SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES

SCHOOL DEAN

Dr. Raymond Oigara

Dean, SHS

HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS (CODs)

Dr. Tabitha Wangui Wanjau

C.O.D, Applied Health Science

Dr. Eric Omori Omwenga

C.O.D, Microbiology & Parasitology

Dr. Eric Omori Omwenga

Dr. rer. nat. Omwenga Eric Omori.

Senior Lecturer & Chair, Department of Medical Microbiology & Parasitology, School of Health Sciences Kisii University | Adjunct Research Scientist, AICAD | 📧 omorieric@kisiiuniversity.ac.ke | 📞 +254 725 806875 or +254 735 927 832. | ORCID: 0000-0001-8583-8109 |Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Eric_Omwenga/research

|Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=VG1ZL6kAAAAJ&hl=en| H-index: 12; i10-index: 14.

Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=VG1ZL6kAAAAJ&hl=en

Dr. Eric Omori Omwenga is a biomedical scientist and Registered Medical Laboratory Technologist (Registration No. A016479) specializing in Medical Microbiology, with expertise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR), microbial pathogenesis and virulence, molecular microbiology, microbial biofilms and nanobiotechnology. He holds a PhD in Natural Sciences (nat. rer.) (Microbiology/Nanobiotechnology) from Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany (Magna Cum Laude), where his doctoral research pioneered the application of biopolymer-based nanoencapsulation of select flavonoid phytochemicals (Baicalein and Quercetin) to inhibit bacterial quorum sensing, biofilm formation, and virulence in multidrug-resistant pathogens using bioengineered Escherichia coli Top10 biosensor systems. His work demonstrated how nanotechnology can enhance the bioavailability, stability, and targeted delivery of antimicrobial compounds while reducing toxicity, thereby advancing innovative approaches to combat antimicrobial resistance. Dr. Omwenga has extensive experience in university teaching of over 15 years, postgraduate supervision, curriculum development, research project management, grant management, and community engagement. He serves as a member of the Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital Institutional Scientific and Ethics Review Committee （ISERC), where he has contributed immensely on ethical review and oversight of scientific research. Also, he is an Adjunct Researcher at the African Institute for Capacity Development (AICAD), contributing to multidisciplinary research, innovation, and regional development. Dr. Omwenga's research interests integrate One Health principles with advanced molecular and nanobiotechnological approaches to address the growing global threat of AMR. His work focuses on antimicrobial discovery, phage therapy, antivirulence strategies, microbial quorum sensing & quenching, biofilm formation & disruption, microbial resistance gene surveillance, infectious diseases and nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems. Through this multidisciplinary approach, he seeks to develop scalable and cost-effective interventions that improve disease prevention, diagnostics, and therapeutics, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where the burden of infectious diseases and AMR remains high. His research excellence has attracted more than USD 800,000 in competitive research funding and laboratory infrastructure support from prestigious organizations, including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the African Development Bank (AfDB), Seeding Labs, DAAD, UNESCO-TWAS, and other international funding agencies. He has served as both Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator on multidisciplinary projects addressing pandemic vaccine preparedness, antimicrobial resistance surveillance, aquaculture health, One Health, and sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) systems.

Dr. Omwenga has authored and co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications in leading international journals, including PLoS ONE, BMJ Open, Ethnopharmacology, Colloids and Surfaces B: Bio interfaces and Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology among others. His research has significantly advanced knowledge in biofilm inhibition, quorum sensing & quenching, antimicrobial resistance profiling, molecular diagnostics, and community-based AMR mitigation strategies. He is an active member of several professional organizations, including the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), the Microbiology Society (UK), the International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID), the Bioethics Society of Kenya, KMLTTB and the DAAD Alumni Association. He is also a reviewer of various medical microbiology journals among them being Malaysian Journal of Microbiology, African Journal for Science, Technology and Social Sciences, African Journal of Pure and Applied sciences amongst others.

Dr. Omwenga continues to provide leadership in research, postgraduate mentorship, competitive grant acquisition, and international collaboration, contributing to scientific capacity building, innovation, and improved public health and health security in Africa and beyond.

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