Van Hollen Christopher Van Hollen Jr. (born January 10, 1959) is an American attorney and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Maryland since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Van Hollen served as the U.S. representative ...

, and during his presentation, Djikeng outlined how the CTLGH contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Select publications

* * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Djikeng, Appolinaire Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Cameroonian scientists Alumni of Brunel University London Peace award winners