Associate Professor, Aquatic Sciences Department, Egerton University, Kenya

Prof. M’Erimba received a PhD in Natural Sciences from the University of Vienna, Austria, in 2004. He has been the Director of the Board of Postgraduate Studies since January 27, 2025. Before this role, he was the Director of Linkages and Collaborations, where he fostered key partnerships and collaborations.

As the Coordinator of the Njoro River Rehabilitation Project, Prof. M’Erimba led the successful restoration of 25 acres of forest at the river's source in Entiyani, Narok, and the reclamation of critical sections near Egerton Main Campus. These efforts culminated in the formal handover of the rehabilitated sites to the Narok and Nakuru County Governments on February 23, 2024. He also serves as the Njoro Ward Climate Change Committee chairperson in Nakuru County.

In addition to his leadership roles, Prof. M’Erimba has contributed significantly to the university's growth as the former Director of Institutional Advancement (now the Directorate of Marketing and Resource Mobilization), where he led initiatives to enhance the university's visibility and strengthen funding opportunities. He has coordinated the Stream and River Ecology component for over seven years in the joint master's degree programme, Limnology & Wetlands Ecosystems (LWM), at Egerton University.

A highly regarded expert in riverine ecosystems, Prof. M’Erimba has supervised numerous postgraduate and undergraduate projects and has served as an external examiner for universities, including Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia.

Head of Ichthyology, National Museums of Kenya

Edward Njagi is a leading Research Scientist in the Ichthyology Section of the National Museums of Kenya (NMK). With over 20 years of experience in freshwater and marine fish research, he has extensively explored nearly all hydrographic areas in East Africa, including lakes, rivers, swamps, streams, and floodplains. His work has significantly contributed to fish taxonomy, ecology, and conservation, particularly in understanding how climate change and human activities impact aquatic biodiversity.

Njagi has led several key projects in Kenya, including serving as the Principal Investigator in the development of an aquatic environment monitoring plan using the Biological Condition Gradient (BCG) framework for the Upper Tana Catchment, funded by The Nature Conservancy. He also leads the “Biodiversity of Rivers in the Lake Victoria Basin” project, funded by the JRS Biodiversity Foundation, and has conducted extensive studies on the fishes of the Tana River and Yala Swamps.

Njagi is a member of the IUCN Fish Species Specialist Group and has actively contributed to the assessment and categorization of freshwater fish species in East Africa. His global collaborations span multiple institutions, enhancing research efforts in fish taxonomy, ecology, and biodiversity conservation.

Beyond research, Njagi has served on the boards of the Institute of Culture and Ecology (ICE) and the National Steering Committee of the UNDP-GEF Small Grants Programme in Kenya. He has also shared his expertise as a part-time lecturer at Chuka University and the Kenya Wildlife Training Institute, mentoring the next generation of aquatic scientists.

Tanzanian biologist and conservation geneticist

Dr. George Lohay is a Tanzanian biologist and conservation geneticist with over 15 years of experience in wildlife conservation. He currently serves as Head Scientist at the Grumeti Fund, where he leads applied conservation research and training through the RISE (Research and Innovation for the Serengeti Ecosystem) program. His work emphasizes mentoring graduate students and early-career researchers, particularly women in science, through initiatives such as Women in Conservation Technology and Women in the Field.

Dr. Lohay joined the Grumeti Fund in 2023 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Biology at Penn State University, where he co-led a project on the population genetics of Masai giraffes in collaboration with the Wild Nature Institute. He earned his Ph.D. in Biology from Penn State in 2019, focusing on the genetic connectivity of African savanna elephants in Tanzania. Early in his career, he worked as a research assistant with the Serengeti Lion Project under Prof. Craig Packer, tracking and monitoring lion populations from 2009 to 2011.

Dr. Lohay holds a B.Sc. in Wildlife Science and Conservation from the University of Dar es Salaam and a B.A. in Philosophy from Uganda Martyrs University. He is committed to restoring Tanzania's wildlife corridors, which are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. His current research explores conservation genetics, landscape connectivity, and the drivers of illegal bushmeat hunting.

As a principal investigator, Dr. Lohay leads studies on gene flow in lions and giraffes, the socioeconomics of the wildmeat trade in the Serengeti, and vulture demography and forensic entomology in collaboration with North Carolina Zoo and Texas A&M University. He also spearheads technological innovations in conservation, including AI-powered camera traps and GIS-based monitoring tools.

In addition to his conservation work, Dr. Lohay is an executive secretary and co-founder of Tanzania Education Initiatives (TanEDU), a nonprofit focused on education, environmental, and gender issues in northern Tanzania. Through his leadership, Dr. Lohay advances local capacity building and conservation efforts throughout northern Tanzania and beyond.