Dr Sarah Naulikha Kituyi
Name: Dr Sarah Naulikha Kituyi.
Title/Qualification: Ph.D.
Position: Lecturer.
Department: Department of Biological Sciences.
School: Pure and Applied Sciences (SPAS).
Areas of Specialization: Biochemistry and Biotechnology
Contact Address: P.O Box 6-60100 Embu.
E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Short Biography
Dr. Kituyi is a Biochemistry lecturer and researcher in the department of biological sciences at the University of Embu, Kenya, with extensive training and expertise in molecular biology, immunology, and microbiology. She is a recipient of the prestigious HBNU Fogarty Global Health Fellowship (2022–2025), awarded by the Fogarty International Center of the US National Institutes of Health in collaboration with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Her research is primarily focused on protein–protein interactions in both hosts and vectors, with a particular interest in how these molecular interactions influence disease prognosis and progression. She is dedicated to advancing the translational value of these findings for the development of stage-specific diagnostic biomarkers and novel therapeutic interventions. Her current investigations examine the role of heat shock proteins (HSPs), their co-chaperones, and client proteins in the modulation of diseases such as cancer and malaria. As a Fogarty Fellow, she has been investigating the regulatory functions of chaperones and their clients in parasite–host interactions that underlie malaria pathogenesis, with a view toward their exploitation as diagnostic biomarkers, drug targets, and vaccine candidates.
Her academic journey reflects a strong commitment to global health research. For her M.Sc. in Biotechnology, she conducted malaria research at the U.S. Army Medical Research Unit–Kenya, where she evaluated diagnostic assays for predicting malaria severity in children. This work, presented at the Pan-African Malaria Conference in Durban, South Africa (2013), earned her the Brian Sharp Award for one of the top ten scientific contributions to malaria control in Africa and was later published in a peer-reviewed journal. Earlier, as a CDPC Visiting Researcher at the National University of Ireland, she received advanced training in immunological techniques relevant to infectious disease research.
She subsequently pursued doctoral studies at Rhodes University, South Africa, under the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI), supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa. Her PhD work investigated the role of heat shock proteins in modulating protein–protein interactions in cancer biology. Her research excellence was further recognized through the Rhodes University Research Council Award and a South African Medical Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship, during which she explored small-molecule inhibition of chaperone machinery in both malaria and cancer biology.
In addition to her biomedical research, Dr. Kituyi is deeply passionate about global health. She is completing an MPH in Epidemiology and Disease Control at Mount Kenya University, tenured at the Center for Malaria Elimination, where she is extending her research focus to the epidemiological implications of protein–protein interactions in both communicable and non-communicable diseases.
Through her work, Dr. Kituyi continues to bridge basic molecular research with applied public health, aiming to contribute to the discovery of new diagnostics, vaccines, and therapies that address some of the most pressing health challenges globally.
Research Interests
- Protein-Protein Interactions in Cancer Biology
- The molecular chaperones
- Cancer drug testing
- Malaria parasite dynamics
- Disease diagnosis via point of care techniques
Honors and Awards
- Awarded the HBNU Fogarty Global Health Fellowship (2022–2025), by the Fogarty International Center of the US National Institutes of Health in collaboration with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health -D43 TW010543 (SNK)
- Awarded the TWAS_DFG Cooperation Visits Programme, award 2021 for scientists from Sub-Saharan Africa
- Awarded the National Research Foundation (NRF-South Africa) Visiting Researcher Knowledge Interchange Collaboration Grant -2018
- Awarded the Rhodes University Research Council Grant for Postdoctoral Fellows 2017
- Awarded a Medical Research Council (MRC-South Africa) Grant holder linked Postdoctoral Grant 2017.
- Awarded the National Research Foundation (NRF-South Africa) Innovations Doctoral grant 2016- UID101721
- Awarded the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD-TWAS) Postgraduate Fellowship in 2015
- Awarded the National Research Foundation (NRF-South Africa) Grant holder linked Postgraduate research grant at Rhodes University 2014
- Awarded the Brian Sharp Award for Top Ten Scientific Contributions Towards the Control of Malaria at the 6th MIM Pan-African Malaria Conference in Durban 2013
- Awarded the 6th MIM Pan African Malaria Conference Travel grant in 2013
- Awarded the Combat Diseases of Poverty Consortium Research Grant in Ireland 2010