Dr Niokhor Bakhoum studied Natural Sciences and Plant Biology at Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar (UCAD), Senegal. He undertook his PhD thesis (2009-2012) on soil microbiology (symbiotic bacteria) at LCM (Laboratoire Commun de Microbiologie IRD/ISRA/UCAD), LEMSAT (Laboratoire d'Ecologie Microbienne des Sols et des Agrosystèmes Tropicaux IRD/ISRA/UCAD), both in Dakar, Senegal, and LSTM (Laboratoire des Symbioses tropicales et Méditerranéennes IRD/CIRAD/INRA/SupAgro/UnivMontpellier) in Montpellier, France. 

He is a Norman Borlaug, CV Raman and University of Nottingham-Rothamsted International fellowship Alumni. He worked as a research scientist at University of Nottingham (UK), University California of Los Angeles (USA), Senegalese Institute of Agronomic Researches (ISRA, Senegal) and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University at Coimbatore (India). His research within these entities involves the definition of plants' core microbiome and ionome, and the development of microbial inocula to increase plants’ production. He was actively involved in the writing and the management of these research projects, as well as the analysis of results and production of reports and scientific publications. 

Dr Niokhor Bakhoum is currently working at Sine-Saloum El-Hadj Ibrahima Niasse University of Kaolack (Senegal) as a Lecturer in the Faculty of Environmental and Social Sciences.