Page 38 - Science in Africa

rofessor Mahouton Norbert Professor Mahouton Norbert Hounkonnou
Hounkonnou is a full professor
of Mathematics and Physics at
the University of Abomey-Calavi,
Republic of Benin.
P His works deal with
noncommutative and nonlinear mathematics
including differential equations, operator theory,
coherent states, quantisation techniques,
orthogonal polynomials, special functions,
graph theory, nonassociative algebras, nonlinear
systems, noncommutative field theories and
geometric methods in physics.
He authored and reviewed books and
refereed and served as an associate editor for
renowned journals in mathematics,
mathematical physics and theoretical physics. (Part) of the
He has published more than 200 main
research papers in outstanding ISI-ranked
journals and international conference
proceedings in the fields of mathematics,
mathematical physics and theoretical physics. equation²
He is a visiting professor at African, Asian,
European and North American universities.
Together with his peers at international level,
he founded the International Chair in
Mathematical Physics and Applications (ICMPA- international conference series and school on Professor Hounkonnou was awarded the
Unesco Chair) of the University of Abomey- contemporary problems in mathematical Tokyo University of Science President Award in
Calavi where he created multi-university physics, which are held every two years and 2015 and the 2016 World Academy of Sciences
master’s degree and PhD programmes in each year since 1999 and 2005, respectively. CNR Rao Prize for Scientific Research, for his
mathematics with connections, motivations or These activities have led to a incisive work on noncommutative and
applications to physics, and in physics with significant network of researchers nonlinear mathematics and his
important relations to mathematics. connected with the ICMPA-Unesco contributions to world-class
The best African students from more than 13 Chair, who benefit from the mathematics education.
French- and English-speaking countries are resources available in He is the current president of
selected to follow these graduate programs that mathematics and mathematical the Benin National Academy of
attract prominent and leading mathematicians physics in Africa. Sciences, Arts and Letters.
and mathematical physicists worldwide who Professor Hounkonnou His membership extends to
come to give lectures and supervise students supervised more than 32 PhD and the International Association of
research, what has substantially increased 31 MSc students from various Mathematical Physics, American
international collaboration with African, Asian, countries, including Belgium, Benin, Mathematical Society, African
American, European and Indian scientists and Burkina-Faso, Burundi, Cameroun, Academy of Sciences, the World Academy
mathematicians. Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger, Nigeria, of Sciences, as well as other scientific
The ICMPA-Unesco Chair presently hosts the Senegal, Togo and Zambia. organisations.

Professor Idah Sithole-Niang

Working on improving cowpea crops

Professor Idah Sithole-Niang is professor in the immediate past chairperson of the African the cowpea aphid-borne mosaic potyvirus and
department of biochemistry at the University Agricultural Technology Foundation board of developed transgenic tobacco plants that
of Zimbabwe, and is also coordinator of the trustees and now its ambassador. showed delayed symptom expression when
MSc biotechnology programme. She is chairperson of the board for challenged with the virus.
She obtained an honours degree in Science House for African Youth, She is now also working on
Biochemistry from the University of London vice-chairperson of the RCZ, bacterial and fungal endophytes
(UK) and a PhD from Michigan State fellow of the Zimbabwe isolated from medicinal plants.
University (US), working on chicken Academy of the Sciences, and a She has devised a robust and
herpesviruses. She is also a postdoctoral fellow member of the University of high throughput system for
in bacterial genetics. Zimbabwe council. isolation, identification to species
Her research is on cowpea crop She is renowned for spotting level and molecular
improvement, microbial diversity of talent, having served on the characterisation with an eight-
endophytes, metagenomics of extreme Rhodes Scholarship, the African week turnaround time.
environments and she is a member of the Women in Agricultural Research and This has enabled her to prepare
African Soil Microbiology Project. Development (award) and the Joshua molecular biology teaching materials for
Professor Sithole-Niang has distinguished Nkomo Scholarship selection committees. the six undergraduate practicals classes that
herself as a regulator in biotechnology and Her outstanding research work include she runs every year, making it interesting for
biosafety; in governance and leadership as the cowpea crop improvement. She characterised students to conduct practicals.
38 SCIENCE IN AFRICA