My journey in China could be described as a transition from pure Chemistry to Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. This journey was never without huddles, which, however, were made almost insignificant by the beautiful people and rich cultural heritage of the ancient city of Nanjing, East China’s Jiangsu Province. From the impeccable scenic wonder of Xuanwu Lake to the hills of the Purple Mountain and the knowledge bank of the Confucius Temple, I marveled at ancient minds. This gave me hope, knowing that I was in the right place for research; thus, I sailed through scientific research with ease.

Building a solid research profile requires a solid foundation and a team that is willing and ready to assist you to overcome challenges. And if a young researcher is opportune to be surrounded by senior colleagues and a mentor who guides but also gives room for creativity, no obstacle is strong enough to thwart his success. My time at the Institute of Soil Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in Nanjing was very long: first as a CAS-TWAS President’s PhD student (2016-2020) and then as a CAS PIFI Postdoctoral Fellow. Like a microaggregate, I experienced scientific growth from very minute forms as the organic matter of ancient wisdom and hospitality of Nanjing carefully molded me into a macroaggregate. From basic laboratory investigations to advanced field research, I saw my scientific profile slowly changing from a novice Soil Scientist into a Soil and Environmental Engineer. To attest to this growth, my number of scientific peer-reviewed publications increased in size and quality and the number of calls to serve as a reviewer for top journals also increased. This goes without saying that I felt accomplished and pressured at the same time. Why pressured? Well, it might have been easy to have achieved all the mentioned results, but the bigger challenge is to continue being resourceful and produce results, especially given that Nanjing nurtured me from a boy into a man.

I came to China as a bachelor and eventually got married. I am a father of two beautiful girls, both born in Nanjing. I have watched them grow into beautiful young girls who are ready to start school. Despite being so focused on my work, I equally found the strength to make sure my family could grow as well. My wife excelled in her Master of Finance program at Nanjing Audit University through the Jiangsu Jasmine Scholarship Program and was eventually granted another scholarship for a PhD at Shenzhen University. With this progress, her peer-reviewed publication profile is also increasing.

My growth in Nanjing and China as a whole has been very balanced. My h-index has increased from 0 to 9 and my family from 1 to 4. I see this as the start of a long journey whose foundation has just been laid. Therefore, my goal is to improve my foundation and continue building my research and family profile following a similar trajectory. While doing this, I leave room for uncertainties, nevertheless, making sure they don’t erode my base. I will continue building my network, initiate more collaborations, and also look forward to future opportunities.

Source: Jackson Nkoh Nkoh,

Institute of Soil Science,

Chinese Academy of Sciences