Chief Research Scientist Centre Director, Kisumu Ecological Modelling & Data Science Ecosystem Modelling • Hydroacoustics • Blue Economy Location Kisumu Centre Years of Experience March 2009-present (17 years at KMFRI) Research Interests Ecological and ecosystem modelling; Hydrodynamic and hydrographic modelling; Site suitability and carrying capacity assessment; Data science and analytics; Fisheries acoustics and stock assessment; Aquatic spatial planning; Climate change impacts; Limnology and water quality | Research Focus: Building the first ROMS hydrodynamic circulation model and the first end-to-end Atlantis ecosystem model for Lake Victoria, pioneering tools now used across the basin to test fishing, climate and management scenarios before they are implemented. Dr. Chrispine Sangara Nyamweya is Chief Research Scientist and Centre Director of KMFRI's Kisumu Centre, with 17 years of service to the Institute. He holds a PhD in Ecological Modeling from the University of Iceland (2017), an MSc in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences and a BSc in Fisheries (Moi University), and international diplomas in fisheries acoustics, marine and inland waters resources monitoring and assessment, taxonomy, and research project design. He is an ecological modeller and data scientist. He built the first ROMS hydrodynamic circulation model and the first end-to-end Atlantis ecosystem model for Lake Victoria, pioneering tools now used across the basin to test fishing, climate and management scenarios before they are implemented. This modelling work is paired with deep quantitative capability: big data pipelines, machine learning and artificial intelligence applied to acoustic, satellite and catch data, delivered in R, Python and Matlab and deployed as decision-support dashboards that managers actually use. He chairs the Lake Victoria Regional Hydroacoustics Working Group and has led the lake-wide acoustic stock assessment surveys that underpin regional catch advice. His applied portfolio spans hydrographic and bathymetric survey, site suitability and carrying capacity assessment for cage aquaculture and small water bodies, aquatic spatial planning, and water quality and environmental impact assessment for lakeside infrastructure – work delivered for AU-IBAR, IFAD, Gatsby Africa, LVFO, county governments and private investors. He has authored over 74 peer-reviewed publications in journals including PLoS ONE, Scientific Data, ICES Journal of Marine Science, Environmental Modelling & Software, Fisheries Research and Journal of Great Lakes Research, and has mobilised more than USD 6 million in competitive research funding across 28 projects. He has supervised nine postgraduate students, trained regional scientists in hydroacoustics, and collaborates with the Universities of Iceland, Copenhagen, St Andrews and Boston, LVFO, WorldFish, FAO and The Nature Conservancy. Research & Administrative Responsibility
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Awards and Honours Multiple KMFRI Institutional Performance Awards for research excellence (seven to date) Selected Publications First-Author Publications Nyamweya, C. S., Aura, C. M., Waithaka, E., Njiru, J. M., Momanyi, N. K., Awuor, F. J., & Kundu, R. (2025). From saline to freshwater: Ecological shifts, emerging fisheries, and health risks in Lake Nakuru. International Review of Hydrobiology. https://doi.org/10.1002/iroh.70020 Nyamweya, C. S., Natugonza, V., Kashindye, B. B., Mangeni-Sande, R., Kagoya, E., Mpomwenda, V., Mziri, V., Elison, M., Mlaponi, E., Ongore, C., Makori, A., Shaban, S. S., Aura, C. M., Kayanda, R., Taabu-Munyaho, A., Njiru, J., Ogari, Z., Proud, R., & Brierley, A. S. (2023). Response of fish stocks in Lake Victoria to enforcement of the ban on illegal fishing: Are there lessons for management? Journal of Great Lakes Research, 