Principal Research Scientist Marine Fisheries Marine Fisheries & Conservation Fisheries Biology • Stock Assessment • Marine Mammals • Sharks • Rays • Billfish Location Mombasa Years of Experience 2005 to 2024 (19 years at KMFRI) Research Interests Marine fisheries biology, ecology, and stock assessment; Billfish, shark, and ray fisheries conservation; Marine mammals and bycatch research; Marine biodiversity data management and species annotation; Environmental DNA and molecular tools for biodiversity monitoring; Science-policy engagement and community-based marine resource management | Research Focus: Connecting research, policy, and community engagement to support sustainable marine resource management across the Western Indian Ocean region and beyond, with expertise in marine fisheries, fisheries biology and ecology, demersal fish groups, marine mammals, sharks, rays, sea turtles, and billfish management. Dr. Nina Wambiji is a marine fisheries scientist and conservation leader whose work connects research, policy, and community engagement to support sustainable marine resource management. Based in Kenya, she has extensive experience across the Western Indian Ocean region and beyond, with expertise in marine fisheries, fisheries biology and ecology, demersal fish groups, marine mammals, sharks, rays, sea turtles, and billfish management. She holds a Ph.D. in Marine and Environmental Sciences from the University of Ryukyus, Japan, and currently serves as a Principal Research Scientist. Her work also advances biodiversity data management through editorial contributions to the Ocean Biodiversity Information System, the World Register of Marine Species, and the African Register of Marine Species. Dr. Wambiji is serving her second term as Vice President of WIOMSA, where she supports regional collaboration, visibility, and participation in marine science initiatives, including the SCALLABLE project. Her contributions have been recognised through several prestigious awards and fellowships, including the Pew Marine Fellowship, Women for the Environment Africa Fellowship, Edward T. LaRoe III Memorial Award, Cassagnol Fellowship, Australia Awards Africa Fellowship, AWARD Fellowship, and the Japan Government MEXT Scholarship. Research & Administrative Responsibility
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Awards and Honours The Edward T. LaRoe III Memorial Award – Society for Conservation Biology, 2023 Cassagnol Fellowship – EFN-WWF, 2022-2023, 2024-2025 Women for the Environment – 2022 Fellow Pew Marine Fellowship – Pew Charitable Trusts, 2020-2023 Australia Awards Africa Fellow – 2019, Impactful in embracing the Blue Economy agenda African Biosciences Challenge Fund (ABCF) Fellowship – Biosciences eastern and central Africa at the International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI, Nairobi), October 2014 – April 2015 African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) Fellow – 2013 Japan Government MEXT (MONBUKAGAKUSHO) Scholarship Selected Publications Uku, J., Kihia, S., Ater, S., Kadagi, N. I., & Wambiji, N. (2026). Ocean Art as an Integral Part of Kenya's Blue Economy. In Ocean Literacy: The Foundation for the Success of the Ocean Decade, Volume II: Fostering Community, the Sustainable Blue Economy, and the Arts (pp. 163-175). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. Adisa, S., Kadagi, N.I., Ater, S., Wambiji, N., Okeri, M.N. and Serra, R., 2025. Artisanal billfish fisheries: gender roles, challenges, and opportunities. Frontiers in Marine Science, 12, 1658666. Chambon, M., Wambiji, N., Wandiga, J.N., Reyes-Garcia, V. and Ziveri, P., 2025. "Men don't feel comfortable with successful female leaders": exploring participatory exclusion in community-based fisheries management, South Coast of Kenya. Maritime studies, 24(1), p.3. Fondo, E.N., Bitoun, R.E., Kimani, E.N., Munga, C.N., Wambiji, N., Ishmael, N., Mwandikwa, D., Busolo, B., Okeri, M., Abas, S. and Maina, G.W., 2025. The contributions of coastal small-scale fisheries toward the sustainable development goals: a Kenyan Case Study. npj Ocean Sustainability, 4(1), p.14. Okello, C., Wambiji, N., Kihia, S.W., Ongeso, N., Mwamburi, S.M., Wandera, A., Demory, M.E. and Owuor, M.A., 2025. Harnessing eDNA metabarcoding to monitor species diversity in restoration sites: Insights from Laikipia, Kenya. Environmental DNA, 7(3), p.e70110. Smith, L.M., Williams, S.M., Ferrette, B.L.D.S., Holmes, B.J., Kadagi, N.I., Lu, C.P., Ortega-Garcia, S., Pepperell, J.G., Tibbetts, I.R., Wambiji, N. and Wambua, S., 2025. Global analyses of sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) using next-generation sequencing reveal multiple populations. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 82(12), p.fsaf232. Mwamburi, S. M., Uku, J., Wambiji, N., Kairo, J., Oketch, F., Oduor, K. O., Amondi, L., & Ishmael, N. Integration of environmental DNA metabarcoding technique to reinforce fish biodiversity assessments in seagrass ecosystems: A case study of Gazi bay seagrass meadows. Environmental DNA. https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.483 Kihia S W, Uku J, Kioko M, Kadagi N I, Wambiji N (2023). Billfish in coastal visual art in Kenya: a resource for ocean science communication. Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science 22(1): 67-77. doi: 10.4314/wiojms.v22i1.7 Kadagi, N.I., Wambiji, N., Mann, B., Parker, D., Daly, R., Thoya, P., Rato, D.A.M., Halafo, J., Gaspare, L., Sweke, E.A. and Ahmed, S., 2022. Status and challenges for sustainable billfish fisheries in the Western Indian Ocean. Reviews in fish biology and fisheries, pp.1-27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-022-09725-8 Wambiji Nina, Isigi Kadagi N. Jeremy Kiszka, Edward Kimani, Bernadine Everett, Andrew Temple, Per Berggren, Isigi Kadagi. Integrating citizen science and historical data to investigate the extent of small-scale (artisanal) and recreational shark fisheries in Kenya. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 16 pp. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3829 Links Google Scholar ORCID: 0000-0002-7775-5300 ResearchGate LinkedIn Scopus: 37008140200 Web of Science: JAO-0126-2023 |
