Priscilla Nyadoi, a beneficiary of the OeAD Scholarship, conducted her population genetics study of Tamarindus indica L. with the PICME (Platform for Integrated Plant Clone Management) Laboratory Group in the Department of Biogenetics and Natural Resources at the Austrian Research Centres (now the Austrian Institute of Technology – AIT). She was supervised by Dr Kornel Berg during this time. She also took relevant courses at the University of Vienna, eventually graduating with a PhD in Forestry (Genetics, Ecology and Biodiversity) from Makerere University's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in 2011.
She works at Uganda Martyrs University as the Deputy Director of the Directorate of Graduate Studies, Research and Enterprise. This position puts her at the heart of the academic progress of graduate (Master's and doctoral) students. She is currently the Chairperson of the Organization for Women in Sciences for the Developing World (OWSD) Uganda National Chapter. Until recently, she was Vice Chairperson of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA)'s 7th and 8th Boards of Directors (2017–2021 and 2021–2024). She also sits on the board of several other conservation, environment and natural resources management government and non-governmental organisations. She is also a member of the Tropical Important Plant Areas Working Group in Uganda. She is also a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM).
In academia, Priscilla is a reviewer and member of editorial boards of journals: Avian Ecology, Academia Biology, Advances in Biology & Biotechnology, International Journal of Environment and Climate Change, International Journal of Plant & Soil Science, Journal of Scientific Research and Reports, Academia Environmental Sciences and Sustainability and Gene Conserve among others.
In 2023, the Government of Uganda, through the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, gave Dr. Nyadoi the Wildlife Haven Conservation Award. This was in recognition of her outstanding contribution to wildlife conservation in the country.
The financial resources she deployed for her conservation work in Uganda were awards from various funding agencies. These included the Ambassador's Self-Help Grant from the American Embassy (2020–21), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) – Government of Uganda and United Nations Development Programme Small Grants (2019–21), the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Grants (2018), the Global Green Grants (United States of America) (2017), She also received funding from the Ecosystems Alliance (International Union for Conservation of Nature-Netherlands Committee, Both ENDS and Wetlands International), the Royal Dutch Government (2012–2016) and the British Trust for Ornithology in collaboration with Cambridge University (2011–2012), among others.
Priscilla Nyadoi acknowledges that the OeAD Scholarship was crucial to her PhD studies, stating that without it, she would not have been able to complete the laboratory component of her thesis research. She reports that the scholarship gave her exposure and visibility at an international level as a scholar. It gave her the opportunity to study relevant courses at a world-class, top-rated university — the University of Vienna — although, as there was no sandwich arrangement with her home university, she had to return to Makerere to earn her doctoral degree. Although she wanted to complete another doctoral programme at the University of Vienna, she lost contact with her supervisor and the AIT team when her email address encountered problems, and her contacts were lost. She looks forward to having another opportunity to visit Austria, reconnect with the university and engage in research collaborations, academic programmes and mobility initiatives. She is profoundly grateful for the OeAD Scholarship, which enabled her to achieve the highest level of academia, and she thanks the management team, particularly Elke Stinnig and Katharina Engel, who were always available to listen to and resolve scholars' issues. Dr Nyadoi can be reached via email at pnyadoi@umu.ac.ug
