Nationally recruited staff (NRS)—Nairobi

Isaac Maina joined the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) as project manager in January 2018. in the Policies, Institutions & Livelihoods program (PIL). He is a project management specialist with over 10 years’ experience managing various projects in Kenya with both local and international non-governmental organizations.
He holds an MBA (project management) from Kenyatta University and a BA (political Science and literature) from the University of Nairobi. Prior to joining ILRI, Maina worked with Anglican Development Services as zonal coordinator (program manager), CARE International in Kenya as program officer and most recently with Plan International Kenya as county coordinator. He has also been a gender consultant with Kenya Agricultural Value Chain Project (FINTRAC-USAID) and UNESCO (Gender-based violence in Kenya schools) as well as serving as special program advisor with Ujamaa Africa.

Joanes Odero joined ILRI as stores officer in the stores unit in January 2018. His role is to ensure timely documentation, monitor stock levels, facilitation of receipts and payments to suppliers. Prior to this appointment, he worked at Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation (EGPAF) as Procurement and Logistics Officer for five years and with Plan International for four years in different capacities. He holds a MBA and BCom in procurement and supply chain from the university of Nairobi.

Nelson Saya was appointed research assistant in January 2018 in the Mazingira centre to oversee ongoing and future animal trials. Initially, he joined ILRI in 2016 as a Field Research Assistant where he was responsible for conducting scientific demonstrations and collecting data, based in Kakamega, western Kenya. He contributed to the success of the animal nutrition trials that were carried out at Kakamega KALRO. He was also part of the team that carried out small holder farmers training at Agricultural Training Centres. He holds a diploma in agriculture and biotechnology.

Edwina Bochere was appointed research assistant in the Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA)-ILRI Hub in January 2018.  She is responsible for providing laboratory technical support for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency-funded project on whole genome sequencing of African Swine Fever viruses. She has previously worked in the laboratory at ILRI since 2012, in various capacities. She holds a BSc in biochemistry and molecular biology from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).

Alice Njehu was appointed research quality support specialist in the Livestock CRP in January 2018.  Prior to this, she worked as a research assistant in the PIL program  supporting research teams in various capacities, since joining ILRI in 2008. In her new role, she will be supporting research teams  for quality and  compliance to enhance consistency in research design, techniques across sites and teams and develop capacity. Alice holds a MSc in veterinary public health and BSc in veterinary medicine and surgery from the University of Nairobi.

Wilson Maina was appointed support services assistant in the Communication and Knowledge Management (CKM) department in February 2018. He has over 10 years’ experience in Library and Information Management, handling electronic record management and other electronic information systems, networks, databases and repositories. Before joining ILRI in 2007, he worked at Energy for Sustainable Development Africa (ESDA), Africa Nazarene University (ANU). Maina holds a BSc. in information sciences from Moi university, with a specialization in library and information studies. 

David Kiereini was appointed program manager for the Livestock Genetics program effective March 2018. Most recently, David was the project manager for the African Dairy Genetics Gains program and prior to that, the Program Management Officer for the (former) Vaccines Biosciences group–ILRI. He also worked with the African Center for Technology Studies (ACTS) before joining ILRI. David has extensive experience in program management and donor-funded programs having worked under projects funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID – Feed the Future, CGIAR European Commission, DTRA, SIDA among others. David holds a MSc in organizational development, B.Com in finance and is a certified project management professional (PMP) 

George Kikoyo was appointed project manager in the Sustainable Livestock Systems (SLS) program in March 2018. Most recently, he was a Program accountant since July 2014 in the same program at ILRI. He has also worked with Youth Alive! Kenya, an NGO that empowers the youth on democracy and governance and African Technology Policy Studies network (ATPS) an iNGO that promotes science, technology and innovation (STI) policy research, dialogue and practice, for African development. George holds a MA in Project Planning and Management, a BA in Economics and Sociology from the University of Nairobi.

Johnson Kamau was appointed biorepository assistant in the Livestock Genetics program in March 2018. He was previously the office assistant in Animal Biosciences program since 2013. He holds a certificate in computer packages and maintenance from St. Marks computer college.

