<span>Naftaly Mwirigi</span>
Scientist

Naftaly Mwirigi

Research Scientist

Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute
 
Research Scientist
Kisumu Centre
 
Freshwater Systems Department
Food Security • Nutrition • Remote Sensing • IoT & AI
 

Email: nmwirigi@kmfri.go.ke

 
Location
Kisumu Centre
Department
Freshwater Systems Department
Specialization
Food Science & Technology
Years of Experience
7 years (Joined July 1, 2019)
Research Focus: Integration of spatial planning and mapping resources, remote sensing, IoT and Artificial Intelligence for the sustainability of aquatic food systems, coupled with lab analytical and data analytical skills.
 

Naftaly is a purpose driven food science expert with an MSc in Food Technology majoring in food structuring, functionality and process engineering. He is an avid research scientist with interests in food security and nutrition, fisheries policy and management with a keen focus on the integration of spatial planning and mapping resources, remote sensing, IoT and Artificial Intelligence for the sustainability of aquatic food systems. He couples this with a mastery of lab analytical (microbial, chemical, physicochemical) and data analytical skills (R & MATLAB).

 
Research Interests
Food Systems Management & Sustainability Food Safety & Risk Analysis Food Loss & Waste Process Engineering Monitoring & Evaluation Data Analytics Remote Sensing IoT & AI
 
Research/Administrative Responsibility
  • Food Science and Technology
  • Fisheries Policy and Management
  • Food Security and Nutrition
  • Climate Change and Biodiversity
 
Academic Qualifications
  • MSc – Master of Food Technology (KU Leuven, Belgium) – 2026
  • BSc – Food Science and Technology (University of Nairobi, Kenya) – 2017
 
Professional Membership
African Lakes Remote Sensing Network (ALReS) International Association of Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) British Ecological Society (BES)
 
Awards and Honours
  • VLIR Scholarship Award – 2024
 
Selected Publications
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) – 2025
Dried fish provide widespread access to critical nutrients across Africa
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2426844122
Journal of Remote Sensing – 2024
LAQUA: a LAndsat water QUality retrieval tool for east African lakes
https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16162903
African Journal of Aquatic Sciences – 2023
Dissipation of environmental DDT and its metabolites in selected rivers of south-western Kenya
https://doi.org/10.2989/16085914.2023.2174930
 
Links

ORCID: 0000-0003-4276-1425   LinkedIn: View Profile