Dr. Ann Kingiri

Dr. Ann Kingiri is currently a senior research fellow, science, technology & innovation (STI) at the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS). Previously she was the Director of Research at ACTS, a development policy think tank, working to harness applications of STI for sustainable development. Before joining ACTS in 2011, she worked with the Ministry of Agriculture as an agricultural officer, with Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) as a phytosanitary and biosafety/biosecurity expert.

Ann holds a Bsc degree in Agriculture and Msc degree in Plant Pathology both from University of Nairobi, Kenya; A Master’s degree in Biosafety in Plant Biotechnology from Mache Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy and a PhD degree from UK in Development Policy and Practice discipline focusing on new biosciences policy. Ann is also a visiting researcher at the Development Policy and Practice (DPP) unit, Department of Engineering and Innovation, Open University, UK. Kingiri’s interest is in STI policy and development researcher with a focus on inclusive and sustainable development in Africa. She has been pursuing interdisciplinary research on integrated approach to agricultural development and innovation with relevance to Africa’s inclusive and sustainable development. As a policy researcher, she continues to pursue policy oriented research in STI, agriculture and bioenergy, including climate change and gender as cross cutting themes. Previously as a Research Fellow under the research into use (RIU) programme, she pursued collaborative research that focused on institutional and organisational change aimed at linking knowledge production to use for pro-poor development in Africa and Asia. During this period, she also carried out research that focused on agricultural bio-policy.

Kingiri has over 10 year’s public sector and research think tank management experience. As a Director of Research at ACTS, she coordinated generation and dissemination of STI knowledge through research, policy analysis and capacity building. This included coordinating the ACTS training arm, the Science, Technology & Policy Institute (STPI) for two years. STPI focuses particularly on building STI analysis capacity of different stakeholders- academics, policy makers, civil society and postgraduate students. Kingiri has worked with various policy actors mainly in East Africa to provide technical & regulatory advice on genetically modified biosciences applications. She continues to work with selected African institutions to build capacity on innovation and development with the ultimate aim of influencing policy and practice. Kingiri is an appointed member of World Economic Forum to serve under the Global Future Council on Technology, Values and Policy for the 2016-2018 term. She was recently appointed by USA National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to serve as a member in the committee on genes drive research in non-human organisms: recommendations for responsible conduct. The Committee has produced a report entitled “Gene Drives on the Horizon:  Advancing Science, Navigating Uncertainty, and Aligning Research with Public Values (2016). She contributed to Chapter 8 of this report “governing gene drive research and applications” (pages 147-173).