Jean Baptiste Fankam Fankam from Cameroon is 34 years old and lives in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of the Witwatersrand and completed his PhD in Physics at the University of Yaounde 1 in Cameroon. He holds a Master’s degree from the same university, as well as second Master’s degree from the Higher Institute of Technology of Antananarivo, Madagascar.
Please tell us a bit about yourself!
I am a hardworking person and I like to learn new skills and go for new challenges. In my free time I enjoy watching action and technology movies. In 10 years’ time I see myself leading my own working group in academia or in a research institution.
Which scholarships or fellowships have you received?
In 2014/15 I received the PAFROID scholarship to complete my Master’s degree in Madagascar, and I am currently in receipt of NRF funding for my postdoctoral fellowship in South Africa.
How did you experience the Africademics Scholarship Ambassador Programme?
I applied to become a Scholarship Ambassador because I wanted to learn new things and to grow my leadership skills and the programme helped me to do so. I just ceased the opportunity to learn and share what I learned. A special highlight was the Positive Psychology workshop which we received as part of our Ambassador training.
My first experience as a Scholarship Mentor was amazing. I had two mentees, one finishing a Bachelor’s degree and looking for advice and preparation, and another one who was seeking for a PhD scholarship. We discussed and exchanged knowledge and we learned a lot from each other. At the end the PhD candidate got an interview and we are now waiting for the outcome of it.
Why would you recommend the Scholarship Ambassador Programme to others?
I would highly recommend the Scholarship Ambassador Programme because you can learn a lot and grow when sharing with others what you learned.
How can Africademics community members get in touch with you?
You are welcome to contact me on Facebook, Twitter/X and LinkedIn or via the Africademics online learning platform.
