Exchange to Change June 2018 E2C-may18-web | Page 17

Alumni panel Wilberforce Tumwesigye GOV 2010-2011 | Uganda Where do you work? I am working as a Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer in Rwebitaba Zonal Agricultural Research Development Institute (ZARDI). ZARDI sets out to identify demand from partners (extension workers, farmer organisations and other development partners) and pull technical knowledge of Nati onal Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) and other researchers to develop appropriate technologies, information and methods. I am responsible for designing tools for data collection, storage, analysis and report writing. How did the IOB experience affect your life/ career? I appreciate the hands-on training in research methods I and II from IOB. I cannot forget the many policy reports I authored while at IOB that enhanced my writing and presentation skills. These skills are key in my current job at NARO. While at IOB, I learnt to interact with people from different cultures and NARO being a national organization is equally composed of people with diverse ideologies. I find this very exciting to work with a lot of diversity to achieve national targets that are sometimes prone to both political influence and interference. On a personal note, I am multi-skilled with the ability to interpret people’s problems and provide practical options fitting the existing conditions anywhere in the world. If you were the director of a research fund, what is a research question that you would agree to finance? I would largely fund research to generate innovations for mitigating the effects of climate change which is a reality in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA). Given that agriculture constitutes the largest share of the livelihoods of the majority yet most of it is still at subsistence level only depending on rain. This means that the population in SSA is vulnerable with minimal chances of recovery from any slight cause of interference. a l umni 17 Rehnuma Ferdous DEM 2012-2013| Bangladesh Where do you work? I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Science at the Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University in Bangladesh. How did IOB experience affect your life/ career? My Master degree in Development Evaluation and Management advanced my theoretical knowledge, increased my research capacbilities. Additionally, studying at IOB also provided excellent networking opportunities and made me confident to be globally connected and to contribute in the current debate in the development arena. If you were the director of a research fund, what is a research question that you would agree to finance? My key research area is environmental governance and from my experience I think human-human interactions and its impact on governability need to be thoroughly researched. Additionally, thorough research on social energy for the self-organization of sustainable human-nature relations is undoubtedly important for ensuring environmental sustainability. Which country are you supporting during the Football World Cup? Who do you think will win? I am going to support Germany and hope it will win. Which country are you supporting during the Football World Cup? I support Germany but Spain could also win the Football World Cup. Anyway, soccer is soccer! E xchange to change J une 2018