September 2025: Another NamTip student successfully defends her Doctorate

On 3 September 2025, Faith Chambara, a NamTip PhD student from the University of Namibia (UNAM), successfully defended her doctoral dissertation. Supervised by Dr. Wellencia Clara Nesongano (UNAM) and co-supervised by Prof. Anja Linstädter (University of Potsdam), her thesis was entitled “Utilizing herbaceous plant population patterns as indicators of desertification tipping points: an experimental and space-for-time approach.”

Dr. Chambara’s research explored the use of herbaceous plant population patterns as indicators of desertification tipping points, contributing valuable insights into the dynamics of dryland ecosystems. By developing and applying Observational, Measurable, and Actionable (OMA) indicators, her work provides innovative and practical tools for sustainable rangeland management, a pressing need in the face of increasing environmental change and land degradation.

Her defense was attended virtually by faculty members, fellow researchers, NamTip project colleagues, and family, who joined in celebrating this milestone achievement (Fig. 1).