I am from the Maritime Region in southern Togo. I received a BSc in Animal Biology and Physiology at the Department of Zoology and Animal Biology (University of Lome) in 2013. Thereafter, I joined the Togolese Society for Nature Conservation (AGBO-ZEGUE NGO) as a volunteer. Being passionate about nature conservation, I completed an MSc in Natural Resources Management at the University of Abomey-Calavi (Benin) in 2018. During my Masters training, I became certain of my desire to pursue a career in wildlife ecology and conservation. Consequently, I joined the Laboratory of Ecology and Ecotoxicology (LaEE) of the University of Lome as a research assistant and became a member of the AGBO-ZEGUE scientific council.

I have extensive fieldwork experience on biodiversity assessments and wildlife conservation in Togo, and have published several peer-reviewed scientific papers in international journals, including a recent publication involving camera trapping to investigate the mammal community in the Fazao-Malfakassa National Park. This was a first for Togo, and obtained the first image of Walter’s duiker (Philantomba walteri) in the wild. Through this collaboration with Neil D’Cruze, I learnt about WildCRU and the Diploma. I look forward to enhance my scientific career by developing my skills and knowledge in wildlife conservation. Ultimately, I hope to increase my comprehension of ecological theory behind the data collection and analysis techniques taught at Oxford and learn how to apply new knowledge to wildlife conservation actions in Togo.

I am very excited to be in this training programme that will undoubtedly help me build a strong research network with my peers, international researchers at Oxford University and others around the world.