Scientific Careers & Community

Build Your Career
at the Centre of
African Health Science

KEMRI is home to over 4,000 scientists, researchers, and public health professionals working on Kenya's most important health questions. We are building the next generation of African scientific leadership — and we are looking for the scientists, students, and specialists who want to be part of it.

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Dr. Amina Wambua

Senior Research Scientist · Infectious Diseases & Epidemiology

"At KEMRI, the questions I ask every morning are the questions on which Kenyan lives depend. That is not a responsibility I take lightly — it is the reason I returned from my postdoc in London and the reason I am still here fifteen years later."

Malaria Research Epidemiology Western Kenya WHO Advisory

Why KEMRI

Five Reasons the Best Scientists in Africa Choose KEMRI

KEMRI is not the only place in Africa where you can do health research. But it is the place where the questions being asked are most consequential, where the infrastructure is most complete, where the scientific community is most serious, and where the work you do will most directly protect the health of the nation you are part of.

These five propositions are not recruitment language. They are the honest reasons that scientists who have trained at Oxford, Harvard, and Karolinska choose to bring their careers to KEMRI — and stay.

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4,000+

Scientists and researchers in KEMRI's community

Specialist research centres across Kenya

40+

Years building Kenya's scientific community

Counties where KEMRI scientists work

Proposition 01

The Work Matters

At KEMRI, the scientific questions being asked are not abstract. They determine whether outbreaks are detected early or late, whether treatments work or fail, and whether health policy is grounded in evidence. Your science has direct, measurable public health consequences.

Proposition 02

The Institution Is Serious

KEMRI is not a small research unit. It is a 40-year-old national institution with specialist centres, equipped laboratories, field sites across Kenya, ethics governance, publication channels, and an international partner network. The infrastructure can support your ambitions.

Proposition 03

The Community Is Exceptional

Over 4,000 scientists, epidemiologists, biostatisticians, laboratory scientists, and public health specialists working across Kenya. Diverse in discipline, unified in purpose. The quality of the community you join is as important as the quality of the institution.

Proposition 04

The Growth Is Real

KEMRI is not only a place to do science. It is a place to grow as a scientist. Graduate programs, mentorship culture, international collaborative exposure, and breadth of disciplines that creates genuine cross-pollination — a career trajectory, not just a position.

Proposition 05

You Are Building Something Historic

Africa is claiming its scientific sovereignty. KEMRI is Kenya's contribution to that claim. Scientists who join KEMRI are not just building individual careers — they are building the institutional infrastructure that will define how Africa addresses its health challenges for generations.

Our Scientific Community

Meet Some of the People
You Would Be Working With

The quality of the scientific community you join is one of the most important decisions you make in a research career. These are a few of the scientists who define what that community looks like at KEMRI.

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Dr. Amina Wambua

Senior Research Scientist · Infectious Diseases

Malaria & Epidemiology · Kisumu

"The questions we are asking here are the ones that matter. And the data we have — thirty years of longitudinal cohort data from the same communities — is irreplaceable anywhere else on the continent."

Leads KEMRI's malaria transmission dynamics research programme in western Kenya. Fifteen years at KEMRI following a postdoctoral fellowship at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Her work directly informs Kenya's national malaria treatment guidelines and has contributed to three WHO global malaria guideline updates.

Malaria Immunology Field Epidemiology WHO Advisory Panel

Prof. James Kariuki

Principal Investigator · Genomics & Virology

Pathogen Genomics · Nairobi

"I returned from Cambridge because I realised the most scientifically interesting pathogen genomics data in the world was being generated right here in Kenya — and the questions it could answer are the ones that actually matter for Africa."

Leads KEMRI's genomic surveillance programme. Specialises in whole-genome sequencing of respiratory and enteric pathogens and viral phylodynamics in East Africa. His team generated Kenya's first SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences in 2020, characterising the initial Kenyan variant landscape within weeks of the pandemic's arrival.

