Aboka Ely is a biomedical scientist and Master’s trainee in Medical Microbiology at the KEMRI Graduate School. He is a LAPID Leaders Africa alumnus with a focus on scientific leadership and capacity building. He is the Founding Director of the Phage Hunters Training and Research Program (PHTRP), where he leads the design and implementation of structured training programs in bacteriophage biology, genomics, and antimicrobial resistance. Through PHTRP, he has supported the training of over 50 early-career scientists across Kenya. Aboka’s work sits at the intersection of medical microbiology, phage research, and early-career scientist development, with a specific focus on building practical research capacity to address antimicrobial resistance in low-resource setting.

Alice Auko Owiti is the Co-Founder and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Lead at PHTRP. She is pursuing an MSc in Bioinformatics, with a focus on structural biology and AI/ML applications, at the University of Nairobi (UoN). She loves coding and has previously served as a bioinformatics trainer in our workshop. Her research focuses on structural biology, particularly in analyzing protein structures, molecular modeling, and using computational tools to advance drug discovery.

Nelson Wachira holds a B.Sc. in Microbiology from Kisii University (Kisii, Kenya) and is a Future Africa Scholar. He is Co-Founder, Scientific Writer and Outreach and Advocacy Lead at the Phage Hunters Training & Research Program (PHTRP); a Kenyan-based non-profit based, where he leads content creation, including blogs, social media posts, articles and contributions to proposals, and directs outreach and advocacy by building research partnerships, coordinating community engagement and awareness activities, and representing the organisation to stakeholders. He also serves both as Science Policy & Strategic Analysis Associate and Extramural Education & Partnerships Associate at STEM for Development (SFD), a U.S.- based non-profit, focusing on establishing and sustaining collaborations/partnerships across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). A bibliophile and writer, he applies his editorial and communication skills to strengthen public understanding of phage research and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Linet Lusimba is the Journal Club Lead at PHTRP. She is deeply enthusiastic about bacteriophage research and its application in clinical medicine, particularly in addressing antimicrobial resistance and advancing precision therapeutics. She is a trained biochemist with a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry, currently pursuing an MSc in Bioinformatics at the University of Nairobi (UoN), Kenya, alongside a Clinical Medicine foundation. She is also experienced in designing evidence-based frameworks for change implementation and sustainability within healthcare and research settings.

Meshack Tweya is a microbiologist and emerging infectious disease researcher whose work is rooted in bacteriophage science and the global fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR). He holds a Bachelor's degree in Microbiology and a Master's degree in Medical Microbiology, both from Kenyatta University. He is currently completing a Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Sciences (Microbiology) at Kisii University, with doctoral research focused on isolating and characterizing bacteriophages with broad lytic activity against multidrug-resistant organisms. Meshack serves as Training and Research Docket Lead at PHTRP, where he plays a central role in advancing phage research capacity among early-career scientists. He concurrently holds a PhD Fellowship at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR-AFRICA) and serves as a Part-time Lecturer at Kisii University.

Mr. Collins Kigen is an experienced molecular biologist and bioinformatician with over five years of expertise in genomics and bioinformatics. He specializes in bacterial and viral genomics, with a particular focus on antimicrobial resistance and bacteriophage genomics. Currently, he serves as Head of Genomics and Bioinformatics at the KEMRI/WRAIR-Africa MicroHub Lab, where he leads a national research initiative to characterize bacterial and fungal genomes and identify the genetic determinants of antimicrobial resistance across Kenya. Mr. Kigen is highly proficient in whole genome sequencing using both Illumina (NextSeq 1000) and Oxford Nanopore platforms, as well as in advanced bioinformatics analyses using workflow languages such as Nextflow, command-line tools, Python, and R. He has completed advanced bioinformatics training at the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC BDRD) in the USA and participated in the 2023 NGS and Bioinformatics Workshop at USAMRD-A, Kenya. An accomplished researcher, Mr. Kigen has co-authored 18 peer-reviewed publications and is a certified Data Carpentry Instructor, demonstrating his strong commitment to capacity building through training and mentorship. He currently holds a BSc in Medical Biochemistry with first-class honors from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) and is pursuing an MSc in Molecular Medicine, focusing on population genomics and evolutionary dynamics of Staphylococcus aureus in Kenya.

Tabitha Nyoike is a volunteer at the Outreach & Advocacy Docket. She also currently serves as a Research Assistant at the Kenya Institute of Primate Research (KIPRE), where she is also developing her master's project. She has gained extensive experience in molecular microbiology and bacteriophage research and has led several projects focused on phage therapy. Her work centers on developing innovative approaches to combat MDR bacterial infections.

