University of Bayreuth, Press Release No. 77/2026, 30 September 2026

Bayreuth success in the Global Minds Initiative

Another funding success for the University of Bayreuth’s Cluster of Excellence “Africa Multiple”: As part of the DFG initiative “Global Minds in DFG Research Networks”, Prof. Dr. Salome A. Bukachi from the University of Nairobi will be integrated into the cluster’s research activities as a “Mercator Fellow Global” over several years. Funding of approximately €550,000 has been earmarked for the project.

The funding initiative “Global Minds in DFG Research Networks” is part of the 1000 Heads Plus Programme, supported by the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). The programme aims to attract internationally renowned researchers for long-term collaboration with research institutions in Germany.

Global Minds Initiative

The “Mercator Fellow Global” funding scheme is aimed at researchers who remain active at their home institutions abroad while becoming closely integrated into a DFG-funded research consortium in Germany. For Salome Bukachi of the Institute of Anthropology, Gender and African Studies at the University of Nairobi, this means a multi-year collaboration with the Cluster of Excellence Africa Multiple and extended research stays at the University of Bayreuth.

For Africa Multiple, securing this funding represents a significant achievement. It strengthens the cluster’s international network while supporting its goal of linking humanities- and social sciences-based African Studies more closely with other research fields at the University of Bayreuth.

“With Salome Bukachi, we are gaining an outstanding scholar whose research aligns perfectly with the scientific agenda of Africa Multiple’s second funding phase. The Global Minds Initiative enables us to establish a long-term collaboration and closely integrate her expertise into the cluster,” says Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Seesemann, Speaker of Africa Multiple: Cluster of Excellence.

Research on Zoonotic Diseases in Kenya and Uganda

As part of her Mercator Fellowship, Salome Bukachi will investigate how local knowledge can contribute to the earlier detection of zoonotic diseases. Zoonoses are infectious diseases that can be transmitted between animals and humans. Bukachi combines medical anthropology with the One Health approach, which considers the health of humans, animals and the environment as interconnected.

Research will be conducted in Kajiado, Kenya, and Nakaseke, Uganda. The project focuses on which signs of illness people observe in their daily lives and how this knowledge can be better integrated into existing early warning systems. It also examines how divisions of labour, gender roles and social structures influence the prevention and control of zoonotic diseases, including who recognises and communicates warning signals.

“People who live and work closely with animals on a daily basis possess knowledge that can be highly valuable for the early detection of diseases. I look forward to pursuing these questions together with colleagues in Bayreuth. The combination of African Studies and health sciences provides a particularly exciting environment for this work,” says Prof. Dr. Salome A. Bukachi.

Connecting African Studies and Health Sciences

Within the Cluster of Excellence, Bukachi’s project is expected to create important synergies with the Research Section “Ecologies”. This section brings together approaches from the social sciences and humanities with perspectives from the natural and health sciences. The project therefore exemplifies the interdisciplinary orientation of Africa Multiple in its second funding phase.

During the preparation of the successful application, Bukachi was also supported by researchers from the University of Bayreuth. In particular, Tim Dorlach, Junior Professor of Global Food and Health Policy at the Kulmbach Campus, provided advice during the application process.

Long-Term Integration in Bayreuth

The project will run from August 2027 to September 2031. Across three research phases, Bukachi will spend a total of 32 months at the University of Bayreuth and will be a member of the Cluster of Excellence throughout the fellowship.

“The successful integration of a Mercator Fellow Global underscores the international attractiveness of the University of Bayreuth as a research location. At the same time, the project strengthens collaboration between our established focal areas in African Studies and the health sciences,” says Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Stefan Leible, President of the University of Bayreuth.

About Africa Multiple: Cluster of Excellence

The Cluster of Excellence “Africa Multiple: Reconfiguring African Studies” has been funded since 2019 under Germany’s Excellence Strategy of the federal and state governments. Since 2026, it has been in its second funding phase, which runs until the end of 2032. Under the guiding theme “World(s) and Worldmaking”, the cluster conducts research in six areas: Accumulation, Digitalities, Ecologies, In/Securities, Re:membering, and Translating.

Its aim is to rethink African Studies, strengthen connections between different forms of knowledge and academic disciplines, and gradually reduce existing inequalities in the production of knowledge about Africa.