Rebecca Rodgers Ackermann

The PANACHE Training Network is a new Pan-African initiative designed to build research capacity and support emerging African scholars working in human origins research. Human evolution studies rely heavily on African fossil and archaeological heritage, yet African representation in the field remains disproportionately low, and research leadership is still largely held by institutions outside the continent. Support from the Wenner-Gren Foundation enabled the first year of structured PANACHE activities, including student training, travel for laboratory and field experience, workshops on ethical and socially responsive research, and strengthened collaboration between universities, museums, and field sites across eastern and southern Africa. The project focused on three goals: improving access to training and research infrastructure, building a Pan-African scholarly community, and creating long-term institutional partnerships. Early outcomes include increased mobility, new research collaborations, and expanded student pathways into advanced training. This work represents a step toward a more equitable and Africa-centred approach to the study of human evolution, with long-term impact aimed at transforming how knowledge about our shared human past is produced, interpreted, and shared.