Florent YALINKPON

YALINKPON Florent is a PhD candidate in Biometry at the Laboratory of Biomathematics and Forest Estimations (LABEF), University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC), Benin. His doctoral research focuses on developing a predictive model for cotton yield in Benin using Artificial Intelligence, as a strategic approach for adaptive and sustainable agriculture in the context of climate change.

He holds a Master's degree in Statistics (Major Biostatistics) from UAC and a Bachelor's degree in Agronomic Sciences from the National University of Agriculture (UNA), Benin. His work lies at the intersection of statistics, machine learning, and agricultural sciences, with a strong emphasis on data-driven solutions for development.

Over the past several years, Florent has accumulated diverse professional experience as a data analyst, survey supervisor, and junior programmer with organizations such as IFDC, INRAB, STAT-DES SARL, and Holding Bourjon Investment. He has contributed to projects in agricultural profiling, phytosanitary mapping, health insurance, and mobile/web application development. He is proficient in R, Python, SPSS, Stata, QGIS, and various survey platforms (Kobo Collect, ODK Collect, Survey Solution).

Florent is also an active member of the research community, having participated in numerous conferences and workshops, including the 13th Data Science of Africa Summer School (Nigeria, 2025), the CORAF MITA (Togo, 2024), and the ICT4D Conference (Ghana, 2024). He has co-authored several peer-reviewed publications in agricultural sciences and biostatistics.

In 2026, he was awarded a Global Development Fellowship at Imperial College London, UK, for a four-month research visit within the Department of Mathematics. His long-term goal is to leverage artificial intelligence and statistical modeling to support sustainable agricultural practices and climate change adaptation in West Africa.

PhD candidate in Biometry, UAC Benin; MSc in Statistics (Biostatistics), UAC Benin; BSc in Agronomic Sciences, UNA Benin; Global Development Fellow, Imperial College London (2026) UK; English B2 certified