Mirabel Akongwi

General Info

What will be your most valuable contribution to your TechWomen mentorship?

As a PhD holder in specialized chemistry and organic chemistry with a focus on isolation of bioactive compounds from Cameroonian medicinal plants, my additional competences over the past years are as follows: Medicinal Chemistry with a daily application to health care, development of research projects, training on both oral and written communication, work reports such as scientific articles, scientific communication and to follow up with Master's and Doctorate degree students. I have many separation techniques such as, TLC, CC, GPC, HPLC, etc. and spectroscopic methods like NMR, MS, MS-MS, UV and IR. Lastly, I have a good command on communication of knowledge and manipulation skills to learners in both English and French.

The Top Three Things I Would Like to Learn or Experience During my Mentorship

1. How machines are used to analyze and develop metabolomic data.
2. How to use organic waste in my community as a renewable energy source.
3. Entrepreneurship and leadership skills.

Mentorship Characteristic

• Participate in a skills-building course, either provided by my mentor’s company or identify a free resource online
• Identify workshops or certificate programs to further my learning after the program has ended
• Focus on leadership skills building
• Have exposure to specialized industry techniques
• Exposes me to new tools and platforms

Ideal Company Type

Passionate with putting in place a natural product chemistry laboratory or a small biomass plant where I can train students on how to quantify and qualify plant metabolomics using hyphenated techniques, such as LC-MS or LC-NMR, GC or HPLC combined with spectroscopy (IR, NIR, MS) and their implicitizations in the treatment of malaria, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. I also hope to work with the conversion of plant biomass into organic molecules of interest as fuels and value-added products. I want to get renewable energy from biomass such as corn stover (stalks, leaves, husks and cobs), wheat straw, etc. which then helps to reduce garbage from landfills.

What are three adjectives that best describe you in the work place?

1. Assiduous
2. Reliable
3. Outgoing

What impact will your mentorship have on your career and professional path?

As a highly passionate, ambitious, courageous person with unparalleled conviction in the emancipation of the children especially young women, I was motivated by the fact that a young girl could not only go to school, but also explore the depths of the academic worlds notably in the sciences which are a record low number from the female population in my community. The TechWomen fellowship in this case, will give me the empowerment, connection and support I badly need to deliver my vision for young women in my community. Not only will I benefit from the access and opportunities I gain from the TechWomen program, but I can pursue my dreams and become a role model for young girls pursuing theirs.

After participating in the TechWomen program, how will you leverage your mentorship experience to make an impact in your home country?

After returning from this life changing program together as a team, I hope to deliver on this vision; the network and mentorship acquired from TechWomen will help strengthen collaboration between my institutions and other institutions in Cameroon. I aim to close the gap between the quality of education offered to economically advantaged residents versus the vulnerable, internally displaced children of the poorest of poor by strengthening the capacity of teachers and other vulnerable groups through multidimensional partnerships and integrated project approaches. These implications will help conform the new education vision of Cameroon and Agenda 2030 and our Global Sustainable Development Goals, especially in the area of sciences and technology.

Work History

Years of Full-time Work Experience

11

Primary Professional Focus

• Bio or medical technology
• QA and testing
• Scientist and researcher

Education History