Appolinaire Djikeng

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  • Appolinaire Djikeng's details
    • Country: Kenya
    • Region: East Africa
    • Studies: Director, BecA-ILRI Hub
    • University: ILRI
    • Email: djikeng@cgiar.org
  • Appolinaire Djikeng's presentations
    • The BecA-ILRI Hub - Mobilizing Biosciences for Africa’s Development

  Appolinaire Djikeng was appointed as Director of the BecA-ILRI Hub in June 2013. In this role, Djikeng ensures key responsibilities are met including the implementation of the BecA-ILRI Hub Business Plan and realization of the Hub’s mission of improving the livelihoods of resource-poor people in Africa through the development and use of new technologies and strategies for sustaining agricultural production, improving human health, and conserving the environment.

  He first joined the BecA-ILRI Hub in 2009 as Senior Scientist and Technology Manager. In this role, he led various teams focusing on 1) the acquisition of high end biosciences technologies and management of state-of-the-art laboratories, 2) the provision of research related services to scientists from across the region, and 3) implementation of integrated research and capacity building activities.

  Djikeng holds BSC (Hons; Biology) and MSC from the University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon and PhD (Biochemistry, Molecular Parasitology) from Brunel University, UK.

  Prior to joining the BecA-ILRI Hub, Dr. Djikeng spent over 10 years at the Yale University School of Medicine and the J Craig Venter Institute (JCVI – formerly the Institute for Genomic Research, TIGR). At Yale University School of Medicine he served as postdoctoral fellow and as junior faculty member, working on RNA interference (RNAi) for functional genomics and regulation of gene expression and on RNA processing. Djikeng joined the faculty of the JCVI/TIGR to work on various genomics/metagenomics programs (parasites genomics, viral genomics and functional genomics) and technology development of robust methodologies for small genomes sequencing and closure pipelines.

  Djikeng is a strong proponent of capacity building in Africa focusing on building the next generation of African scientists using the bioscience knowledge base to tackle agricultural development and public health issues.