Florence Wambugu

Florence Wambugu Muringi ( born August 23, 1953) is a Kenyan Pflanzenpathologin and virologist. She was known for her advocacy of the use of biotechnology to increase food production in Africa.

Training

Wambugu 1975 was the first woman in Kenya who attended the University of Nairobi. Three years later she received from the same university, the academic degree of Bachelor of Science in Botany and Zoology. The degree Master of Science in Pathology she received in 1984 by the North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota, USA; the degree of Ph.D. researchers at the University of Bath in 1991.

Professional career

Dr. Wambugu is the founder of the nonprofit Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International ( AHBFI ) who manages them as General Manager since 2002. AHBFI maintains offices in Nairobi (Kenya ), Johannesburg ( South Africa) and Washington DC (USA).

Before founding AHBFI, Dr. Wambugu was the director of the African Region of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri - Biotech Applications ( ISAAA ), whose AfriCenter in Nairobi led. From 1978 to 1991 she worked as a senior pathologist and coordinator of plant biotechnology research at the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute ( KARI ). In their collaboration in KARI followed from 1991 to 1994 a postdoctoral stay at Monsanto.

She has published over 100 articles and is involved in several others.

Awards

Dr. Wambugu was honored by IITA ( International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Nigeria ) as Scientist of the Year, 1981; In 1989, she received KARI 's Crop Science Award as an outstanding scientist of the year, as well as CIP 's ( International Potato Center ) Regional Research Award; 1990, she was awarded by the Kenya Farmers Support Award of Pyrethrum Marketing Board; In 1991, she was honored as best PhD student jointly by the Virology Division of Horticultural Research International in England and KARI; both 1992 and 1993, she gave Monsanto an award for outstanding performance.

In 2000, Dr. Wambugu won the first place of KARI 's Global Development Network Awards; the World Bank Global Development Network Award was also conferred in 2000 for the successful introduction of tissue culture banana in Kenya; the Woman of the Year Award by the American Biographical Institute she received in 2002-03. One of the most recent accolades for the Dr. Wambugu 2008 in Norway from the Yara Foundation awarded Yara Prize for their significant contribution to the fight against hunger and poverty in Africa.

Personal

Florence Wambugu is a single mother of three children.