Eric Djomo Nana is a Senior Researcher/Assistant Professor and Head of the Wildlife Research Unit at the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development in Cameroon. He is also currently a Research fellow in the Department of Biology at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and a Master of Science in environmental impact assessment from the University of Dschang in Cameroon and a Taught Masters in Parasitology from the University of Yaoundé I in Cameroon. He earned a PhD in ecology from Charles University in Prague, in the Czech Republic. His research interests are in wild meat use and trade and how that affect threatened species, local livelihoods, and facilitate spill over of highly pathogenic viruses. He has published several articles in peer-reviewed impact factor journals and has won several research grants and awards. He is an affiliate of the African Academy of Sciences and The World Academy of Sciences since 2021. He is the current President of Cameroon's chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology. He is also an adjunct professor at the Higher Institute of Environmental Science in Yaounde, Cameroon.

Onjamirindra Sarobidy Rakotonarivo is a research fellow at the Department of Forestry and Environment at the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar. She holds a Bachelor of Science in agricultural sciences and a Master of Science in Sustainable Tropical Forestry. She earned a joint PhD in environmental and development economics from Bangor University, UK, and the University of Copenhagen, the Netherlands, in 2016. Her research interests are in nature-climate interventions in Africa, such as forest conservation, restoration, and climate-smart agriculture. She uses a mixed method approach, including field experiments and qualitative approaches, to study the political and socioecological factors that increase their effectiveness. By identifying what does and doesn’t work, and under what conditions, her research aims to support the design of policies that contribute to the long-term well-being of people and nature. She also has a track record of supporting evidence-based policy and working in multi-stakeholder engagement.

Mary Amoako (nee Adjepong) is a lecturer and dietician with the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), in Kumasi, Ghana. At KNUST, she teaches metabolism in health and diseases, nutrition through the human life cycle, and nutrition in emergencies. She holds a Bachelor of Sciences in biochemistry and biotechnology and a Master of Philosophy in human nutrition and dietetics, both from KNUST. She earned a PhD in human nutrition from Michigan State University, East Lansing (US) and a professional certification as a registered dietician with the Allied Health Professions Council, Ghana. She is interested in global nutrition, dietetics, child and maternal nutrition. She received the Borlaug Higher Education in Agricultural Research Development (2014), and the Borlaug Leadership Enhancement in Agriculture Program (2016), both from USAID. She is an early-career fellow of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World. In 2023, she received the L'ORÉAL-UNESCO For Women in Science Young Talents Award, for Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Association of Commonwealth Universities Sustainable Development Goals grant.

Lydia Rhyman earned her PhD in computational chemistry (2013) from the University of Mauritius, where she is currently a research fellow in the Computational Chemistry Group. Her research interests lie in the use of computational chemistry methods, as a tool that provides insights into chemical systems at molecular levels, to complement experimental results and to solve chemistry-related problems that cannot be assessed at the experimental level. One such example is the characterization of molecular structures and the elucidation of reaction mechanisms. She actively promotes computational chemistry in Africa, as well as science education among girls in secondary schools and at tertiary level. She organises capacity-building activities to encourage students to orient their research toward tackling issues that the African continent is facing. She raises awareness of responsible research practices and integrity. She is an affiliate of the African Academy of Sciences, a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK), the Global Young Academy, and the Commonwealth Chemistry Early Career Network Committee representing the African region.

Halima Twabi is an associate professor of statistics at the Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Malawi. She holds a Bachelor of Science in statistics, as well as a Master of Science and a PhD, both in biostatistics from the University of Malawi. She studies causal inference for observational data, multivariate statistics, longitudinal and survival analysis, and statistical modelling and analysis of social and health data. Her recent work involves developing causal inference methods for non-experimental studies with multiple outcomes. In 2020, she received the L'Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Sub-Saharan Africa Young Talent Award for her work on applying causal inference to maternal and child health. In 2023, she was nominated treasurer of the International Biometric Society Sub-Saharan Africa Network, and treasurer of the IBS Malawi region. She is a founding member of the Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics network in Malawi, and collaborates on the project "Strengthen Modelling and Analytics Capacity and Ecosystem for Women’s Health" funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Annabel Banda is a doctor and director of the Centre for Wildlife Conservation and Research at Gwanda State University in Zimbabwe, where she supervises research projects. She holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degrees in biological sciences and tropical entomology received from the University of Zimbabwe. She earned a PhD in ecology and environmental science at Chinhoyi University of Technology, Zimbabwe. Her research interests are in zoonotic diseases, the sociocultural determinants of health and illness, community engagement, endo and ecto-parasites of animals and dipteran pollinators. In recognition of her contributions to science and development, Banda received a Women in Science, Technology, and Innovation Recognition certificate in 2024. In 2023, she was awarded a Zimbabwe Emerging Faculty Development Program grant.

Fabrice-Gilles Ndombi Avouba is an affiliated researcher with the Laboratory of Economic and Social Research and Studies, and a CAMES assistant professor at Marien Ngouabi University, where he teaches introductory econometrics, introductory research, and the economics of networks and solidarity. He holds a bachelor's degree in quantitative economics and a master's degree in applied economics from the Interuniversity Postgraduate Program in economics, as well as a doctorate in economics from Marien Ngouabi University. His research focuses on financial inclusion, governance, brain drain, SME efficiency, and family solidarity. In 2022, at the end of the international phase of the 3rd edition of the CAMES University Olympiad, he received the second prize in the economics section in Ivory Coast. In recognition of his academic excellence and contribution to science, the African Economic Research Consortium invited him to the technical training workshop on Panel and Time Series Econometrics in Kenya.

Mané Seck is a lecturer in physics at Gaston Berger University in Senegal, where she did all her higher education studies. She obtained a master’s degree in renewable energies and a PhD degree in applied physics, specializing in materials and electronic devices. Seck carried out research visits at the Madrid Institute of Materials Sciences, in 2023 and 2025, the Chemical Engineering Department of the Polytechnique Montréal, in 2021, the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering of the University of Manchester, in 2019, and the Laboratory of Physics of Materials and Nanomaterials applied to the environment, in Tunisia, in 2018. Her research interest is in green electronics. She won the first jury’s prize of the 2022 edition of the international competition “My thesis in 180 seconds”, in Montreal. In 2019, she was internationally selected as a young scientist to participate in the 69th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting on physics in Germany.