Dr. Joseph Kamau

Email: jkamau@kmfri.go.ke

Dr. Joseph Nyingi Kamau is a Kenyan marine scientist whose career, spanning more than three decades, has been devoted to understanding the chemistry and productivity of the Western Indian Ocean. He currently serves as Principal Research Scientist I and Assistant Director of Oceanography and Hydrography at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) in Mombasa.

His academic journey began with an MSc in Chemistry from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in 2004, before he moved to South Africa to pursue a PhD in Chemistry at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, completed in 2011 under a CSIR-FFP scholarship. There he distinguished himself academically, ranking among the top 15% of students at what was then rated the fourth-best university in Africa, an achievement recognized with honorary membership in Golden Key International. A postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Johannesburg followed shortly after.

Over the years, Dr. Kamau has built a research career centered on marine biogeochemistry, coastal pollution, ocean productivity, and the impacts of climate change on fisheries and ecosystems across the Western Indian Ocean. He has led or co-led an impressive string of major international projects, including the multi-million-pound SOLSTICE-WIO initiative funded by the UK's Global Challenges Research Fund, the WIO LME SAPPHIRE policy harmonization program, the SALT-MINE project, and the large-scale Go-Blue Mikindani constructed wetlands project. Most recently, in 2025, he collaborated with the GEOMAR-Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel on an Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement study, and he continues to implement his own endorsed UN Ocean Decade Action Plan examining ocean productivity under climate change.

His scholarly output is substantial and wide-ranging, with more than fifty peer-reviewed publications appearing in journals such as PLOS One, Marine Pollution Bulletin, and Ocean and Coastal Management, covering topics from heavy metal contamination in mangrove ecosystems to microplastics in Kenyan waters and the genetics of tuna stocks. Beyond his own research, he has mentored graduate students at institutions in Kenya, Japan, and South Africa, and has been called upon to examine doctoral and master's theses at universities including the University of the Witwatersrand, UNISA, the University of Johannesburg, Kenyatta University, and the Technical University of Mombasa.

His standing in the international scientific community is further reflected in his membership of the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP), the UKRI International Development Peer Review College, and the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association, as well as his ongoing role reviewing research proposals for the UK's Global Challenges Research Fund and South Africa's National Research Foundation.

• ▹ Assistant Director, Oceanography and Hydrography, KMFRI Mombasa
• ▹ Lead and coordinate major international research projects including SOLSTICE-WIO, WIO LME SAPPHIRE, SALT-MINE, and Go-Blue Mikindani constructed wetlands project
• ▹ Implement UN Ocean Decade Action Plan examining ocean productivity under climate change
• ▹ Mentor graduate students at institutions in Kenya, Japan, and South Africa
• ▹ Examine doctoral and master's theses at universities including University of the Witwatersrand, UNISA, University of Johannesburg, Kenyatta University, and Technical University of Mombasa
• ▹ Review research proposals for UK's Global Challenges Research Fund and South Africa's National Research Foundation

• ▹ Marine biogeochemistry
• ▹ Coastal pollution and heavy metal contamination
• ▹ Ocean productivity and climate change impacts
• ▹ Ocean acidification and marine carbonate chemistry
• ▹ Microplastics and emerging contaminants in marine environments
• ▹ Radioecology and environmental radionuclides
• ▹ Blue carbon and environmental isotope techniques

• ▹ PhD in Chemistry – University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (2011)
• ▹ MSc in Chemistry – Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya (2004)
• ▹ Postdoctoral Fellowship – University of Johannesburg, South Africa

• ▹ Member – Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP)
• ▹ Member – UKRI International Development Peer Review College
• ▹ Member – Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA)
• ▹ Honorary Member – Golden Key International (Top 15% of Students)