Daniel Masiga

Background

About Daniel Masiga

Daniel is a Principal Research Scientist and head of the Human and Animal Health theme at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe). He joined icipe in 2006. Masiga undertook his postgraduate studies at the Universities of London (UCL) for his Masters Degree and University of Bristol, UK for his PhD studies, after graduating from the University of Nairobi. He undertook a postdoctoral training at the University of Glasgow in molecular genetics of African trypanosomes, before returning to Kenya and taking up a lectureship in Biochemistry and Biotechnology at Kenyatta University. He is an infectious diseases biologist who uses contemporary and emerging tools to study arthropods and the disease causing pathogens they transmit. He was awarded the IFS/Danida Award for sub-Saharan Africa in 2001, the first Kenyan to receive this award. As a research leader, he has served on several boards, panels and expert groups. He was a Governing Council member and President of the African Society for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (ASBCB), during which time a strong association was formed with the International Society for Computational Biology. He was President of the JRS Biodiversity Foundation Board from 2012 to 2014 as the focus of funding shifted to Africa-focused biodiversity informatics projects. He serves as a reviewer on panels for grants, fellowships and other assessments. His role as a scientist has increasingly become one of science guidance and mentorship, with a strong commitment to building Africa’s capacity to lead science-based growth.