The Africa-University of British Columbia (UBC) Oceans and Fisheries Visiting Fellows Program is extremely pleased to announce the selection of its inaugural laureates: Dr. Cynthia A. Adinortey (Ghana) and Dr. Antony Otinga Oteng’o (Kenya).
“We had many excellent applicants from across Sub-Saharan Africa. Ultimately, our committee selected these two exemplary scholars, and we are most happy with the result,” said Dr. William Cheung, professor and director of UBC’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (IOF), which administers the program.
“They’ll now have the opportunity to collaborate with researchers at UBC, access the vast resources available here, and create insights that will benefit their universities, their countries, and the world.”
Dr. Daniel Pauly and Dr. Rashid Sumaila
The program is the brainchild of IOF’s Drs Rashid Sumaila and Daniel Pauly, co-winners of the 2023 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. The professors, both of African descent, have been working with scholars from that continent for many years and felt there were too few opportunities for talented early-career academics from sub-Saharan African universities and research institutes to participate in mutually beneficial research collaborations and build international networks.
The program was developed with the assistance of the University of Cape Coast, and is made made possible, in part, due to funding from the Bloomberg Philanthropies Ocean Initiative.
“The University of Cape Coast is proud to support the Fellows Program, which strengthens the collaboration between African researchers and global academic communities,” said Dr. Denis W. Aheto, professor of Coastal Ecology and director of the Centre for Coastal Management, the Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience at the University of Cape Coast. “It is vital that we continue to foster these partnerships to address the challenges facing Africa’s oceans and fisheries, ensuring sustainable solutions for future generations.”
Added Dr. Pauly: “Rashid and I have strived to work on a global basis, with an emphasis on the Global South, and build connections with researchers across all continents. Welcoming Drs. Adinortey and Oteng’o to Vancouver, through the Africa-UBC Oceans and Fisheries Fellowship will strengthen our ongoing collaboration with African scholars and, ultimately, support efforts towards the conservation and sustainable management of the continent’s marine and freshwater resources.”
Selected fellows are affiliated with a faculty member at UBC for a 12-month period – 11 months of virtual engagement, with a month visit to UBC’s Vancouver campus. The total value of each fellowship is $23,000 CAD.
“The program is open to researchers across all academic fields who are focused on ocean sustainability and making the ocean economy work for the people who call Africa home,” said Dr. Sumaila.
The Laureates
Dr. Cynthia Adinortey
Dr. Cynthia Adinortey is a senior lecturer at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in Ghana, whose research focuses on bacterial virulence and antibiotic resistance, with particular attention to food safety and the fisheries value chain. She led a project on antibiotic resistance in Ghana’s aquaculture sector and has actively participated in anti-microbial resistance awareness efforts.
She was elected an African Academy of Sciences Affiliate in 2022. Since 2017, she has worked with key stakeholders in Ghana’s fisheries sector, providing microbiology expertise on major projects, including research on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fish, the Healthier Smoked Fish Certification Scheme under USAID’s Sustainable Fisheries Management Program (SFMP) and the development of the Safe Fish Certification Scheme with Feed the Future Ghana Fisheries Recovery Activity (GFRA).
“I am very excited and honoured to be chosen as one of the two inaugural fellows of the Africa-UBC Oceans and Fisheries program, and to work on specific research related to the identification of indicator organisms for disease diagnosis in Ghanaian aquaculture,” said Dr. Adinortey. “This research has the potential to improve aquaculture disease management, enhance productivity, and contribute to the sustainability of the aquaculture industry in Ghana.”
Dr. Cynthia Adinortey
“There is an urgent need for targeted scientific research to address the challenges faced by communities in lower-middle-income countries like Ghana. A critical issue is the sustainable management of freshwater resources, not only to increase production but also to protect the environment. Despite the dedication of Ghanaian fisheries scientists, the workforce needed to address emerging issues in the country’s fisheries remains insufficient. There is a clear need for more young scientists committed to solving these challenges and training the next generation of professionals.”
