People of MINGZ: Scholarship Holder Bright Asante

27. Juni 2022

Foto: UHH/Asante

Bright Asante from Ghana researches innovative, eco-friendly building materials in Hamburg. When the funding for his doctoral position ran out, a MINGZ stipend helped him finish his project.

My name is Bright Asante and I‘m a doctoral candidate at the University of Hamburg. I work in the Wood Physics research unit of the biology department. My research is on the interaction of wood and a new type of cement: geopolymer cement, which is more eco-friendly and can be produced using 80% less carbon emissions than regular cement. However, we need to know how wood, an organic material, reacts when it is used in constructions with the inorganic geopolymer cement: What type of wood can be used, how should it be treated, what influence does its moisture content have? This is what I’m trying to find out.

From Ghana via Finland to Hamburg

I had already focused on Wood Materials Science when I studied for a Bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources Management in my home country of Ghana, then went to Finland for my Master’s degree. While I was there, I learned about the BioHome project, a collaboration between the University of Hamburg and universities in South Africa and Ethiopia to develop bio-based building materials for affordable housing compartments.

I moved to Hamburg to join the BioHome project in 2017 and started my PhD in 2018. Coming from Finland I had already gotten used to living in Europe. With some help from my colleagues and a student tutor I felt like I was able to integrate easily in Hamburg. My hometown of Kumasi is the second largest city in Ghana, and I enjoy living in big cities and being able to move around quickly. My only problem was the language: In Finland I was able to speak English everywhere, in Germany I felt that it was beneficial to be able to speak the language. So I started learning German and now I’m on a B1 level.

STIBET program supports PhD candidates facing difficulties

When the pandemic hit, I was lucky to already have acquired some of the data for my PhD project, so I was able to start the data analysis and writing process, but since I wasn’t completely finished with my lab work, I was facing some delays. When my funding ran out, I was planning on taking on a part-time job, but this probably would have meant that I wouldn’t be able to graduate on time. Luckily, I came across the STIBET III program on the MINGZ website. This is a short-term stipend for international PhD students at the MIN faculty of the University of Hamburg. The stipend helped me to focus on my research and fully channel my energy to get it done.

“Don’t be scared to come here!”

Now I have handed in the first draft of my dissertation to my supervisor and have already accepted a postdoc position. To all international students that are thinking about doing a PhD in Germany I want to send some encouragement. I often tell other foreign students: Don’t be scared to come here! Don’t be scared of the language! I really like living in Germany and would love to stay here permanently.

The STIBET III program is funded through donations matched by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). We would like to thank the DAAD and the Joachim Herz Foundation for their generous contributions.