Portrait of Tabitha Amollo

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In: BESSYBeamlineScientists, Conference, Energymaterials, International, International Collaboration, PhDlife, Science Communication

Dr. Tabitha A. Amollo is a researcher and lecturer at Egerton University in Njoro in Kenya. She holds a Ph.D. in physics from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Her research interests focus on developing cutting-edge nanomaterials for energy conversion devices including graphene nanomaterials. She published a number of articles in reputable journals. At Egerton University, she is the head of a young team to explore dye-sensitive solar cells, she is a chairperson of the Physics Department, and she coordinates the undergraduate program and gives lectures to undergraduates and postgraduate physics students. Here in Germany, there are not many women in physics. How is itRead More →

Portrait picture of Nancy Ochiba.

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In: BESSYBeamlineScientists, Energymaterials, International, International Collaboration, Science Communication

In April, Nancy Ochiba was a guest at HZB in Berlin doing research on nanoparticles. “I made good use of the time,” says the young chemist from Nairobi, Kenya. First she took part in the Photon School for young scientists, then she joined the lab at the Institute for Solar Fuels as a guest researcher. “Here I can benefit from technology that is not available to me at the Kenya University of Technology. For example, I have now examined my samples under a scanning electron microscope.” Research for a better future Nancy is in the first year of her PhD. What motivates her? She wantsRead More →

Portrait of Lucy Ombaka (right) next to Antje Vollmer (left)

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In: BESSYBeamlineScientists, Careers, Diversity, International, Science Communication

The 2023 User Meeting BESSY@HZB end of June welcomes Kenya as country of honour. Dr Lucy Ombaka from Technical University of Kenya in Nairobi tells us how she got to know about BESSY II light source and how she motivates women in science.  Early May 2023 when we talk, Lucy Ombaka is just back from Berlin, where she spent a few days with the Humboldt Foundation. In 2018 she was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship there. Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry at the Technical University of Kenya (TUK), Lucy holds a PhD in nanotechnology and catalysis. “I met Antje Vollmer1 from BESSY II during an online Humboldt-Symposium.Read More →

Antje Vollmer with a group of scientists from Kenya

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In: BESSYBeamlineScientists, Careers, Diversity, International, Science Communication

The BESSY@HZB user meeting will take place at the end of June 2023. For the first time, there will be a country of honour, Kenya. Antje Vollmer, BESSY II spokesperson, tells us how this came about and why it is important to work at eye level with researchers from other countries. Science diplomacy has long been a central theme for Antje Vollmer. She recalls that a lecture by Rolf-Dieter Heuer1 had a particular impact on her: “He spoke about the importance of CERN beyond science, and the role of large-scale research institutions for international cooperation and science diplomacy.” At BESSY II, international collaborations in thisRead More →