“Given the critical role of aquaculture in food security and economic development, the findings of this study could be of significant value to farmers, policymakers, and researchers in Ghana. It is interdisciplinary in nature, cutting across microbiology, molecular biology, bioinformatics, fisheries biology, and fish health, which is why I am also thrilled to be able to work with Dr. Curtis Suttle and Dr. Amy Chan in UBC’s Department of Microbiology.”
Said Dr. Suttle: “Dr. Adinortey’s research is both focused and fascinating. It aligns with my work on the role that viruses and microbes in aquatic systems, and provides an opportunity to explore the discovery and characterization of microbes that cause disease in aquatic organisms in West Africa.”
“So far we have been building our research plan, fine tuning the scope of the research and developing the appropriate experimental design to adopt. For me, it has also provided a great opportunity to build connections with fish and aquaculture researchers in West Africa. I am greatly looking forward to Dr Adinortey’s visit to UBC, which has been scheduled for April 2025.”
Dr. Antony Otinga Oteng’o
Dr. Antony Otinga Oteng’o is a young career scientist, lecturer and coordinator of post-graduate program at the department of Biological Sciences and Agriculture, University of Eastern Africa, Baraton (UEAB), Kenya. With a background in molecular biology and marine plant phylogeny, Dr. Oteng’o’s research interest focuses on species identification, evolutionary relationships, and the critical role that phylogenetic studies plays in informing conservation strategies.
“My fellowship project is entitled, Enhancing Marine Ecosystems and Coastal Communities in Majoreni, South Coast Kenya, and is a biodiversity conservation initiative,” said Dr. Oteng’o. “By assessing the current state of mangrove forests along the Kenyan coast, I hope to identify the key challenges they face, and develop strategies for their restoration, management and conservation. The intended outcomes are improved food security, reduced coastal climate impacts, improved carbon credit, and increased biodiversity.”
Dr. Oteng’o adds that: “The project will also explore apiculture (or beekeeping) as a sustainable alternative livelihood for the Majoreni community. Apiculture could not only provide a source of income to the local economy, through the production of honey and other bee products, but will also support biodiversity by promoting pollination.”
Dr. Antony Otinga Oteng’o
The project will involve collaborating with local stakeholders, including general community, fishers, farmers, conservation groups, and government agencies, to develop and implement effective mangrove conservation and livelihood strategies.”
He applied to the program because he was deeply impressed by the University of British Columbia’s commitment to innovative research and its global reputation for academic excellence. “Also, the opportunity to collaborate with Prof. Philippe Le Billon, a leading natural resource expert, and to have access to UBC’s extensive resources will significantly enhance my research.”
“Dr. Otengo’s project regarding leveraging mangrove reforestation and apiculture by local communities to increase coastal protection, biodiversity, and food security, is appealing,” said Dr. Philippe Le Billon, who is co-appointed to UBC’s department of Geography and School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SPPGGA). “It could ultimately contribute to the long-term resilience and sustainability of Kenya’s marine ecosystems and coastal communities, providing a model for similar conservation efforts around the world.”
“This is why I was eager to participate in this Visiting Fellows Program—to collaborate with a researcher from the region and to be able to create new opportunities and apply innovative solutions to real-world environmental challenges,” said Dr. Le Billon, who has been exchanging ideas with Dr. Oteng’o virtually, and is looking forward to his time at UBC.
Program now accepting applications for 2025
“I am truly grateful to have been selected for this unique opportunity to contribute to addressing one of Africa’s most pressing challenges: ensuring food security through sustainable aquaculture,” said Dr. Adinortey.
“I encourage all young African scientists in ocean and fisheries research to watch for the next call for applications and seize the opportunity to explore how the ocean economy can be harnessed to benefit not only Africans, but the world as a whole.”
Dr. Oteng’o concurs. “To aspiring applicants, I encourage them to embrace the opportunity to grow, learn and make a difference by applying to the program. I am confident that the Africa-UBC Oceans and Fisheries Visiting Fellows program will provide me with the tools, support, and inspiration needed to achieve my research goals and contribute to the broader scientific community.”
