Assistant Research Scientist Socioeconomics Directorate Fisheries Socioeconomics Fisheries Management • Blue Economy • Climate Resilience • One Health Location Kisumu Research Centre Years of Experience 2020-Present (6 years at KMFRI) Research Interests Fisheries Socioeconomics; Sustainable Aquaculture and Fish Health; Blue Economy and Fisheries Value Chains; Climate-Smart Aquaculture and Climate Resilience; Food Security, Nutrition and One Health; Natural Resource Economics and Livelihoods; Gender, Youth and Community Development in Fisheries; Environmental Policy, Governance and Impact Assessment | Research Focus: Integrating socioeconomic research with biological and environmental sciences to generate evidence that supports sustainable management of fisheries and aquatic resources. Hezron Odhiambo Awandu is an Assistant Research Scientist in the Socioeconomics Directorate at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), Kisumu Research Centre. He is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Fisheries and Aquaculture (Socioeconomics) at Maseno University and holds a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and Botany with Information Technology from the same institution. Since joining KMFRI in 2020, Hezron has contributed to multidisciplinary research addressing fisheries management, aquaculture development, climate resilience, food security, Blue Economy development, and rural livelihoods. His work integrates socioeconomic research with biological and environmental sciences to generate evidence that supports sustainable management of fisheries and aquatic resources. He has participated in numerous national and international research initiatives funded by organizations including the World Bank, IFAD, Cornell University, LVFO, WorldFish, the University of Birmingham, Utrecht University, and the Lake Victoria Basin Commission. His research interests span fisheries and aquaculture socioeconomics, integrated aquaculture-agriculture systems, fish value chains, climate-smart aquaculture, One Health, gender and youth inclusion, environmental valuation, and policy analysis. He has co-authored several peer-reviewed publications in internationally recognized journals, including Scientific African, Aquaculture, Fish and Fisheries, Discover Conservation, and Social Sciences & Humanities Open. He has also contributed to numerous publications in KMFRI's Aquatica Journal, national technical reports, grant proposals, and policy-oriented research that informs fisheries governance and Blue Economy development in Kenya. Research & Administrative Responsibility
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Awards and Honours Certificate of Completion – African Science Entrepreneurship Program (ASEP), Johannesburg, South Africa (2026) Selected Publications Aura, C. M., Awandu, H., Musa, S., & Ntiba, M. J. (2026). An approach for the assessment of climate smart technologies for fisheries and aquaculture in an Afrotropical system. Aquaculture, Fish and Fisheries, 6(2), e70199. https://doi.org/10.1002/aff2.70199 Lancker, K., Barrett, C. B., Fiorella, K. J., Aura, C. M., Awandu, H., Awuor, F. J., & Otuo, P. (2026). Understanding Nutrient-Contaminant Tradeoffs in fish consumer preferences: Evidence from Kenya. Food Policy, 142, 103120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2026.103120 Teplitz, E.M., Mwainge, V.M., Otuo, P.W., Ogwai, C., Awandu, H., Onsongo, K., Kemei, N., Gonzalez, G., McIntyre, P.B., Ivanek, R. and Getchell, R. (2024). Descriptive characterization of cage aquaculture production practices in Lake Victoria, Kenya to improve fish health management. Available at SSRN. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4950050 Aura, C. M., Awandu, H., Mziri, V., Awuor, F. J., Nyamweya, C. S., Musa, S., & Osore, M. (2025). Unbundling Fish Kills Associated Losses and Compliance Aspects in Lacustrine Cage Aquaculture Farms. Aquaculture, Fish and Fisheries, 5(4), e70101. https://doi.org/10.1002/aff2.70101 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. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02721 Aura, C.M., Awandu, H., Ongore, C.O., Musa, S., Humphrey, O.S., Isaboke, J., Watts, M.J., Osano, O. and Blake, W.H. (2025). Outreach and knowledge mobilization for the effective use of adoptive strategies for land-lake based resilience. Discover Conservation, 2(1), p.47. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44353-025-00067-7 Opiyo, M., Fonda, J., Awandu, H., Onsongo, K., Otieno, D., Benton, L., & Heffernan, C. (2024). Knowledge and perception of antimicrobial resistance in aquaculture in the nairobi river basin, Kenya. Animal Health Production and Hygiene, 13(2), 32-41. https://doi.org/10.53913/aduveterinary.1429482 Aura, C. M., Awuor, F. J., Awandu, H., Owiti, H., Musa, S., Owoko, W., & Njiru, J. M. (2023). How the pre and post COVID-19 era have shaped system understanding of the socioeconomic impact of small-scale inland fisheries. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 7(1), 100377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2022.100377 Aura, C.M., Nyamweya, C.S., Njagi, G., Mwarabu, R.L., Ongore, C.O., Awuor, F.J., Keyombe, J.L., Musa, S., Awandu, H., Awoko, W. and Macharia, S. (2023). Restocking of small water bodies for a post Covid recovery and growth of fisheries and aquaculture production: Socioeconomic implications. Scientific African, 19, p.e01439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2022.e01439 Links |
