Country of Residence
Discipline(s)
GYA Roles
Institution
Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaounde 1
Department of Organic Chemistry
PO BOX: 812 Yaounde, Cameroon
Research Interests
Extraction and biological evaluation of samples with a significant emphasis on malaria, bacterial infections and cancer,
Bioassay-guided isolation and characterisation of new biologically active molecules
Research and development of phytodrugs
Topics to speak on:
Natural products, Dereplication, Stuctural elucidation, Metabolomics, Biodiversity and Natural Resources, Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” – Mother Teresa
Biography
Armelle TSAMO TONTSA holds a degree in Chemistry and earned her M.Sc. (2009) and PhD (2014) from the University of Yaounde 1. Her academic journey led her to post-doctoral positions at the Georg August University of Göttingen (Germany) and Tshwane University of Technology (South Africa). Since 2020, she assumed the role of a lecturer and researcher in the Department of Organic Chemistry at the University of Yaounde 1, Cameroon.
Focusing on exploring metabolic biodiversity in Cameroonian fungal and plant species for antiparasitic drug discovery, Armelle has contributed significantly to her field. With over 25 scholarly publications, including peer-reviewed papers (h-index=12, i10 index=12), she has actively participated in national and international conferences. Her commitment extends to nurturing the next generation of researchers as she trains and supervises students from various universities in Cameroon.
Armelle has been honoured with prestigious fellowships and awards throughout her career. Notable accolades include the Canadian Commonwealth Exchange Program (2009) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) fellowship (2014) during her doctoral studies. Subsequently, she received the South African National Research Foundation (2016-2019), the Royal Society of Chemistry Research grant (2021), the DAAD Research Stays for University Academics and Scientists (2022), as well as the OPCW fellowship programme (2023) and the Researcher Development Grant of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2023).
A member of esteemed scientific organisations such as the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) and the “Cameroon Professional Research-Oriented Women Network” (CaPROWN), Armelle is a young affiliate of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) and a member of the Cameroon Academy of Young Scientists (CAYS), the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), and the Global Young Academy (GYA). Notably, she co-leads the Science in Excellence working group at GYA.
Beyond her research contributions, Armelle actively peer-reviews for internationally renowned journals, advocates for STEM education for females, and mentors female postgraduate students. Her commitment to excellence is further demonstrated by her participation in the African Science Leadership Programme 2023 (cohort 9) and her certification as a scholarship mentor from Africademics.
Awards
Canadian Commonwealth Exchange Program Grant, University of Manitoba, Canada (2009)
German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) doctoral fellowship, University of Göttingen, Germany (2014)
DST-NRF fellow, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa (2016_2019)
Royal Society of Chemistry-Research Fund grant, R21-2669287010 (2021)
DAAD Research Stays for University Academics and Scientists, University of Mainz, Germany (2022)
OPCW fellowship programme, University of Paris Saclay, France (2023)
Activities