The Africa-UBC Oceans and Fisheries Visiting Fellows program will open the application portal for its 2025 cohort on February 28, 2025. The deadline for applications is May 15, 2025.
Information on the program, its criteria and how to enter can be found at:
https://oceans.ubc.ca/applytoafricaubcprogram/
Note: This Program is made possible, in part, due to funding from the Bloomberg Philanthropies Ocean Initiative.
Tags: Africa, Africa-UBC Visiting Fellows Program, awards, biodiversity conservation, conservation, East Africa, food security, food webs, honours, South Africa, West Africa
Verena Rossa-Roccor (PhD IRES) left her career as a physician because she became too frustrated with the limited impact she had on the systemic factors that made her patients sick. She then went on to complete a Master’s degree in public health at UBC. It was there that she became increasingly interested in the concept of knowledge mobilization, that is, how can research evidence more effectively shape policy decisions? She is now working with co-supervisors David Boyd (IRES) and Paul Kershaw (School of Population and Public Health) to explore ways in which academics conduct knowledge-to-action activities in the environmental policy realm. She was nominated for “Framing climate change as a human health issue: enough to tip the scale in climate policy?” published by Lancet Planetary Health in which she argue that in order to be more effective agents of change, academics have to bid farewell to the idea of evidence-based policy making and instead embrace the complexities and value-laden realities of politics. This means that they have to build capacity as knowledge mobilizers that include strategies such as inside lobbying or movement building.
Aleah Wong (PhD, IOF) received an interdisciplinary B.A. in Biology and Environmental Studies from Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. This liberal arts experience initially sparked her interest in social-ecological systems, solutions-focused research and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Aleah uses a trait-based approach, stakeholder surveys and interviews to study aquaculture at the nexus of food, climate and biodiversity. Broadly, she is exploring the potential of aquatic species to contribute to food, climate and biodiversity goals and examining their social-ecological synergies and trade-offs to help inform sustainable and equitable pathways for aquaculture. She was nominated for “A traits-based approach to assess aquaculture’s contributions to food, climate change, and biodiversity goals” published in Nature.
Anna is a second-year MSc student at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries under the supervision of Daniel Pauly. Her research focuses on understanding the fisheries and their impact on the marine ecosystem in the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon to infer relevant fishery regulations. To do so, she is studying the local marine biodiversity, reconstructing the catches of these islands from 1950 to today, and building dynamic ecosystem models for the area using Ecopath with Ecosim. 
Dr Hunt’s project is The Sustainable Urban Ocean Project. Urban development has severely impacted the ecological systems that have supported Indigenous communities for millennia, and settler communities more recently. While pollution has been a focus to understand and address these impacts, little attention has been paid to the inorganic and organic nutrient additions from sewage and waste water production, stormwater outflow, and urbanized watersheds. These change the very nature of the land—ocean connection that make the coastal ocean so productive and biodiverse. This project will address this knowledge gap, evaluating ecosystem response to urbanization, with the goal to support healthy ecosystem function and guide sustainable development and restoration efforts.
Sadie Lye’s research focuses on the impact of the urban environment on the coastal ocean. In particular, she is investigating the role of stormwater in transporting organic matter and nutrients from Metro Vancouver to Burrard Inlet. In addition, she is assessing the relative contribution of organic matter from anthropogenic and natural sources to particulate organic matter, which forms the base of the marine food web. She hopes that this research contributes to informing stormwater management and ensuring healthy coastal environment across British Columbia, Canada.
Grace Melchers’ research focuses on using a cutting-edge molecular technique called environmental DNA, or eDNA, to study the impact of development on nearshore fish communities. This project has been developed and implemented in partnership with the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, centred within their ancestral waters of səl̓ilw̓ət, also known as Burrard Inlet. She is hoping to better understand the role that urbanization and development plays in shaping the movements, habitat preferences, and diversity of nearshore fish communities through the use of these non-invasive and novel eDNA methodologies to better inform the management and restoration of nearshore urban areas.
