Prof. Vasey Mwaja

Prof. Vasey Mwaja

Prof. Vasey Mwaja is the Editor-in-Chief of the Kenya Academy of Sciences (KNAS) and 1st Vice Chair African Scientific Research and Innovation Council (ASRIC). In January 1994 he was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in Agriculture by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the US. He also holds a Master of Science in Agriculture (Plant Science) and Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Sciences from California. In addition to his academic credentials Prof. Mwaja has accumulated significant experience in agribusiness and science policy development in the areas of agriculture and environment for both the private and public sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

Prof. Mwaja has been active in high profile positions in the field of agricultural and environmental research, education, and policy development in the past 30 years. He served as a Board Member of Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS); the Chairman of National Council for Science and Technology (NCST) and National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI) in Kenya.   Since March 2015, Vasey has worked as a consultant in agriculture and environment sectors in Africa. He has been a Visiting Professor of Biometrics and Crop Physiology in various universities and was also a reviewer of the agricultural technologies for the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) Project of the African Development Bank (AfDB). Prof. Mwaja also served in the Council of Scientific Advisers of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in Tristie, Italy and was as a Senior Program Officer – Crop Management at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) in Seattle Washington. Vasey has also held various high-level positions in academia, research, policy and business organizations in Africa, Asia, Europe and United States of America. He is an active reviewer of scientific research projects and programs in Africa.

Prof. Mwaja was admitted into the membership of the Kenya National Academy of Sciences (KNAS) in 2014 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biologists of the United Kingdom in 2015. In 2022 Vasey was elected into the KNAS Governing Council and the Editor-in-Chief of the Academy and later admitted as a Fellow of the Kenya National Academy of Sciences.  Prof. Mwaja was appointed into the Fellowship of the International Science Council (ISC) for his outstanding contributions to the promotion of science as a global public good. He also serves in the Advisory Board of Savida Agric-Com Private Limited in Mumbai, India and Chairman of the Board of Secure Capital Investments Limited in Kenya.