Top 10 Scientists From Senegal
Africa is known as the cradle of civilization and origin of great inventions. Science is not a word that Africans are usually associated with.
Great scientists have mostly been know as White-Europeans and Americans. This does not mean that there are no great African scientists.
Related: Groundbreaking African Inventions in Technology
There is, however, a greater need to encourage young scientific talents in Africa. An annual gathering of African scientists known as the “Next Einstein Forum” was introduced recently.
Senegal has actively participated in this annual gathering of scientific minds. Below is a list of ten scientists originating from Senegal including both old and new
Rose Dieng-Kuntz
She was born in 1956. She is the first African woman to enroll in Ecole Polytechnique in France. Rose is a specialist in artificial intelligence. This Senegalese computer scientist died in 2008.
Her work and person is still remembered both in France and her native Senegal. She worked at the National Institute for Research in Computer science and Control (INRIA) in France.
Her work involved knowledge management and the semantic web. She hoped for a future where the web of knowledge links individuals, organizations, countries, and continents.
Mouhamed Moustapha Fall
Born in Keur Samba Kane, a village not far away from Dakar. This young scientist was the first in his family to attend university, where he graduated in 2004. He presently chairs of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) of Senegal.
Mouhamed is a doctor who has published research in the International Mathematics and Physics journals. His interest lies in geometric analysis. He has a goal of making mathematics accessible to both the educated and illiterate in Africa.
Joseph Ben Geloun
Another mathematical genius was born in Saint Louis, Senegal. Geloun has interest in quantum properties in matter. His pioneering work was based on the Tensor Field Theory and the discovery of the generic asymptotic freedom.
He received the young scientist award in Mathematics Physics in 2015-2017. He presently holds an Alexander Von Humboldt Experienced Research Fellowship in Potsdam, Germany.
Assane Gueye
Dr. Assane Gueye is a Senegalese born in Mbacke. His interest in science goes far back to his elementary school days. He won first place in a Math and Physics competition at the Senegalese national high school contest.
He specializes in Cyber Security. He hopes to do for ICT what Claude Shannon did for Information theory.
Sidy Ndao
Sidy Ndao is a young Senegalese scientist that is interested in the field of robotics. He believes the youth should be made interested in science at an early age using robots as a tool.
He invented the Azibot, a robot kit that can be downloaded and used by anyone after printing in 3D. He was a participant at the Next Einstein Forum. Sidy recently set up an organization called SenEcole.
Through the organization, he wants to achieve his vision of using Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education as a learning tool.
Dr. Daniel Annerose
Daniel is a Dakar-born plant scientist who has a doctorate in biology. He is a member of the Senegalese Academy of Science and Technology. Dr. Annerose used his passion and interest of agricultural yields in arid and semi-arid areas to open a business called Manobi.
Mathematical models are used for predicting yields and anticipating food crises. As CEO and founder of Manobi, he specializes in gathering data on current prices for locally sold commodities in the nation.
He then provides pricing information to farmers and other producers using telecommunication. The company is more than ten years old and is a member World Cocoa Foundation (WCF).
Dr. Daniel Annerose refered to the company as an Africa Cocoa Village. The mission is to connect millions of cocoa producers and consumers worldwide.
They seek to pioneer the phygitalization of the cocoa value chain to secure global sustainability. They want to ensure transparency and honorable sourcing of the smart foods of tomorrow.
Ahmadou Lamine Ndiaye
Ndiaye was a former professor of the National Academy of Science and Technology of Senegal (ANSTS). He served as special adviser to the President of the nation at different times.
He had an exceptional career as an animal scientist with many achievements both in Senegal where he started and in France where he worked as well. The Dakar born scientist was the First African director of Cheikh Anta Diop University between 1976 and 1986. He was born May 20, 1937.
Cheikh Anta Diop
He was referred to as an Afrocentrist during his lifetime. He was considered as one of the greatest scientists after Darwin in his own rights. He was also a historian, anthropologist, politician, and philosopher.
Cheikh was born on 29 December 1923, in Diourbel, Senegal. He postulated the theories that the Black race existed in historic Egypt, as early as 3000 BC.
His first thesis titled “Black Nations and Culture” drew both admiration and criticism. Although he died in 1986, he remained recognized as the scholar who exerted the greatest influence on the African people in the 20th century.
Baba Dioum
Dioum is a Senegalese forestry engineer who was born in 1937. His main goal was agriculture development and natural resource management. Baba Dioum is famous for the speech he made in New Delhi, India in 1968.
He said "in the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught."
The great environmentalist transformed Africa by dealing with environmental issues, agricultural land policy and water conservation. He has served as a director in many capacities.
Haider el Ali
One of African best-known environmentalists. Ali is a Senegalese ecologist and the leader of the Senegalese Greens of FEDES. He was recently, appointed as Minister for the Environment and Protection of nature.
He is an advocate of Sustainable Management in fishing resources and marine park protection. He is also the founder and President of Oceanium.
Oceanium is a working center with a mission to protect the ocean and all underwater resources. He was born in January 1953 in Senegal. Although he has a Lebanese heritage, he is recognized as Senegalese.
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