Vincent Alulu has been appointed research associate in the SLS program in April 2018. He was most recently in Jhpiego as a data manager. He was previously working at Kenya Medical Research Institute as data manager and quality improvement coordinator. He holds a MSc in applied statistics from JKUAT and a BSc in applied statistics with IT from Maseno University. He has wide experience and knowledge data management, data analysis using STATA, R and SPSS.

Nationally recruited staff (NRS) appointments – Addis Ababa

Gebermedihin Ambaw was appointed research associate in the Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) program East Africa effective March 2018. Gebermedihin holds a MSc  in agro and environmental nematology from Ghent university, Belgium and a BSc in crop production and protection from Jimma University, Ethiopia. Before joining ILRI, he was working as assistant lecturer at Jimma University.

Lidia Abebe was appointed administrative accountant in Livestock Genetics program effective March 2018. Lidia holds a BA in Accounting from Addis Ababa University.  Prior to this appointment, she was working as temporary administrative assistant in ILRI.

Internationally recruited staff (IRS) 

Alieu Sartie joined ILRI as genebank manager in February 2018. His role is to lead and manage the day-to-day operations of the ILRI genebank and to curate the sub-tropical forage collections both at ILRI and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). He holds a PhD in pastoral science (breeding and molecular genetics) from Massey University in New Zealand, MSc in plant science (seed technology) from Massey University in New Zealand and a BSc in agriculture general from Njala University of Sierra Leone. Previously, he worked as forage breeder at PGG Wrightson Seeds Limited and as a postdoctoral scientist in breeding and genomics at the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research. He has also worked as a postdoctoral fellow in yam molecular genetics and breeding at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria, research assistant in seed technology and breeding at rice research station in Sierra Leone. Sartie is a dual citizen of New Zealand and Sierra Leone.

Cathrine Ziyomo joined ILRI as senior scientist–molecular breeder in the BecA-ILRI hub effective February 2018. She attained her PhD  in Agronomy and Plant Genetics from the University of Minnesota and obtained her postdoctoral experience from the Danforth Plant Science Center. She also holds a MSc in plant breeding from the University of Zimbabwe and BSc in crop production and Horticulture from Midlands State University, Zimbabwe. In her new role, she is  leading the Integrated Genomic Service and Support (IGSS) platform,  whose aim is to facilitate molecular breeding in Africa by offering high-quality, high density SNP genotyping services and the allied breeding and statistical support needed to allow breeders to use this technology in crop or livestock improvement programs.  The IGSS is supported by a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Prior to joining ILRI, Cathrine was a maize molecular breeder for Dupont Pioneer, based in Zimbabwe. Ziyomo is from Zimbabwe.

Melkamu Derseh was appointed scientist–animal nutrition to support the implementation of feed and feeding strategies under the Feeds and Forage flagship of the livestock CRP and other bilateral projects effective February 2018. Prior this  appointment, he was previously a postdoctoral fellow in ILRI, leading different research for development projects aimed at improving the nutrition and productivity of livestock in the smallholder systems. He holds a PhD  in Ruminant Nutrition from Wageningen University, MSc in animal butrition from Bonn University, BSc in animal production and rangeland management from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. Prior to joining ILRI in 2014, he worked as a lecturer at Hawassa University, Ethiopia for more than a decade, teaching animal nutrition courses, supervising graduate students and engaging in research and outreach activities. Melkamu is Ethiopian.

Sonja Leitner was appointed postdoctoral fellow–greenhouse gas emissions from smallholder livestock systems in the SLS program in March 2018. She is part of the team for the Mazingira Centre for Environmental Research and Education, where she oversees measurements of soil greenhouse gas emissions and soil processes in different feed production and manure management systems. Sonja, an Austrian citizen, holds a PhD in environmental sciences from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences and MSc in Ecology from the University, both of Vienna, Austria.

David Aronson joined ILRI as specialist–awareness and advocacy in April 2018 in the Communications and Knowledge Management  department. He graduated from Wesleyan University, spent a year in eastern Zaire on a Thomas Watson Fellowship, then earned his master’s in long form non-fiction at the University of Florida. He has worked for a variety of think tanks and advocacy groups including the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the US Commission on Civil Rights, and the US Institute of Peace. He most recently worked on a large, USAID-funded public health project in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Aronson is an American citizen and grew up in Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire and Canada.