John Ayisi

Biography

Dr. John Ayisi, is Deputy Director of Research in Kenya’s Ministry of Education, State Department for University Education and Research. Prior to joining the Ministry, Dr. Ayisi worked as a senior research scientist at the Kenya Medical Research Institute for several years. Part of his work has informed health policy not only in Kenya, but globally. He holds a PhD in Public health Epidemiology from the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He has also undertaken specialized training in Monitoring and Evaluation of Development Projects; Strategic Leadership and Development, and; Research Management and Leadership. Dr. Ayisi has mentored and supervised several postgraduate students, and co-(authored) several papers in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Ayisi has served on several inter-ministerial task teams in Kenya on various aspects of research, including Steering Committee on the planning of the annual National Science, Technology and Innovations Exhibition and scientific conference week, Committee for the development of a Strategy for the establishment of The National Physical Sciences Research Laboratory (NPSRL), the Planning Working Group (PWG) for the establishment and operationalization of the National Research Fund (NRF). Regionally, Dr. Ayisi served on a committee that reviewed The East African Regional Policy for Science, Technology and Innovation, The East African Community (EAC) Guidelines for Improving Knowledge and Technology Transfer; and EAC Guidelines for Intellectual Property Management, Technology Transfer and Commercialization. He’s also a UNECA (United Nations Commission for Africa) Expert Group Member on ‘Governing Science, Technology and Innovation to achieve the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Aspirations of the African Union's Agenda 2063’. His interest is in formulation of research, science, technology and innovation policies; commercialization of research outputs and evaluating the impact of publicly funded research. He holds membership to the Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI) and Eastern Africa Research and Innovations Management Association (EARIMA).