Dr. Israel Borokini grew up surrounded by nature. He remembers going to bed to the sounds of wild animals and waking up to birdsong during his childhood. It is but natural then that he is today deeply engaged in the study of biodiversity in different parts of the world.
A postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley, his research combines ecological, geospatial, genomic, and phylogenetic data in order to identify patterns of biodiversity and the mechanisms that maintain them in different areas. Assessing which parts of the world have greater biodiversity than others is an important preliminary step towards ecological conservation, he explained.
“I’ve always been interested in biodiversity conservation, especially in Africa where I come from because there is a lot of overexploitation and habitat degradation,” Dr. Borokini said.
Dr. Borokini has published around 60 papers in different scientific journals and presented at more than 40 conferences so far. He has listed a couple of plants in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species and his work has been cited by many fellow scholars.
However, his journey to academic success was not devoid of challenges - he experienced culture shock when he moved to the US for his Ph.D. and had to adjust to a very different education system from what he was used to. But as they say, obstacles only make us stronger!
In addition to his research work, Dr. Borokini serves as the vice president of the Berkeley Postdoctoral Association (BPA). In this capacity, he supports the president, aids in decision-making, and helps to organize professional development programs as well as social events for the postdoctoral community on campus.
“I felt taking up a leadership position in the BPA would be the perfect way for me to give back to the campus community through service. I’m really grateful for the endless resources available to me at Berkeley and the incredibly amazing people I work with here,” Dr. Borokini said.
After completing his postdoctoral appointment at UC Berkeley, Dr. Borokini hopes to bag an academic position that would allow him to combine research work with mentoring the younger generation of scientists. “That’s my dream opportunity,” he said.