With thanks to everyone that applied, we are thrilled to introduce the winners of the 2026 Black in Plant Science Research Excellence Awards. The award recognises talented early career Black or Black heritage researchers working with plants in UK institutions. Both awardees will receive funding to present their work at an International conference this summer. They will also be invited to attend and present at the 2026 Black in Plant Science Annual Conference.
Sibongile Zimba
Dr Sibongile Zimba is a Research Fellow at the University of Bristol whose research aims to improve crop nutritional quality and resilience to climate stress. Growing up in Malawi prompted her passion for plant science to tackle global hunger and malnutrition. As a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, in Malawi, she taught and mentored students, supervised research projects, and developed training resources that continue to support good agricultural practice.
Dr Zimba’s PhD (University of Leeds, 2024), funded by UKRI-GCRF-AFRICAP, explored drought-tolerance mechanisms, identifying traits linked to resilience. This work contributed to the development of elite drought-tolerant sorghum varieties. She presented her work internationally and published as both first and co-author in journals (Plants People Planet, Current Biology, Nature Food, Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, CABI) and book chapters.
Now a Bristol Futures Research Development Fellow (2025-29), Dr Zimba investigates how combined climate stresses-including heat, drought, and elevated CO₂-affect wheat roots-soil interaction and grain nutritional quality. Integrating plant biology with machine learning, she aims to accelerate the development of climate-resilient, nutrient-rich crops for a nutritionally secure future. In 2025 she received the Rank Prize (The Lord Selborne Early Career Researcher Presentation Prize) and multiple travel grants to international conferences, including New Phytologist Next-Generation Scientists, Rank Prize Symposium, Rosalind Franklin Women in Wheat champions among others.
Dr Zimba is committed to inclusiveness in science, mentoring the next generation of scientists. She is an active member of the Association of Applied Biologists, Women in Crop Science, Black in Plant Science among others. She contributes to initiatives that advance research culture, equity, and diversity, and engages in outreach to inspire marginalised communities.
Ousmane Dao
Ousmane Dao is a plant scientist specialising in algal photosynthesis and its applications to sustainable agriculture and climate solutions. He is currently based in the Department of Biology at the University of York, where his research focuses on understanding key processes such as carbon concentrating mechanisms, photorespiration, and their crosstalk, with the aim of improving photosynthetic efficiency and developing sustainable bio-based production systems. His work has contributed to the discovery of novel components of algal photorespiration and to advancing our understanding of how photosynthetic systems can be optimised for enhanced carbon fixation and biofuel production. More broadly, his research sits at the intersection of fundamental biology and global challenges such as food security and climate change. Beyond the lab, Ousmane is a dedicated advocate for representation in STEM. He is committed to mentoring and supporting the next generation of scientists and to promoting diversity in plant science through teaching, supervision, and community engagement. He is the recipient of the Black in Plant Science Research Excellence Award, recognising his contributions to plant science and commitment to inclusive research communities.