Nationally recruited staff (NRS) appointment–Nairobi

Peter Mativo joined ILRI’s Corporate Services directorate, Finance department as finance manager in June 2017 attached to Biosciences and CRP’s. He was formerly with Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation where he served as Finance & Operations Manager. Prior to that, he worked for CARE as Finance & Grants Coordinator. Through working with international development organizations, he has supported finance and operation teams by equipping them with necessary skills to manage awards and providing leadership in ensuring efficient and effective utilization of financial and administrative resources. He has wide experience in the areas of; financial accounting, budgeting, contracts/partnership management, donor reporting, cash flow management and staff capacity building. Earlier in his career, he worked for Kenindia Assurance Co. Ltd, Safaricom Limited and other private sector organizations. He holds an MBA, Finance from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology, BCOM, Accounting from University of Nairobi and is a Certified Public Accountant, CPA (K). He is a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK).

 

Maurice Karani has moved to the ZooLink suite of projects as a research assistant effective July 2017 in the Biosciences Directorate and will be based in Busia, Western Kenya. His main role will include collection of biological samples in households, slaughterhouses and livestock markets as well general coordination of field activities. He is a veterinarian by profession and holds a BvetMed from the University of Nairobi. Prior to this appointment, Murungi was a research Assistant with the Urban Zoo project at ILRI working on mapping of livestock and livestock source products value chains as well focusing on understanding the problem of pathogen emergence and the role of urbanization in the emergence of zoonotic pathogens in Nairobi.

 

Patrick Muinde was appointed research assistant in the ZooLink suite of projects in the Biosciences directorate effective July 2017 and will be based in Busia, Western Kenya. Patrick holds a BvetMed from the University of Nairobi and currently pursuing an MSc in Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of London. Patrick will be supporting research work in this project whose aim is to enable the Kenyan government develop an effective and integrated surveillance program for 14 selected zoonotic diseases. Prior to this  appointment, Patrick was working as a Research Assistant in the Urban-Zoo project at ILRI, Nairobi for the 99 household and Value chain components for Epidemiology, Ecology and Socio-economics of Disease Emergence in Nairobi since May 2014. This project focused on the role of urbanization in the emergence of zoonotic pathogens and how the supply of livestock and their products from urban, peri-urban and other regions is contributing to the introduction and emergence of these pathogens.

Kelvin Momanyi was appointed research assistant in the Zoo Link suite of projects in the Biosciences directorate in July 2017.His role is to provide technical research support in the surveillance of zoonotic diseases in Western Kenya with a focus on the One Health approach, public scientific communication and stakeholder interaction. Kelvin is a research veterinarian with over 4 years professional and research experience in One health, Veterinary medicine and public science communication. He was the recipient of the Young Veterinarian of the year 2016/17 conferred by the Kenya Veterinary Association. His previous research has been on the evaluation of the implementation of One Health in Kenya and exploring one health and cancer in human and dogs in Nairobi. Kelvin holds a BvetMed from the University of Nairobi and has just completed his MSc in One Health from the University of Edinburg, awaiting graduation in December 2017.

Jackline Chepkoech joined ILRI in July 2017 as research associate under the Integrated Genotyping Service and Support (IGSS) in the BecA-ILRI hub. Her main is to provide technical advice on crop and livestock samples collection, storage, DNA extraction and shipment of DNA samples to BecA. She will also be involved in laboratory bench work operations specifically DNA extraction and processing to produce genotypic marker data using DArTdb laboratory Information Management system. She was previously on an internship program at the BecA-ILRI hub.  She holds a BSc in Biomedical Technology from The University of Nairobi and has gone through a one year training on genomics laboratory technical skills and basic data analysis at Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT), Australia.

 

Moses Nderitu joined ILRI in July 2017 as research associate in IGSS in the BecA-ILRI hub. He will work in collaboration with Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT) (www.diversityarrays.com) information technology team to establish and maintain the IT infrastructure of the IGSS platform under the co-management of the BecA-ILRI hub and DArT. This will include installation and maintenance of KDDart (http://www.kddart.org/), development of KDDart, development/adoption of new algorithms for various aspects of IGSS operations and providing downstream bioinformatics analysis. Prior to joining ILRI, he worked at Dewcis Solutions Ltd as a Java developer and also did internship with KEMRI Wellcome Trust. He holds a BSc degree in Computer Science from  Egerton University and has undergone a one-year intensive training in DArTseq GBS Technology at DArT, Australia.

