Prof. Dorothy Akinyi Amwata, Ph.D, Associate Professor - Rangeland Socio-ecologist, Department of Agricultural Sciences, Murang’a University of Technology, Muranga’, Kenya

Prof. Amwata holds a Ph.D. in Range Management (Resource Economics and Ecology option), B.Sc. and M.Sc. in the same field from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. Prior to joining Murang’a University of Technology, she was a Senior Lecturer at South Eastern Kenya University (SEKU). She is a technical expert with specialised in rangeland resources management and ecology with a bias towards productivity and use efficiency, livestock production systems, agro-ecosystems, ecosystem assessments, agriculture and food security, rangeland and natural resource policy and  ecosystem monitoring and evaluation. Researched and worked for 19 years on climate change adaptation and mitigation in agriculture including livestock, climate change (adaptation, resilience and mitigation), monitoring and evaluation of projects, project appraisal, and planning, management and implementation. Carried out consultancies on climate change, desertification, sustainable rural livelihoods, resource use conflicts and management agriculture and food security, environment and natural resource management including gender lens. Previously worked at Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel (OSS) Tunis as Research for Development Officer (2007-2010) and Kenya Wildlife Service (Research Scientist) (2002-2007).

Prof Amwata has over 19 years of work experience in rangeland resource management, agriculture and food security, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and environmental management. Prof. Amwata has also worked at Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel OSS), Tunis, Tunis as a Research for Development Officer and a Research Scientist at Kenya Wildlife Service, Nairobi. She has been a consultant to a number of national, UN agencies, the South African Development Community (SADC) and intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperative. She was the Coordinator Office of Career Services and Mentorship at SEKU. Prof Amwata is passionate about mentorship of youth on climate-smart agriculture, where she has trained over 500 youths who are currently practising agriculture and natural resource management but have not had any formal training from all over Kenya. She was nominated by the African Development Bank as a jury for the year 2022, African Youth Climate Change Fund Challenge. Finally, Prof. Amwata is one of the female mentors under UNESCO and the Government of Kenya STEM mentorship programme for girls that nurture their strengths to live their full life purpose.