Viwe TYIBILIKA, PhD
From Alice in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
My name is Viwe Tyibilika, I was born in the Eastern Cape in a town called Alice. Currently, I am a 1st year PhD student in a co-supervised PhD « doctorat en cotutelle » between Stellenbosch University in South Africa and Université de Montpellier in France. My research is in the field Biotechnology and Microbiology in an oenological environment. I am investigating redox balance in wine yeast during wine fermentation and how this impacts the development of flavour compounds in the final wine product.
My journey to this kind of research began in 2013, I registered for a Bachelor of Science majoring in Biochemistry and Microbiology at the University of Fort Hare, subsequently I did an honours degree in 2017. I came to France in 2018 to do a masters in Microbiology and Physico-chemistry for food and wine processes at Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté in Dijon. Studying in France has exposed me to technologies and practical knowledge that I wish to transfer back to South Africa. I am passionate about solving unknowns and this is where my interest in research is based, therefore I plan to engage in research that can be transcended into commerce and industry solutions.
I am eternally grateful to the Embassy of France, and in extension the French government, for the financial support throughout my Master’s studies and now during my PhD. Beyond the academic knowledge on a global scale that I have received, I have had a tremendous opportunity to learn and assimilate the French culture.