Festus Soy joined ILRI as the facilities engineer in August 2017 in the Engineering department. He holds a BSc. in Construction Management from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and currently pursuing an MBA at Kenyatta University. Festus has more than ten years’ experience in Building and Construction works. Prior to joining ILRI, he previously worked for World Vision as a Building and Construction Engineer and Regent Management Limited as a Construction Project Manager.

 

Nehemiah Kimani joined ILRI’s Finance department as finance officer – Integrated Sciences (IS) in August 2017. He will be working with the Finance Manager IS in providing efficient quality service in the field of finance and administration to Integrated Sciences program. He holds a BCom, Finance degree from The Catholic University of East Africa, is a CPA (K) and currently pursuing an MBA in Strategic Management from United States International University – Africa (USIU). He has a combined progressive experience of over 12 years’ in Audit, Accounting and Financial Management. This includes but not limited to preparation of final accounts, finance and management reports; developing and implementing cash management strategies; compliance, budgets preparation and monitoring; Inventory management; cost control, Audit and investigations among others. He previously worked for Autosterile EA Ltd, Hygrotech (EA) Ltd both as Assistant Finance Manager and Mudamba & Associates as an Audit Senior.

 

Viola Chemis joined the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) as field coordinator in Turkana-Feed the Future (FtF) Accelerated Value Chain Development (AVCD) project’s livestock component in August 2017. She has eleven years’ experience, managing and implementing humanitarian and development projects in Kenya, temporarily in Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania. She will coordinate field activities, establishment and management of stakeholder’s relationship, ensuring timely implementation of project activities and supporting project monitoring activities. She holds a BvetMed, MSc in Veterinary pathology and microbiology from the University of Nairobi. She is currently finalizing her MBA, Strategic management at Kenyatta University.

 

 

Nationally recruited staff (NRS) appointments – Addis Ababa

Bedasa Eba has been appointed as research associate–Pastoralism and Rangelands in Sustainable Livestock Systems program effective 8 May 2017.  Bedasa holds a MSc degree in Rangeland Ecology and Management, BSc degree in Rangeland and Wild Life Science and BA degree in Economics from Haramaya University, Mekelle University respectively.  Before joining ILRI, he was working as Associate Researcher and Coordinator of National Research Program Rangeland Management at Yabello Pastoral and Dry land Agriculture Research Center.

 

Bereket Hailu has been appointed as service coordinator in Administration department effective 19 June 2017.  Bereket holds MA degree in Human Resources Management from Addis Ababa University in 2013 and BSc degree in Management Information System from MicroLink Information Technology College in 2010. Before joining ILRI, he was working as Outlet (Restaurant) Manager at Sheraton Addis.

 

 

Nationally recruited staff (NRS) appointments – Burkina Faso

Abdou Bagagnan has been appointed as research assistant, ILRI Burkina Faso effective 1 June 2017.  Rasmane is a Burkinabe and obtained his MSc from University Banjul, The Gambia under the WASCAL (West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use) MSc scholarship programme. His thesis was on climate change education. His Bachelor degree was in Economics from University of Ouagadougou. Rasmane’s contract from CIFOR started on and it is for a duration of 1 year. The contract is renewable subject to performance and fund availability. Rasmane was previously an intern in ILRI during which period he was introduced to ILRI project sites and participated in the field activities.

 

 

Internationally recruited staff (IRS) appointments

Jacob Mignouna was appointed director of the BecA-ILRI Hub effective May 2017. A plant molecular breeder and geneticist by training, Mignouna brings to the BecA-ILRI Hub a wealth of experience in leading research and managing donors’ investments in agricultural research for development spanning Africa, Europe and USA. He  has previously served as the director for technical operations at the African Agricultural Technology Foundation and most recently as a senior program officer and senior regional advisor for West Africa at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, USA.

 

Dawit Solomon joined ILRI in May 2017, as the regional program leader for the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), East Africa. He has over 20 years of experience in capacity- building, research, international project development, implementation and engagement experience in sustainable agriculture, integrated environment and ecosystem rehabilitation and management, food and nutrition security, climate-change mitigation, adaptation and resilience. He holds a PhD in Geoecology/Soil Sciences from the University of Bayreuth in Germany, and also has a parallel post-doctoral training in biogeochemistry, biogeochemical cycling, environmental sciences and sustainable agriculture, from the University of Bayreuth and Cornell University in the USA.