Viral Genomics Bioinformatics WHO Collaborating Centre

Dr. Grace Otieno

Research Scientist · Public Health Systems

Health Systems & Policy · Nairobi

"At KEMRI I can trace a direct line from the data I collect in Turkana County to a policy brief that lands on a Ministry of Health desk. That research-to-policy pathway is not theoretical here. It is what we are built to do."

Leads KEMRI's Universal Health Coverage research programme, focusing on health financing equity across Kenya's 47 counties. Her policy brief on NHIF coverage gaps was cited directly in the Ministry of Health's UHC implementation planning documents in 2024.

Health Financing Health Systems Policy Translation

Graduate Programs

Train as a Scientist at Kenya's
National Research Institution

KEMRI's graduate programs offer MSc and PhD students the opportunity to conduct their research within a nationally mandated scientific institution — with access to field sites, laboratory infrastructure, mentorship from world-class investigators, and science that has direct public health consequence.

Apply Now

Postgraduate · Research

PhD Research Program

KEMRI's PhD program offers candidates the opportunity to conduct fully-funded, field-grounded research within KEMRI's national research infrastructure. Students are co-supervised by a KEMRI principal investigator and, in many cases, a collaborating international university supervisor — giving them both the Kenyan field depth and international scientific exposure that distinguishes KEMRI graduates.

🗓️Duration: 3–4 years full-time

📍Locations: Nairobi, Kisumu, Kilifi, Mombasa

🔬Domains: All six KEMRI research areas

💰Funding: Stipend and research costs where funded

🤝Partners: University of Nairobi, LSHTM, Oxford, others

Apply or Enquire →

Postgraduate · Coursework & Research

MSc by Research

KEMRI's MSc by Research program provides a structured two-year research experience for candidates seeking to develop specialist scientific skills in a nationally significant research environment. The program combines a formal research methods and scientific writing curriculum with a substantive independent research project conducted within one of KEMRI's research programmes.

🗓️Duration: 2 years full-time

📍Locations: Nairobi and Kisumu primarily

🔬Domains: Infectious disease, genomics, public health, NCDs

📋Requirements: BSc in relevant scientific discipline

📅Intake: January and September annually

Apply or Enquire →

Undergraduate · Placement

Undergraduate Research Attachment

KEMRI's undergraduate research attachment program provides final-year BSc students the opportunity to complete their research projects within KEMRI's centres, under the supervision of KEMRI research scientists. The program is designed for students from Kenyan universities whose research topics align with KEMRI's current research programs.

🗓️Duration: 3–6 months

📍Locations: Multiple KEMRI centres

📋Requirements: Final-year BSc, supervisor endorsement

📅Rolling: Applications considered year-round

Apply or Enquire →

Fellowships & Training

Structured Development Programs for
Scientists at Every Stage

From postdoctoral fellowships to African diaspora scientist return programs, KEMRI's fellowship portfolio is designed to bring exceptional scientists into contact with KEMRI's research environment at the stage where that contact will have the greatest impact on their careers.

Postdoctoral Fellowship

KEMRI Postdoctoral Research Fellowship

Two-year postdoctoral fellowships embedded within KEMRI research programmes, providing postdoctoral scientists with mentored independent research experience, publication support, and international conference exposure. Fellows are expected to develop at least one first-author publication and one grant application during the fellowship period.

🗓️2 years · rolling intake

💰Competitive stipend

📍All KEMRI centres

Diaspora Return Program

African Scientist Return Fellowship

Structured 12–24 month return fellowships for Kenyan and East African scientists based in international institutions who wish to repatriate their careers or establish long-term research collaborations with KEMRI. The program provides transition support, laboratory setup assistance, salary bridging, and integration into KEMRI's research community.

🗓️12–24 months

💰Salary bridging support

📍Flexible location

Specialist Training

KEMRI Bioinformatics Training Fellowship

Six-month intensive bioinformatics training fellowship within KEMRI's Centre for Virus Research genomics programme. Fellows receive hands-on training in whole-genome sequence analysis, phylogenetics, and pathogen genomics interpretation, working with real surveillance datasets from Kenya's national pathogen monitoring system.

