Rodney Asilla, a PhD student in The School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA) at the University of Pretoria (UP) has been selected to represent the university at the Feed-Protect-Care Global Collaborative PhD Platform at the University of Montpellier, France.  Rodney is one of two of UP representatives at this year’s PhD platform hosted by the University of Montpellier in France.
The SPMA is proud to announce the selection of one of its PhD students, The Feed-Protect-Care platform, involving the University of Montpellier, UP and 17 other partner universities, is a collaborative platform which creates an opportunity for a network of PhD students from across the globe. Launched at UP in 2023, this initiative aims to bring together PhD students to learn, network and engage towards establishing an inclusive and diverse global community of future sustainability science. It is organised within the framework of the IDEES project funded by French national research agency (Agence Nationale de la Recherche).

Speaking on the opportunity to represent the SPMA and UP at the global PhD platform, a delighted Rodney said: 
“I am honoured to represent the SPMA and the University of Pretoria at such a level. It is a privilege to be part of a global, diverse and multi-talented community that will synergise and leverage its collective potential towards addressing global challenges from a transdisciplinary approach.” 
His  research, titled “Social capital and policy processes in devolved units: the case of Kakamega County, Kenya” under the supervision of Prof Adrino Mazenda, focuses on establishing the actual impact that citizen networks have in shaping policy processes at the regional level in Kenya. He aims, through his research, to propose frameworks towards enhancing citizen participation in policy processes, towards having policy outcomes that effectively reflect the needs of citizens in Kenya. 

The PhD platform will include a field school that will run from  11 to the 16 March 2024,followed by a “Montpellier Global Days 2024: Pooling Collective Intelligence” event from the 18 to 20 March 2024. This event will bring together a host of international organisations and expert panels with the objective of working together to produce a joint road map towards addressing contemporary global challenges. 
Rodney says he looks forward to networking with other PhD students and acquiring new knowledge. “I anticipate that it will be a life-changing experience. “While I expect to adequately employ the skills and capacities I have acquired so far at UP, I realise it is also an opportunity to learn from my peers across the globe, and I hope to make the most of it,” he said.