 

Helen Altshul moved to the Livestock CRP from July 2017 as performance and partnerships manager. Based at ILRI Nairobi, Helen will be leading the implementation of the program’s results-based management framework, including monitoring & evaluation and continuing to develop use of the Theory of Change. At the same time, she will be working to strengthen the partnership skills of Livestock CRP flagship and country teams, while supporting in overall management. Helen was previously in the  BecA-ILRI Hub where she was working for the past two years as a Development Partnerships Specialist, providing strategic and operational advice on the negotiation, establishment and maintenance of effective partnerships, supporting resource mobilization for research-for-development projects, assisting with strategy development and donor relationship management, supporting program and project level monitoring and evaluation. Helen is a dual UK/US citizen with 23 years of international experience in research and development. She has designed, led, implemented and monitored project activities funded by Australian, EU, UK, UN and US donor agencies and managed programs of up to $40 million per year and staff teams of up to 300 people in multiple countries, including fragile states (Somalia and South Sudan). Helen has been resident in Nairobi since 2000 where prior to joining ILRI, she worked for the International NGOs Adeso, Farm Africa and Christian Aid in various senior management and leadership positions. Since 2015 she has also acted as an Independent Assessor for the annual Unilever Sustainable Living Young Entrepreneurs Awards.

 

Boleslaw Stawicki was appointed as head of business development  in the Institutional Planning and Partnerships    department effective August 2017. He brings more than ten years of international experience in the fields of business development, strategy development and partnerships. He has worked at the nexus of the private sector, not-for-profit organisations as well as diplomacy in institutions such as Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund, hosted byAGRA and the Swedish Trade Council. His most recent engagement is with the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund, hosted by AGRA, where he successfully managed the program with a special focus on business development and partnerships. Boleslaw holds a Global  Executive MBA  from INSEAD, MSc, International Business and Management from Manchester Business School United Kingdom and BA in Italian with International Studies; Warwick University. Boleslaw is from Sweden.

 

Christian Tiambo was appointed as Postdoctoral fellow–Livestock Genetics/ Genomics in the BecA-ILRI hub effective July 2017. He is a PhD Degree holder in Animal Breeding and Genetics Improvement. He also holds a post-graduate diploma in eco-parasitology with focus on the determinants of the transmission of parasitic zoonosis between animal and humans.  He is an Alumni of the Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research Institute (AGERI) of the Arab Republic of Egypt where he was trained in Biosafety and GMO Detection. He is holder of a Certificate on Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standard (LEGS) jointly issued by the Feinstein International Center and the Tufts University, and in that quality serves as LEGS trainer for the Central African region. Christian is also an alumni of the BecA-ILRI Hub’s Africa Biosciences Challenge Fund fellowship program, he steers the Local Chicken Community of Practice hosted by BecA-ILRI Practice hosted by BecA-ILRI Hub. He is a Cameroonian citizen.

Karl Rich joined ILRI-Hanoi in August 2017 as a principal scientist in the Policies, Institutions & Livelihoods (PIL) program.  His work at ILRI will provide research leadership in the development of analytical frameworks and methodological tools for measuring the impact of livestock policy, investments and research. He has twenty years of experience as an agricultural economist and quantitative modelling expert. His research applies systems approaches and quantitative methods in the areas of animal health, agribusiness and marketing chains, and agricultural and livestock policy in the developing world. He has previously worked at ILRI Headquarters in Nairobi, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington and New Delhi, the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs and Lincoln University in New Zealand. Rich, a U.S. citizen, has graduate degrees (PhD, MSc) in agricultural economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

 

Xinzheng Jia joined in ILRI in August 2017 as postdoctoral research fellow-bioinformatics in Livestock Genetics program and is based in China. His responsibilities will include using integrated bioinformatics technology for livestock genetic and genomic research and contributing to the scientific quality of the research within the global livestock genetics program. He did his PhD research in molecular genetics and breeding at South China Agricultural University. He has experiences on genetic variation and functional genomics in poultry and other domestic animals. Xinzheng is a Chinese citizen

 

Hussein Abkallo joined ILRI in August 2017 as postdoctoral fellow – molecular biology/virology, in the Animal Health program, Biosciences directorate. He will be responsible for establishing the cutting edge CRISPR/Cas9 technology for editing ASF virus genome and host cells, as well as participating in the development of a reverse genetics system for synthetic ASF viral genomes, with a view to developing vaccines against ASF virus. Hussein is a biomedical scientist and has a PhD & MSc in Medical Sciences (Infections Research) from Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Japan and BSc Biomedical Sciences from Maseno University, Kenya. Before joining ILRI, he was a Royal Society International Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh in the UK where he was using CRISPR/Cas9 to edit P. falciparum genome. Hussein is from Kenya.

 

Loyce Mbwaya | People and Organizational Development