Inspiring young scientists through mentorship

University of Leeds students and academics are breaking down barriers to careers in plant science thanks to the power of mentorship.

Sibongile Zimba and Brandon Hinds presented at the Black in Plant Science conference at the University of Cambridge, backed by the network’s co-founder Professor Yoselin Benitez-Alfonso.

The Black in Plant Science network provides support to UK-based people of Black heritage studying, working or engaging with plant science.

It has provided the space to celebrate each other, build up confidence and collaborate on projects across multiple disciplines.

Sibo, a mother of three boys, started her PhD in 2019, when her baby was three months old. She is from Malawi, in southern Africa, where droughts are more prominent. Her interest in plant science started with food sustainability and the issues of climate change and a growing population in Africa.

She said: “The network inspires us to do more and inspire others. I have met people who I have always looked up to. 

“It has provided the space to celebrate each other, build up confidence and collaborate on projects across multiple disciplines.

“I’m really grateful for Professor Benitez-Alfonso offering to be my mentor, I could relate with her and she gave me a lot of support with networking and opportunities.”

Sibo was recently a runner-up in the Black in Plant Science Research Excellence Awards. She added: “Despite the barriers we face, we can still contribute and be celebrated. 

“At the first network conference, I presented a poster from my thesis chapter. This provided me with the opportunity to present to my peers and act as a model for young scientists.” 

Brandon, a University of Leeds alum who received a studentship from Black in Plant Science Network, added: “Having the opportunity to meet Black professors, hear their advice, and discuss their journey into science was also invaluable, given that finding black role models in science and academia is still a challenge – especially in more specialised fields.”

Sibo’s research is focused on understanding and identifying trends and genes to develop resilience in crops with the changes in climate. With flooding and droughts more common, she is helping to develop crops to be resistant in those conditions. 

She was awarded a scholarship to study Plant Science at the University of Leeds, under a Global Challenges Research Fund-Agricultural and Food System Resilience: Increasing Capacity and Advising Policy (GCRF-AFRICAP) project, which aims to help agriculture and food production in sub-Saharan Africa more productive, sustainable and resilient to climate change.

During her PhD at Leeds, Sibo has also received mentorship from her supervisors: Professor Stefan Kepinski, Professor Andrew Dougill and Dr Christine Bosch. 

“We are excited about the impact this conference had.

Brandon added: “Despite some nerves, I was extremely grateful to have been invited to deliver a speech about the research I undertook during my summer studentship at Oxford, and my confidence in public speaking has greatly improved as a result.”

Brandon has gained crucial work experience through his connections in the network.

He said: “The Black in Plant Science network has not only provided me with crucial practical laboratory experience but has also opened the door to a passionate community who share a desire to boost representation for Black academics, get more Black students interested in plant and biosciences, and make the journey to a successful career easier for future generations.” 

Professor Yoselin Benitez-Alfonso speaking at the Black in Plant Science Conference.

The growing Black in Plant Science network wants to increase the number of Black minorities in the plant field.  

Professor Yoselin Benitez-Alfonso, Professor in Interdisciplinary Plant Sciences, UKRI Future Leader Fellow and co-founder of the Black in Plant Science network, who spoke as a part of a panel at the conference, said: “We are excited about the impact this conference had, especially in the early career researchers, some of which for the first time felt a sense of belonging and community. 

“We are looking forward to next year’s conference which hopefully will see this community growing and succeeding. 

“We are incredibly grateful to everyone that contributed, black or white, the funders and the hosting institution. They were awesome and we felt well supported.”

Sibo said: “I plan to go into mentorship in the future, following my fantastic experience. I’ve recently been doing some mentorship with plant scientist students so that they can be encouraged to go into STEM subjects and become scientists.  

“My long term goals are to stay in academia. I want to work alongside industry in research, as collaboration is the key to solving global issues, especially food security.”

Further information

For more information, please contact Rebecca Hurrey in the University of Leeds Press Office at R.Hurrey@leeds.ac.uk.