Elkana Mudi is an MSc Student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT). He has been a member of PHTRP Journal Club as well as a Phage Research Science Communicator, where he assists in drafting and simplifying complex phage research and phage development through clear-cut posts. He also serves in the PHTRP Outreach & Advocacy Docket.

Sandra Achieng is a Master’s student in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), with a strong interest in genomics and data-driven biological research. She is actively involved in phage therapy advocacy and serves in the Outreach and Advocacy Docket at PHTRP. Sandra is passionate about science communication, capacity building, and applying computational tools to address real-world biological challenges.

Festus Nyamweya is a Research Assistant at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI). He has undergraduate training in microbiology and is pursuing an Msc. In Medical microbiology at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT). He currently serves as the Lead for the Resource and Mobilization Unit, under the Outreach & Advocacy Docket, where he focuses on grant writing efforts for the organization. His areas of expertise include antimicrobial resistance (AMR), bacteriophage biology, laboratory-based microbiological research, and data-driven health research. His professional interests focus on developing scalable, evidence-based phage therapy solutions to address AMR in low- and middle-income countries.

Samuel Ndegwa is a microbiologist and emerging infectious disease researcher with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Kenyatta University. He works at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), where he is involved in Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) surveillance, microbial genomics, food safety, One Health research, and capacity-building through training and mentorship. He also serves as a Lead Research Writer at the Phage Hunters Training and Research Program (PHTRP), supporting in training, scientific writing, and data analysis. His professional interests include molecular epidemiology, infectious disease dynamics and control, and public health microbiology. Samuel is currently pursuing an MSc in Medical Microbiology at the KEMRI Graduate School.

Cateline Ouma is a member of the PHTRP Journal Club and serves as a Phage Research Science Communicator. Aside from science, she has a passion for bioinformatics and has previously served as an assistant trainer in our recent workshop.

Ivy Mutai serves as a Strategic Advisor and an Affiliate of the PhageKenya Consortium. She is also a Research Fellow at the Kenya Institute of Primate Research (KIPRE), Phage Expert and Consultant, and the Founder of PhagesIPR. In addition, she leads the PhageKenya Consortium team. Ivy has isolated many phage strains and published several papers on phages in peer-reviewed journals. She is passionate about capacity building and has trained many individuals, including both undergraduate and graduate students, across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) on hands-on phage isolation techniques.

Dr. James Munyao King’oo is a Senior Lecturer at the Technical University of Kenya and an Adjunct Research Fellow at Amref International University. He is an AFWYSTI-affiliated STEM mentor with special focus on infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and phage research. He holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology (2023) and an M.Sc. in Biotechnology [Molecular Biology] (2010) from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology, and a B.Sc. in Biochemistry (2006) from the same institution. Over the last 17 years James has coordinated multi-country clinical trials and public-health research for the NIH, US-CDC, UW-TREE, KEMRI and Walter Reed Project, concentrating on infectious diseases, AMR, HIV drug-resistance, TB, cervical cancer, STIs, FGM, teenage pregnancy and SGBV. He is the founding CEO of the “Phage Hunters Training & Research Program” that builds Africa-wide capacity on bacteriophage isolation, genome analysis and phage-therapy advocacy as an alternative to antibiotics under the One-Health approach. James has attracted competitive grants from KENET, Tsinghua-BRIGHT, ASSM and ISSM, and is widely published on HIV resistance, FGM prevention, and computational phage biology. He serves as peer reviewer for four international journals and sits on grant-review panels for AMR and SRHR initiatives. His mission is to catalyse a new generation of African scientists tackling infectious diseases, climate-smart health solutions and gender equity through evidence-based innovation.

Martin Georges is a Senior Medical Laboratory Technologist at Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and a Laboratory Technologist and Data Fellow at U.S. Army Medical Research Unit-Kenya. He is a senior lab technologist and lab safety lead with extensive experience in laboratory operations and project management at the United States Army Medical Research Directorate Africa-KEMRI Kenya. His expertise in data analysis, risk management, and budget forecasting has contributed to significant improvements in laboratory safety protocols and operational efficiency. He is highly skilled in inventory management and laboratory equipment maintenance, ensuring compliance with good laboratory practice regulations, and is proficient in technical report writing and collaborative research support using microbiological techniques and molecular biology methods. He has conducted research on animal models to demonstrate in vivo efficacy of phages and characterization of phages. He has over five years of experience in isolating phages.