Dr. Mark Otieno

Profile

Academic position	Associate Professor, Senior Lecturer, Reader
Research fields	Ecology of Land Use,Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions
Keywords	Field beans, landscape context, farm management, pollination, native bees
Honours and awards	2023: Alexander von Humboldt Research Grant to write a book on sustainable Agroecological Practices in Sub-Saharan Africa in the face of climate change 2023: DFG Research Grant for a project on functional complementarity between nocturnal and diurnal pollinators along a land-use gradient in Taita Hills biodiversity hotspots in Kenya 2023: Southern University East Africa project grant Cluster grant for a project on developing cost-effective pest management tools against new and emerging animal and plant pests and diseases in Kenya 2023: 1890 CEGFSD to build crop pest and disease management capacities among farmers, extension workers, and agronomists in the post-COVID-19 era in Embu County ($15,000). 2022: Alexander von Humboldt Foundation grant to assess the local and landscape factors driving field beans (Vicia faba) pollination and pest regulation in Germany 2022: Alexander von Humboldt Foundation research travel grant for networking and project idea development meetings in Germany 2022: American Orchid Society conservation fund to study the pollination biology of the African Leopard orchid in Kerio Valley in Kenya 2022: Centre of Excellence for Global Food Security and Defense, USA grant for a project on leveraging on lessons learned from COVID-19 among smallholder farmers to build resilience for future shocks in Embu County, Kenya 2022: Harper Adams University QR funding to study mutualists and antagonists of wild coffee in coastal Kenya and the Taita Hills 2022: Italian Cultural Institute in Nairobi Letter of Commendation for exceptional entrepreneurship seminar organisation during the Italian Design Day 2022: JRS Biodiversity Foundation grant for capacity building to conduct baseline wildlife surveys of invertebrates in Alpine and Montane forests ecosystems in the highest mountains in East Africa ($148,377). 2022: Researcher of the Year awarded by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Embu during the Staff Luncheon held on 21st December 2022 for exceptional research work. 2022: University of Würzburg sub-award for a project investigating mechanisms underlying local adaptation to high-elevation habitats in the honey bee (Apis mellifera) 2019: British Ecological Society Ecologists in Africa Grant 2019: Georg Forster Experienced Research Fellowship of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation 2019: Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund 2018: Israel - MASHAV Agro-ecological Approaches for Sustainable Intensive Agriculture 2014: National Resource Conservation Service Conservation Innovation Grant 2013: USDA Specialty Crop Initiative Postdoctoral Fellowship 2012: British Ecological Society Small Ecological Project Grant 2006: Felix Trust PhD Fellowship 2002: Tropical Biology Association MSc Scholarship 2001: Tropical Biology Association Ecology Course Scholarship

Current contact address

Country	Kenya
City	Embu
Institution	University of Embu
Institute	Agricultural Resource Management

Host during sponsorship

Prof. Dr. Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter	Abteilung für Tierökologie und Tropenbiologie (Zoologie III), Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg
Start of initial sponsorship	01/09/2019

Program(s)

2019	Georg Forster Research Fellowship Programme for Experienced Researchers

Publications (partial selection)

2021	Otieno, Mark and Joshi, Neelendra and Rutschmann, Benjamin: Flower visitors of Streptocarpus teitensis: implications for conservation of a critically endangered African violet species in Kenya. In: PeerJ, 9, 2021, e10473
2020	Otieno, Mark and Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf and Potts, Simon and Kinuthia, Wanja and Kasina, Muo and Garratt, Michael: Enhancing legume crop pollination and natural pest regulation for improved food security in changing African landscapes. In: Global Food Security, 26, 2020,