Who are you?

My name is Goudjo Siméon Abalo-Loko. I am from Togo. I'm doing my PhD. I work in botany. My thesis subject is to assess the diversity and distribution of hepatics in Togo.

Why do you attend the YASE meeting?

I came for an internship in Paris, at the Museum, and we were informed that there is a conference for African PhD candidates here in Toulouse. I look for funding. Because the big issue with PhDs in Africa is funding. Without funding, you can be smart, you can't complete your PhD. So I came here to learn how I could get funding more easily. My work is about taxonomy, and it is very difficult to get funding because there is a huge gap between Europe and Africa. In Europe, everything is already set, meanwhile in Africa we are just beginning to study biodiversity.

Have your expectations been fulfilled?

Yes, indeed, there have been suggestions. You answer to calls for projects and it is up to people to see if the project is good or not before they give you any money. So, I did not find funding, but ways to seek for. I am satisfied with the conference.

Interview by Jean-Bruno Tagne