🗓️6 months

💰Training stipend

📍Nairobi

Early Career Development

KEMRI Early Career Investigator Award

Competitive internal fellowships for KEMRI research staff in the first five years of their scientific careers, providing protected research time, a small research grant, mentorship, and access to KEMRI's scientific development program. Recipients are expected to develop an independent research portfolio and mentor at least one student during the award period.

🗓️18 months

💰Small research grant

📍All KEMRI centres

Current Vacancies

Open Positions Across
KEMRI's Centres

Every open position at KEMRI is an opportunity to contribute directly to Kenya's national health research mission. Filter by category to find your fit.

Principal Investigator — Malaria Immunology

Lead KEMRI's next phase of malaria immunological research from the Kisumu field station. The successful candidate will develop an independent research programme within KEMRI's Centre for Global Health Research, with access to our 30-year longitudinal cohort datasets, field research infrastructure, and international partner network through NIH and Wellcome Trust collaborations.

Research Senior 📍 Kisumu ⏱️ Full-time · Permanent

Apply

Closes: 31 Aug 2024

Senior Bioinformatician — Pathogen Genomics

Join KEMRI's Centre for Virus Research genomic surveillance team as a senior bioinformatician, leading the analysis pipelines for Kenya's national pathogen genomic monitoring system. This role involves whole-genome sequence assembly, phylogenetic analysis, variant characterisation, and real-time reporting to the Ministry of Health. You will work with East Africa's largest pathogen genomic dataset.

Data Science Senior 📍 Nairobi ⏱️ Full-time · Permanent

Apply

Closes: 15 Sep 2024

Epidemiologist — Disease Surveillance

Support KEMRI's national disease surveillance programme as a field epidemiologist, coordinating data collection from sentinel sites across multiple Kenyan counties, conducting outbreak investigations when required, and contributing to the real-time surveillance intelligence that feeds Kenya's Ministry of Health disease monitoring systems and Africa CDC's continental network.

Public Health Mid-level 📍 Nairobi + Field ⏱️ Full-time · 2-year contract

Apply

Closes: Rolling

Research Scientist — Non-Communicable Diseases

Contribute to KEMRI's growing NCD research portfolio, with a particular focus on cancer epidemiology and cardiovascular disease risk factor surveillance in Kenyan adult populations. This position will work closely with KEMRI's cancer registry team, supporting the data collection, analysis, and policy translation work that underpins Kenya's National Cancer Control Strategy.

Research Mid-level 📍 Nairobi ⏱️ Full-time · Permanent

Apply

Closes: 30 Sep 2024

Clinical Research Coordinator — Phase II Trials

Support the coordination of Phase II clinical trial activities within KEMRI's GCP-compliant clinical research infrastructure. The role involves participant recruitment and retention, protocol adherence monitoring, adverse event reporting, regulatory documentation management, and liaison with sponsor organisations. Experience in GCP-regulated clinical research environments is required.

Clinical Research Mid-level 📍 Nairobi ⏱️ Full-time · Contract

Apply

Closes: 20 Aug 2024

Research Officer — Maternal and Child Health

An entry-level research officer position within KEMRI's maternal health programme in western Kenya, supporting data collection, community engagement, and research coordination activities across KEMRI field sites in Homa Bay and Siaya counties. This role is designed for early career scientists with a BSc in a relevant health science field seeking supervised research experience in a national research institution.

Early Career Entry-level 📍 Homa Bay / Siaya ⏱️ Full-time · 1-year renewable

Apply

Closes: Rolling

Don't see a role that fits your profile? KEMRI accepts expressions of interest from exceptional scientists at any time.

Submit an Expression of Interest

Life at KEMRI

A Scientific Community Built on Purpose, Depth, and Shared Consequence

KEMRI is not a single campus. It is a national network of research centres, field stations, and community sites spread across Kenya — a scientific community that spans the country it serves. Life at KEMRI means being embedded in the communities whose health is the subject of your research, in an institution whose mandate aligns with your purpose.

