This archive report was first published on 6 July 2020.
July 5, 2020, marked a significant milestone for Dr. Samson Kinyanjui, the Head of Training at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, as he announced his latest appointment as an Associate Professor at Oxford University in England.
With a research career spanning over two decades, Kinyanjui has made significant contributions to the growth and development of young African scientists. Since 2008, he has been responsible for the training and capacity building of hundreds of young scientists at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme.
"Proud to be appointed an Oxford University Associate Professor. Particularly happy for the recognition of the research capacity building efforts I am involved in," Kinyanjui shared in a statement.
His announcement was met with congratulatory responses from Kenyans, who praised his celebrated work and acknowledged his well-deserved appointment. Kinyanjui's colleague, consultant paediatrician Sarah Atkinson, was also appointed as an Associate Professor at Oxford University.
At the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kinyanjui was in charge of conducting training and developing methodologies for capacity building in Malaria research for the East Africa region. His research career began in 1994 at the Wellcome Trust Labs in Nairobi, where he undertook malaria pharmacology studies.
He was later awarded a Wellcome Trust training fellowship in 2004 and went on to study immunity to Malaria for his PhD in Kilifi County. In 2019, Kinyanjui was one of two scientists who were awarded medals by the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene at the 2019 European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International Health.
