How one Migration Expert is “Becoming a Better Researcher”; Q & A with Jacqueline Owigo
Author: Naliaka Odera
Mawazo’s research has shown that PhD students are looking for training opportunities that can help them develop professional skills. Take for instance Jacqueline Owigo, one of the 2018 Mawazo PhD Scholars. Prior to joining the PhD Scholars programme, Jacqueline, whose research explores forced migration and reintegration trends, with a focus on Somalia, had completed all her relevant coursework and was in the dissertation phase of her PhD. Yet she hadn’t received any hands-on training on core research skills like academic writing and publishing, policy outreach, or financial management for research budgets. Skills that are essential to long term success in academia.
Jacqueline’s experience is backed by findings that show a shortage of professional development opportunities for African researchers. In a 2018 study on young scientists in Africa, The Next Generation of Scientists in Africa, among the top three career challenges reported by African scientists under 39 years-old was a lack of training opportunities to develop professional skills. The other two challenges were; lack of research funding, and funding for research equipment.
As a Mawazo PhD Scholar, Jacqueline Owigo received grants to support her research, travel to conferences, and also participated in numerous workshops and training sessions led by Mawazo. Over the last year, Mawazo has been working to adapt the training sessions that Jacqueline and our Scholars took part in into an e-learning curriculum that can be accessed by many more African researchers, helping to meet the demand for training opportunities. The Mawazo Learning Exchange (MLEx), which rolls out its curriculum in 2021, will be an online learning community for African women in academia and research, providing free training in core professional and research skills such as academic publishing, grant writing, budgeting and financial management, science communication, policy engagement, and leadership.
In an interview with us, we asked Jacqueline about her experience in the PhD Scholars programme, and how the skills training she received has impacted her work as a researcher, giving us preview of what learners can expect from MLEx.
Q: How did you first come across the Mawazo Institute’s PhD Scholars Programme?
A: I saw a link on social media advertising the PhD Scholars programme, and then a colleague forwarded the call for applications onto me, encouraging me to apply. It seemed like a great opportunity to become a better academic researcher, and it came with a grant as well, so it was ideally suited.
Q: What is your research about?
A: I’ve always been interested in forced migration studies. My proposed research was looking at return migration and reintegration in Somalia, and I was still working on it when I applied for the Mawazo PhD Scholar’s Programme. The Mawazo team really supported me during my programme year, and I was able to refine my research further.
Q: What were your initial expectations and subsequent impressions?
A: What drew me to the programme were things like: learning how to present your work to a wider audience, attending skill building training sessions, networking with like-minded young women, and acquiring new ways to engage with policymakers, which is so important in academia but especially in a field like mine. Through the programme, I was also exposed to many scholars and researchers that I would not have otherwise met. I was able to attend conferences where I could network with like-minded people working in the same field. As an International Relations student, I realised that migration requires an interdisciplinary approach, which used to worry me a bit. But the good thing about meeting all these other migration experts from around the world, is that they were able to add so much value to my research.
Q: What skills did you pick up by participating in Mawazo’s trainings
A: When I joined Mawazo, I had never had any hands-on training on the skills you need to excel in academia and research. With Mawazo, we learned how to write journal articles, for example, and even how to be aware of predatory journals. It’s so important for researchers and scholars to be aware of the journals in their field. Equally, skills in policy brief writing and how to connect this with policy outreach, have been useful to me. Now, whenever I see opportunities to use my research in policy discussions, I am much more able to make contributions. So far, I have been able to share my work in policy briefs and academic journals.
I also found that the grant writing training was very helpful. The skills gained came in handy, and I have been awarded several grants since I graduated out of the Mawazo programme. One of the other significant skills I learnt was budget writing and financial management. It is important to be able to demonstrate how you use the resources allocated during research, and a lot of time was spent making sure that we really understood what the best practices were.
Q: Was there anything that surprised you about the training you received?
A: Often when you’re doing training, you don’t have the opportunity to put it into practice. But with the learnings from Mawazo, I have found myself going back through materials that were shared, referring to them often. [For example] When I saw a call for researchers to submit policy briefs on Migration and Climate Change, I was able to utilize the information we learnt during the policy outreach training to write a brief. It is great to be able to use this new knowledge so immediately and practically. The surprise has been how easily you are able to fall back on Mawazo training to help you.
Q: Having graduated from the PhD Scholars Programme in 2019, how is your research coming along?
A: Owing to the exposure that the Mawazo programme provided, I have been able to better my research. I received valuable input during the research symposium [hosted by Mawazo]. Mawazo also exposed me to scholars and networks which have contributed immensely to my dissertation journey. I’m currently writing my dissertation and really looking forward to finalizing my PhD next year.
Jacqueline Owigo is pursuing her PhD in International Relations at the United States International University - Africa (USIU - Africa). Findings from her research, ‘Return and Reintegration in Fragile Contexts: A Case Study of Returnees in Somalia,’ were recently featured in a brief published on the Africa Portal.