A young researcher’s quest for greener world
Tianjin, China - It has long been Jeffrey Dankwa Ampah’s dream to build a green and sustainable world.
“My primary objective is to formulate viable pathways for the world to transition away from polluting fossil fuels and eventually help to realise our climate goals,” said Ampah, a doctoral candidate from the Republic of Ghana, studying at Tianjin University in north China’s Tianjin Municipality.
Ampah’s PHD centres on global climate challenges, specifically how to minimise the use of carbon to achieve global decarbonisation goals, and reduce the negative impact of carbon removal on global energy, land, water and food systems.
When he was in primary school, Ampah was irritated by frequent power outages. “Back then in my country, electricity was expensive and unstable. At one of those blackout moments, as a young inquisitive kid, I looked up at the blazing sun and wondered when my country would start generating electricity from the sun as the western world did since it is free, clean, and inexhaustible.”
This burgeoning thought led him to study renewable energy engineering at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in Ghana for his bachelor’s degree.
“UENR is a publicly funded national institution seeking excellence in energy and natural resource sciences. That’s where my quest for cleaner energy to benefit the world began,” Ampah recalled.
In 2019, two years after he finished his undergraduate studies and two years into a teaching assistant role at UENR, he decided to further his studies abroad and chose China.
“The remarkable advancements China made in the development of renewable energy sources and its commitment to combating climate change are the main reasons why I chose to study in China,” Ampah said. He learned from a report by the International Energy Agency that China is at the forefront of the renewable energy globally.
“In 2015, China set the goal of peaking carbon dioxide emissions around 2030 and has taken many effective measures,” he said. These achievements and commitments deeply attract Ampah as a renewable energy researcher.
What made the choice to study in China even more appealing was the availability of a full scholarship if he applied to a Chinese university thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative.
“A number of Ghanaian students have been awarded scholarships since our country joined the initiative in 2018. I think it really helps cultivate the talents needed for Ghana’s development,” he said.
Ampah embarked on the journey to study in China in 2019. He owes much of his academic success to the excellent environment Tianjin university provides. “The research environment here is very superior. Our university boasts excellent facilities, a superb faculty and inspiring learning vibes.”
He said in particular that the personal traits he observed in most of his lab peers have significantly influenced his work ethic and approaches. “Most of my Chinese friends are self-disciplined, persistent, and steadfast with their research. Together they make good researchers.”