Dr. Mark Otieno Profile
Name: Dr. Mark Otieno
Title/Qualification: PhD
Position: Senior Lecturer
Department: Water and Agricultural Resource Management
School: Agriculture
Area of Specialization: Agroecology, agroecosystem management, pollination biology and natural pest regulation
Contact Address: P.O. Box 6-60100, Embu, Kenya
E-Mail:
Short Biography
Dr. Mark Otieno is an educator in agroecology and insect sciences with a passion for research on the drivers of arthropod mediated ecosystem services in farmlands and natural systems. He completed his PhD at the University of Reading, UK, under a Felix Scholarship. Having studied Animal Ecology at Kenyatta University, Kenya and writing his MSc thesis on Acacia pollination funded by the Tropical Biology Association, Dr. Otieno gained experience in a wide range conservation projects, notably an EU/USAID project promoting wildlife conservation through ecotourism in Kenya as well as pollination research.
Between 2019 and 2021, he held a prestigious position as a Georg Forster Experienced Research Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation at the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg, Germany.
Before joining the University of Embu, Dr. Otieno undertook postdoctoral research on crop pollination under the Integrated Crop Pollination project at Pennsylvania State University, USA. Prior to that, he worked as a Specialist Training Workshop Coordinator for the Tropical Biology Association running workshops on communicating scientific results, scientific publishing, effective teaching strategies and designing environmental research projects in the field across many countries in Africa and Madagascar.
Research Interests
Dr. Otieno’s research interest is in insect mediated ecosystem services and the promotion of agroecological practices in achieving sustainable food production and livelihoods. He is currently undertaking several research projects in tropical Africa under the same research theme with collaborators from Europe and South America.
Grants
| S/No | Title of the Grant | Funding Agency | Amount | Start Date (Month and Year) | End Date (Month and Year) |
| 1 |
AMI System research equipment
|
United Kingdom Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UK-CEH) & The Tropical Biology Association
|
£6,900 | May-24 | May-26 |
| 2 |
Saving a critically endangered rock-climbing pancake tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri) in Kenya
|
Zoologische Gesellschaft fur Arten- und Populationsschutz e. V. (ZGAP)
|
EUR 5,975 | Jan-24 | Dec-24 |
| 3 |
Functional complementarity between nocturnal and diurnal pollinators along a land-use gradient in Taita Hills biodivbersity
|
Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG)
|
€ 779,390 | May-24 | May-26 |
| 4 |
Capacity building to conduct baseline wildlife surveys of invertebrates in Alpine and Montane forests ecosystems in the highest mountains in East Africa
|
JRS Biodiversity Foundation
|
$148,377 | Jun-22 | Jun-25 |
| 5 |
Assessing the Ecological Implications of Invasive Species on Coffee Pollination in the
Taita Hills, Kenya |
British Ecological Society
|
£5,000 | Oct-23 | Mar-25 |
| 6 |
(University of Embu/
Dr. Mark Otieno & Prof. Kiplagat Kotut)
National Entrepreneurial Institutions’ Framework (NEIF) /
Institutional Commercialization Support Phase 3 |
Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) | KES 500,000 | Oct-23 | Oct-24 |
| 7 |
George Forster Research Fellowship Alexander Von Humboldt
|
Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation | USD 64,521 | Mar-19 | Sep-19 |
| 8 |
Pollination of Streptocarpus teitensis: Implications for conservation of a critically endangered African violets species in Kenya
|
Mohamed bin Zayed | US$ 8500 | Dec-18 | Feb-20 |
| 9 |
Influence of elevated levels of ozone and carbon dioxide on flower visitation by bees and consequences for field bean seed set
|
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation | € 100,000 | Dec-19 | Apr-20 |
| 10 | Conserving an endangered African wild coffee species through management of its pollinators in Taita Hills biodiversity hotspots of Kenya | British Ecological Society | £ 7990 | May-19 | Aug-20 |
| 11 | Alumni research networking grant/Research stay in Würzburg | Alexander von Humboldt Foundation | EUR 3,000 | Mar-22 | Jul-22 |
| 12 | Mutualists and antagonists of wild coffee in coastal Kenya and the Taita hills | Harper Adams University QR Funding | £5,000 | Mar-22 | Mar-23 |
| 13 | Promoting Resiliency of the Agriculture Sector in Developing Economies in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic | Center of Excellence for Global Food Security and Defense (CEGFSD) | USD 18,000 | Oct-22 | Apr-23 |
| 14 | Promoting the conservation of the African Leopard Orchid (Ansellia africana) through management of its pollinator diversity and habitat in Kenya | American Orchid Society | $3,850 | Jun-22 | May-23 |
| 15 | Grassroots Demonstration Project Funding | Center of Excellence for Global Food Security and Defense (CEGFSD) | $3,500 | Jun-22 | Jun-23 |
| 16 | Sustainable agro-ecological practices in Sub-Saharan Africa in the phase of climate change | Alexander von Humboldt Foundation | EUR 9,000 | May-23 | Aug-23 |
| 17 | Good Financial Grant Practice Standard (GFGP) supporting funds (Dr. Mark Otieno & Dr. Ciriaka Gitonga) | African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) | USD2, 000 | Mar-23 | Sep-23 |
| 18 | Research Books Award | Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung | EUR 980 | Sep-23 | Sep-23 |
| 19 | The molecular mechanisms underlying local adaptations to high elevation habitats in honey bee Apis mellifera | German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG) | € 6,050 | Feb-23 | Apr-24 |
| 20 | Developing Cost-effective Pest Management Tools Against New and Emerging Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases in Kenya | Southern University Agricultural Research & Extension Center (SUAREC) | $6,000 | Feb-23 | Apr-24 |
| 21 | Building crop pest and disease management capacities among farmers, extension workers, and agronomists in the post-COVID era in Embu County | Center of Excellence for Global Food Security and Defense (CEGFSD) | USD 20,000 | Apr-23 | Apr-24 |