Mentorship Culture

Senior KEMRI scientists actively mentor early career researchers. The culture of scientific generosity that characterises KEMRI's most productive research programmes is institutional, not incidental.

International Scientific Exposure

KEMRI's 30+ international partner network brings visiting scientists, collaborative grants, conference travel opportunities, and joint publication programs that give KEMRI scientists genuine global scientific exposure without requiring them to leave Africa.

Scientific Development

Writing workshops, grant application training, statistics short courses, and a seminar series that brings international scientists to KEMRI every month — a continuous investment in the scientific development of every staff member.

Institutional Stability

KEMRI's statutory national mandate means it is not dependent on any single grant or donor. The institutional stability that gives scientists the security to plan long-term research programmes is a feature of KEMRI's structure, not its luck.

Where KEMRI Scientists Work

Nairobi

Headquarters, Centre for Virus Research, Centre for Microbiology Research, clinical research infrastructure

8 Centres

Kisumu & Western Kenya

Centre for Global Health Research, malaria field station, longitudinal cohort sites

3 Centres

Kilifi & Mombasa

KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Programme, coastal field station, tropical disease research

2 Centres

Northern & Arid Lands

Surveillance sites in Marsabit, Turkana, Garissa — field-based disease monitoring

Field Sites

All 47 Counties

National sentinel surveillance network — KEMRI scientists embedded in every county

National

Alumni

Where KEMRI Scientists Go

A KEMRI career is a foundation for scientific leadership. These are some of the scientists who built their scientific identity at KEMRI and went on to lead institutions, advise governments, and advance health science globally.

Dr. Samuel Mwangi

KEMRI Research Scientist, 2008–2015

Now: Director of Research
Africa CDC, Addis Ababa

"The rigour I learned at KEMRI — the discipline of grounding every claim in evidence — is the foundation everything I have done since has been built on."

Prof. Esther Njoroge

KEMRI Postdoctoral Fellow, 2010–2012

Now: Professor of Epidemiology
University of Cape Town

"KEMRI gave me the field experience and the publication record that no university could have. It is where I became a scientist in practice, not just in training."

Dr. Peter Odhiambo

KEMRI Research Officer, 2012–2018

Now: Senior Technical Advisor
World Health Organisation, Geneva

"The policy translation work I did at KEMRI — turning research into briefs that decision-makers could actually use — is exactly the skill WHO recruited me for."

Dr. Faith Achieng

KEMRI Graduate Student, 2014–2018

Now: Head of Genomics
National Public Health Institute, Nairobi

"I did my PhD at KEMRI and stayed in Kenya. There was no need to leave — the science is here, the problems are here, and KEMRI gave me everything I needed to lead."

Join KEMRI

Kenya's Science Needs
Your Best Work

The questions KEMRI is asking — about how diseases spread, how bodies respond, how health systems serve populations, how evidence reaches policy — are among the most important scientific questions of our time. We are looking for the scientists who want to dedicate their careers to answering them.

View Current Vacancies Graduate Programs Contact Us

Build Your Careerat the Centre ofAfrican Health Science

Five Reasons the Best Scientists in Africa Choose KEMRI

Meet Some of the PeopleYou Would Be Working With

Train as a Scientist at Kenya'sNational Research Institution

Structured Development Programs forScientists at Every Stage

Open Positions AcrossKEMRI's Centres

A Scientific Community Built on Purpose, Depth, and Shared Consequence

Where KEMRI Scientists Go

Kenya's Science NeedsYour Best Work

Build Your Career
at the Centre of
African Health Science

Meet Some of the People
You Would Be Working With

Train as a Scientist at Kenya's
National Research Institution

Structured Development Programs for
Scientists at Every Stage

Open Positions Across
KEMRI's Centres

Kenya's Science Needs
Your Best Work