ZMT Alumna and Ambassador:

Lindan Mlambo, Zimbabwe

 
Lindan Mlambo

What was your position at ZMT?

I was involved with ZMT during my Master’s in International Studies in Aquatic Tropical Ecology (M.Sc. ISATEC) through which I got connected to institutes such as the Center for Marine Environmental Sciences (MARUM), Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology (MPI) and the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) where I eventually conducted my dissertation on the Population Dynamics of the Euphausiids Species of the Benguela Current off the Namibian Coast.

During my time at ZMT, I thoroughly enjoyed the course and also noticed that Bremen is a diverse city, particularly the international student community. The native “Bremers” are also very warm and friendly. Having got stuck into the city life you will not be surprised to know that “Breminale” by the river Weser fair grounds was my favorite annual festival followed by the Vorstraßen-Sommerfest. Both festivals have amazing music and outdoor activities. In addition to events like these, being a student, I enjoyed being able to freely travel from Bremen to cities such as Hamburg on my semester ticket...talk of weekly student tourists... that was me!

How did you benefit from your time at ZMT?

My affiliation with ZMT has been beneficial in that I now have social, academic and professional capital and connections across the globe. Colleagues I met are all over the world in countries like Namibia, Uganda, Indonesia, Canada, Guatemala, Panama and that allows me to share ideas and support on advancing fisheries management and aqua-culture for improving livelihoods in developing countries.

What happened since you left the institute?

I am currently working in a laboratory at BioConsult: Schuchardt and Scholle GbR in Bremen where my role is to identify aquatic benthos using their morphological features. This position is not only relevant to my ISATEC studies but continues to keep me close to aquatic biodiversity. It is ideal for my future plans of working in food web ecology when I finally return to my country and region of origin.