Chimie ParisTech and University of Nairobi training in electrochemistry

Fethi Bedioui and Armelle Ringuedé, researchers from the i-CLeHS and IRCP laboratories (Institute of Chemistry for Health and Life Sciences and Institut de Recherche de Chimie Paris respectively) at Chimie ParisTech, travelled to the University of Nairobi last November to give lectures on electrochemistry for analysis and energy as part of the Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility project between ParisTech and the University of Nairobi.

The fruitful exchanges continued in Paris from June 5 to 9, where F. Bedioui and A. Ringuedé hosted a workshop entitled "Electrochemistry for sensing and energy. Ringuedé welcomed 13 chemistry lecturers from the Faculty of Science and Technology (Department of Chemistry) at the University of Nairobi for the "Electrochemistry for sensing and energy, and beyond" workshop.

The workshop was introduced by C. Lerminiaux, Director of Chimie ParisTech and President of ParisTech, F. Bedioui and A. Ringuedé, as well as Leonidah Kerubo, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology, and David Kariuki, Head of the Department of Chemistry. Ringuedé. During the workshop the 13 teacher-researchers were able to exchange views with 11 members of Chimie ParisTech’s academic staff.

Each participant presented his or her work, enabling everyone to discover the questions addressed, the methods used, the hypotheses and results. A good way to progress in one's chosen scientific field. Exchanges were very rich, both between French and Kenyans, but also between Kenyan researchers. The workshop also revealed the differences in the way work is organized in French and Kenyan laboratories.

The workshop was also an opportunity for Catherine Ngila, visiting professor at the University of Nairobi and winner of the 2021 L'Oréal-UNESCO International Prize for Women in Science, to present the situation of women scientists in Africa.

Lastly, Serah Njoroge, a student enrolled in a master's degree in chemistry at the University of Nairobi and currently on a 6-month internship with Chimie ParisTech (funded by Erasmus+), had the opportunity to present the work carried out during her internship in preparation for the PhD she will be starting under a joint supervision of Chimie ParisTech and the University of Nairobi in January 2024.

Taking advantage of their presence on the Pierre et Marie Curie campus in the heart of the Latin Quarter, the Kenyan researchers visited the laboratories of Chimie ParisTech's SEISAD (Synthesis, Electrochemistry, Imaging and Analytical Systems for Diagnosis) and  I2E (Interface, Electrochemistry & Energy) teams, and in particular the "Flow Chemistry" platform, as well as the Marie Curie Museum located there, encountering the memory of a tutelary figure for many researchers.

This partnership is financially supported by the Erasmus+ program.