Yet another fan of organic chemistry! 

Dr. Nganga is pursuing a variety of projects involving semiochemistry and signaling – in other words, the chemical signals that plants and animals give off that convey messages to other animals. Her work includes developing repellants against Glossina pallidipes –  the insect that carries of animal trypanosomiasis (related to human sleeping sickness), and against the brown ear tick and Anopheles gambiae. This work will allow her to develop ‘push’ and ‘push-pull’ tactics to control these animal disease vectors and understand the mechanisms underlying indigenous use of certain plant products to control insects. Dr. Nganga obtained her PhD from Kenyatta University. She was awarded a DAAD fellowship to conduct research at Paderborn University in Germany and a TWOWS post-graduate fellowship from the Academy of Sciences of the Developing World. She is an active member of the Kenya Chemical Society, the Natural Products Research Network for Eastern and Central Africa, and the African Women in Science and Engineering. 

Tags: Fellows