Biography
Professor Achille Ephrem Assogbadjo is a Full Professor of Conservation Genetics, Forest Ecology and Ethnobotany at the Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin, and Director of the Laboratory of Applied Ecology. An agronomist and forester by training, his research focuses on biodiversity conservation, conservation genetics, agroforestry, ethnobotany, non-timber forest products and the sustainable management of indigenous plant resources.
A major strand of his research has examined African indigenous and underutilised plant species, including the African baobab (Adansonia digitata), combining ecological and genetic approaches with traditional and local knowledge to support conservation, domestication, food security and sustainable livelihoods. His work has also contributed to community-based approaches to biodiversity management and climate-resilient development.
Professor Assogbadjo has published extensively and has trained and mentored large numbers of undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral researchers across Africa. He was elected a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences in 2025 in Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences. He received the 2023 Georg Forster Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in recognition of his internationally recognised research and its relevance to development.
His expertise is particularly relevant to Liberia's priorities in forest conservation, agroforestry, indigenous plant resources, biodiversity-based livelihoods, climate resilience and the development of young agricultural and environmental scientists.