Gibson Gosbert Mulokozi was awarded one of the two scholarships of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in its Graduate School Scholarship Programme (GSSP) for the Graduate School of Geosciences (GSGS) in 2024. We spoke with him about his background, his arrival in Germany, his research project, and the selection process.
Gibson is from Tanzania, originally from the small town of Bukoba in the Kagera Region, near Lake Victoria. He arrived in Germany on 19 January 2025 via Cologne/Bonn Airport. It was his first time travelling outside of Africa, and he was excited about his arrival because the preliminary requirements, ‘particularly the visa process at the consulate back home, were a long process’. He recalled his first moments in Germany: ‘When I arrived in Germany, the applause of my fellow passengers for the pilot after landing and the cold weather made me realise that I was far from home and was about to experience a new culture and environment.’
He described his academic transition as both exciting and filled with unexpected moments. Despite arriving at the end of the winter semester, he was able to enrol thanks to the flexibility offered to PhD students, having previously communicated the delays he faced during the visa process. He expressed his appreciation for the support he received during this period, particularly from his Research Working Group led by Prof. Dr. Boris Braun. “I was guided on what needed to be done and how it was done,” he explained. The process of settling into the academic system also involved reaching out to the International Student Office and the Student Service Center, both of which he found responsive and helpful throughout his enrolment.
Gibson was immediately struck by how spread out the university buildings were throughout the centre of Cologne—something quite different from what he is used to in Tanzania, where university campuses are typically more contained and centralized. He noted that his own institute’s location, conveniently situated right next to the Köln Süd train station, made it easy to access his office directly.
Another aspect that stood out to him was the student support infrastructure in place. He described the affordability of services such as meals at the Mensa, free internet subscriptions, and the student travel ticket—which allows unlimited travel across Germany—as "jaw-dropping." These benefits, he said, gave him the impression that being a student in Germany is considered a privilege.
Reflecting on the academic community, Gibson spoke positively about the welcoming and supportive atmosphere within his research group and the broader institute. As a member of the GSGS, which is a part of the Department of Geosciences, he found a vibrant community of international PhD students. He appreciated how the structure and culture of the programme encourage collaboration and help reduce the pressure often associated with PhD work. Since joining, he has already attended a research conference organised by the GSGS, and he is actively involved as a member of the Doctoral Council.
Settling into life in Cologne was not easy during the first three months. Gibson stayed temporarily with his advisor, moved to Bonn for two months and then finally found a shared apartment near Cologne. The bureaucratic process of registering residency added additional stress on the urge to settle in and have a permanent residence. Over six months, he lived in three different places, learning that settling in takes time.
Gibson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture with a focus on crop production and a Master of Arts in Project Management and Evaluation. In his master’s dissertation, Gibson analysed and published his work on power dynamics in the groundnut seed value chain, combining agricultural and project management skills, funded by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) through the Africa Rising project.
After his Master’s degree, Gibson worked as a research assistant on several projects that were mainly related to social welfare and agriculture. His motivation to pursue a PhD stemmed from his desire to establish himself as an independent researcher and technical consultant—a role typically reserved for PhD holders in Tanzania. After collaborating with professors who became unavailable and his mentor, who introduced him to consulting work, leading to establishing a consulting firm together, he decided to pursue a PhD independently and applied successfully to the GSSP scholarship programme.
He described the GSSP selection process as ‘meticulous’ and well-structured, involving multiple stages including project lead selection, graduate school evaluation, interviews, and university nomination before the DAAD scholarship offer. The graduate school interview was particularly challenging, but a pre-interview call from the coordinator helped reduce his anxiety.
While he values academic mentorship and acknowledges the possibility of an academic career, Gibson’s primary goal is to continue working in consulting, combining research with policy development. ‘The most obvious route would be to work in consulting, but I enjoy doing research and my long-term professional goal is to continue contributing to research and policy development through research and consulting.’ He aims to improve his academic writing, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, and deepen his expertise during his PhD.
His research is part of a larger project called ‘Commodification of the Wild,’ which explores how natural entities are transformed into commodities. Focusing on wild ornamental fish from the Great Lakes and the Indian Ocean coral reefs along East Africa coastline of the Indian Ocean, his project examines the importance of the wild caught ornamental fish species to local livelihoods in the region and evaluates the dependency of the local community to the trade involvement as the means to define the trade sustainability to the global markets. He has found it particularly interesting to attend ornamental fish trade fairs and hobbyist group meetings in Germany, discovering connections to fish species from Tanzania and other places in the world. These interactions and participation in conferences have enhanced his understanding of the ornamental fish value chain, both wild caught and domestic bred and informed his research.
As a closing remark, Gibson states that ‘[t]he GSSP programme provides a way to boost academic excellence for scholars.’ He advises prospective GSSP applicants to take the opportunity seriously, prepare thoroughly, and demonstrate their skills and goals clearly during the selection process.