Lewis M. Sitoki, Kenya

• Current employment: Senior Lecturer, Department of Geo-Sciences and the Environment, The Technical University of Kenya, Nairobi
• Scholarship: North-South-Dialogue Scholarship – financed by the Austrian Development Cooperation
• Duration: 10/2007 – 03/2011
• Motto: Inspiring others to go further and achieve more

Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Lewis Sitoki is a senior lecturer and HoD at the Department of Geo-Sciences and the Environment of the Technical University of Kenya. He holds a PhD in Natural Sciences (Hydrobiology) from the University of Innsbruck, Austria. His main research interests include integrated water resource management, environmental pollution and water quality assessments among others. He has worked in several water based studies, river ecosystems and lakes projects supported by the International Foundation for Science (IFS), GEF World Bank, European Union, LVFO and several other agencies. He is a member of the regional environmental working group of Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO). Lewis Sitoki has research initiatives and collaborated with the University of California San Francisco on local solutions to health risks as well as a project funded by the Austrian Partnership Programme in Higher Education and Research (APPEAR) on ‘Capacity building on the Water-Energy-Food security Nexus through Research and Training in Kenya and Uganda’ (CapNex). He has published widely in the area of eutrophication and cyanotoxins in natural environments.

Reflection

My stay in Austria came with life transforming experiences both in academic and cultural interactions. The blending of people encountered during the learning time induced the critical paradigm of team work and the attainment of goals. Working with the best limnologist and phycologists in Europe certainly sharpened skills in the field phytoplankton taxonomy and microcystin problems. This has led to my expanding the network of institutions, professionals and expert-base with whom we can partner.