Dr. George Githinji
Current Students
Moses Njagi Mwaniki
Moses Njagi Mwaniki
Njagi Mwaniki holds an undergraduate degree in Informatics from Moi University and currently working towards a master’s degree in Bioinformatics at Pwani University. He worked for two years in Software Engineering before moving into Bioinformatics where he’s supervised by Dr. George Githinji and Dr. Pjotr Prins working on exploring virus genomic data using variation graphs using currently existing software and developing new tools. He strongly believes in the ability of graphs to represent sequence data and that the current methods used to represent sequence data will be replaced by methods that inherently represent variation and wants to be there when the change occurs.
Maureen Wanjiru Mburu
Maureen Wanjiru Mburu, pursued Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology and Biosafety at the University of Eldoret. She is currently a Postgraduate Diploma student in Health Research Methods. Research topic; Biology of Tungiasis, Tunga penetrans genome project. I look forward to being an eminent researcher in the health sector and to use the skills obtained to make a positive impact on the health sector. I have interest in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics.
Past Students
Doreen Kebande
Doreen Kebande
Jacqueline Wahura
Jacqueline has a background in Biochemistry and is currently an MSc. Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics student at JKUAT. Her current project focuses on Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Genome Sequencing using the Oxford Nanopore Technology.
Kevin Oluoch
Kevin is a graduate of the University of Nairobi, with first class honors in BSc. (Geospatial Engineering). He has skills in spatial analysis, Geographic Information Systems. He has a passion for computer programming and development of computer algorithms. He is currently doing research on workflow programs, trying to determine the most suitable workflows program(s) for bioinformatics.
The field of bioinformatics has grown rapidly in the last few year and now generates a lot of data. There are computer programs developed to do various steps in the manipulation of these data. These are combined in a workflow to make one complete process that is portable and gives reproducible results. There are several software’s being used to build and manage these workflows. The aim of this research is to determine to most suitable workflow program in the context of bioinformatics.
Khadija Said
Before joining the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust and IDeAL Funded Postgraduate Diploma studentship, Khadija had been in working in the medical industry as a Marketing Executive. She is an alumnus of the University of Nairobi with a Bachelor’s Degree in Microbiology and Biotechnology.
Currently, she is working on integrating the use of various software tools to understand RSV on a genetic level. This will feed into approaches and ideas for understanding transmission patterns and facilitate vaccine development.
She aspires to major in advanced epidemiology methods and leave a legacy through her substantial contribution to the research community.
Her pastime activities involve sociable kickbacks, baking and DIY projects.
Phoebe Matara
I am a Geomatic Engineering graduate from Jomo Kenyatta University. I had my first exposure to research through an attachment at an agricultural research institute. Since then I have had a never-ending quest to gaining spatial statistics tools and applying them as decision-making tools in research. I joined KEMRI through the IDeAL PGD internship program and I am currently working on analyzing the spatial and temporal patterns of RSV virus. My research interests include but are not limited to spatial statistics and modelling for public health, phylogeographic analysis of genomic data, epidemiology and modelling of disease transmission dynamics within space and across time.
Other pass time interests include swimming, interior décor and fashion.
I am an IDeAL early career postdoctoral fellow at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme. I utilise bioinformatics approaches to study virus evolution and transmission patterns during outbreaks. My current project investigates the role of minority variants in virus evolution and in reconstructing virus transmission chains.
I hold a bachelors degree in Biomedical Science and Technology from Egerton University and a PhD from the Open University (UK) advised by Dr Peter Bull (University of Cambridge), Prof Kevin Marsh (Oxford University) and Dr Britta Urban (University of Liverpool). My PhD thesis explored the extent of sequence and epitope diversity within a short region of the PfEMP1 molecule that is associated with characteristic expression patterns in severe and non-servere malaria cases.
Before joining the programme, I trained under Dr Patrick Duffy as a visiting student at the MoMs malaria project in Tanzania and SBRI (now Center for Infectious Disease Research) and attended bioinformatics courses at the University of Washington.
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