49(2), 531-544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2023.01.001 Nyamweya, C., Lawrence, T. J., Ajode, M. Z., Smith, S., Achieng, A. O., Barasa, J. E., Masese, F. O., Taabu-Munyaho, A., Mahongo, S., Kayanda, R., Rukunya, E., Kisaka, L., Manyala, J., Medard, M., Otoung, S., Mrosso, H., Sekadende, B., Walakira, J., Mbabazi, S., & Nkalubo, W. (2023). Lake Victoria: Overview of research needs and the way forward. Journal of Great Lakes Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2023.06.009 Nyamweya, C. S., Nyaboke, H. M., Aura, C. M., Momanyi, K., Mlaponi, E., Odoli, C. O., & Owili, M. (2022). Lake Victoria's bounty: A case for riparian countries' blue economic investment. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 10. Nyamweya, C. S. (2022). Assessment to map the extent of usage of Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) in Africa as a management tool. African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), Nairobi, Kenya. Nyamweya, C. S., Natugonza, V., Taabu-Munyaho, A., Aura, C. M., Njiru, J. M., Ongore, C., Mangeni-Sande, R., Kashindye, B. B., Odoli, C. O., Ogari, Z., & Kayanda, R. (2020). A century of drastic change: Human-induced changes of Lake Victoria fisheries and ecology. Fisheries Research, 230, 105564. Nyamweya, C. S., Sturludottir, E., Tomasson, T., Taabu-Munyaho, A., Njiru, M., & Stefansson, G. (2017). Prediction of Lake Victoria's response to varied fishing regimes using the Atlantis ecosystem model. Fisheries Research, 194, 76-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2017.05.014 Nyamweya, C. S., Desjardins, C., Sigurdsson, S., Tomasson, T., Taabu-Munyaho, A., Sitoki, L., & Stefansson, G. (2016). Simulation of Lake Victoria circulation patterns using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). PLoS ONE, 11(3), e0151272. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0151272 Nyamweya, C., Sturludottir, E., Tomasson, T., Fulton, E. A., Taabu-Munyaho, A., Njiru, M., & Stefansson, G. (2016). Exploring Lake Victoria ecosystem functioning using the Atlantis modeling framework. Environmental Modelling & Software, 86, 158-167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2016.09.019 Nyamweya, C. S., Mlewa, C. M., Ngugi, C. C., Kaunda-Arara, B., Njiru, J. M., Gichuki, J. W., Ojwang, W. O., & Ojuok, J. E. (2012). Aspects of the biology of Labeo cylindricus (Pisces: Cyprinidae) in Lake Baringo, Kenya. Lakes & Reservoirs, 17(3), 225-229. Selected Co-Authored Publications Aloo, P. A., Njiru, J. M., Balirwa, J. S., & Nyamweya, C. S. (2017). Impacts of Nile Perch introduction on the ecology, economy and conservation of Lake Victoria. Lakes & Reservoirs, 22(4), 320-333. Aura, C. M., Awandu, H., Mziri, V., Awuor, F., Nyamweya, C. S., & Musa, S. (2025). Optimizing stocking density for enhanced fish yield in lacustrine cage aquaculture. Scientific African, 28, e02721. Okechi, J. K., Peoples, N., Nyamweya, C. S., Orina, P. S., Cooperman, M. S., & Kaufman, L. (2025). Effects of Nile tilapia cage aquaculture on water quality in the world's largest tropical lake. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 51(3), 102576. Hamilton, S. E., McGehee, D. D., Nyamweya, C., et al. (2022). High-resolution bathymetries and shorelines for the Great Lakes of the White Nile basin. Scientific Data, 9(1), 642. Natugonza, V., Ainsworth, C., et al. incl. Nyamweya, C. (2020). Ecosystem modelling of data-limited fisheries: How reliable are Ecopath with Ecosim models? Journal of Great Lakes Research, 46(2), 414-428. Lawrence, T. J., Achieng, A. O., et al. incl. Nyamweya, C. (2023). Future success and ways forward for scientific approaches on the African Great Lakes. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 49(6), 102242. Full list of 73 peer-reviewed publications available via Google Scholar and ORCID (links below). Links |
