Dr Priscillar Mutungi, a Kenyan researcher from the Wildlife Research and Training Institute in Naivasha, Kenya joins ICGEB Cape Town, as a Postdoctoral Fellow as part of the ICGEB B-INOC Fellowship Programme, supporting training and skills enhancement of researchers, including south-north mobility and south-south mobility.
Dr Mutungi, an experienced biological scientist with expertise in microbial bioprospecting for application in sustainable agricultural production and industrial enzymes in both basic and industrial research and development, is working in the Plant Systems Biology Group, developing crop bio stimulants from endophytic bacteria, alongside Group Leader and mentor, Dr Lara Donaldson.
B-INOC, specifically B-INOC AFRICA, is an ICGEB project to accelerate innovation, technology transfer and development of microbial inoculants for resilient agricultural production and affordable food processing. The project’s goal is to enhance food security in Africa and create economic opportunities by supporting capacity building initiatives, research, entrepreneurship, international collaborations and large scale upward initiatives. The B-INOC Project is supported by the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Directorate-General for Development Cooperation (MAECI) under the Mattei Plan for Africa.
When asked about her research interests, Dr Mutungi explains that she is driven by the urgent need to develop innovative, sustainable and resilient agricultural systems in the face of climate change, environmental and soil degradation as well as global food insecurity that respond to farmers challenges on crop nutrition, pests and diseases which are responsive to the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. She adds that the development of natural, microbe-based solutions that enhance plant growth, nutrient uptake, and stress tolerance in the form of bio-inoculants, presents a powerful intersection of science and environmental stewardship.
‘I am very grateful to have been awarded the ICGEB B-INOC Fellowship to enhance my skills. ICGEB is a great organization that provides increasing opportunities to a growing body of scientists from across the globe. This fellowship enhances creativity and innovation, with some of these innovative ideas extending to the marketplace. I am eager to develop and maintain a long term partnership with the ICGEB.’ Dr Priscillar Mutungi
