Education
PhD in Natural Science .
2015-2018
Universitäit Bremen, Germany
Master of Science (MSc) Biology
2010-2012
Vrije Universiteit Brussel,
Bachelor of science in Zoology and Chemistry
2003-2007
University of Nairobi
Research Projects
| Title | Position | Publications | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supporting small scale fisheries sustainability as a basis of safeguarding food security and livelihoods in East African region (SAVEFISH) | Principal Investigator | 1 | 2022 |
| Quantifying local extinction and shifting baselines of Kenya’s exploited reef fishes | Principal Investigator | 2 | 2022 |
| Fish Barcoding and Functional Ecology: Monitoring the Status of Marine Coastal Ecosystems. | Principal Investigator | 1 | 2021 |
| To assess the effect of overfishing on the genetic diversity of congener reef species along the Kenyan coastline. | Principal Investigator | 1 | 2020 |
| The effect of fragmentation on the connectivity of sickle seagrass Thallassia hemprichii in the Western Indian Ocean. | Principal Investigator | 1 | 2018 |
| Connectivity and exploitation of Acanthurus triostegus and Acanthurus leucosternon in the Indian Ocean. | Principal Investigator | 1 | 2015 |
| Assessment of larval dispersal and connectivity in surgeonfish along the East African coastline. | Principal Investigator | 1 | 2015 |
| Assessing the extinction risk of exploited Kenyan coral reef fish | Principal Investigator | 1 | 2014 |
Publications
- Mwakha VA, Osuka K, Otwoma ML, Tuda P, Nordlund LM (2023). Gender analysis in fisheries: The case of the shelled mollusc fisheries in Kenya. Marine Policy. 158, 2023,105863.
- Mwaura JM, Murage D, Karisa JF, Otwoma LM, Said HO (2023). Artificial reef structures and coral transplantation as potential tools for enhancing locally-managed inshore reefs: A case study from Wasini Island, Kenya. WIO J Mar Sci 21(2): pp-pp.
- Stefanoudis, P. V., et al. (2022). Stakeholder-derived recommendations and actions to support deep-reef conservation in the Western Indian Ocean. Conservation Letters, 00, e12924.
- Otwoma, ML. (2021). Response to exploitation and life history characteristics of two Acanthurus species with divergent mating behaviour along the Kenyan coastline. Regional Studies in Marine Science 48 101979.
- Otwoma, ML., Reuter, H. (2019). Do differences in mating behaviour lead to differences in connectivity patterns of reef fishes? Insights from two sympatric surgeonfish species in the Indian Ocean. Marine Environmental Research.
- Buckley, S.M., et al. (2019). Historical reconstruction of species occurrence to prioritize conservation of fish species in diverse marine ecosystems. PLoS One. 14(2).e0211224.
- Otwoma, L. M. & M. Kochzius. (2016). Genetic Population Structure of the Coral Reef Sea Star Linckia laevigata in the Western Indian Ocean and Indo-West Pacific. PLoS ONE 11:e0165552.
- Otwoma ML, Diemel V, Reuter H, Kochzius M, Meyer A. (2018). Genetic population structure of convict surgeonfish, Acanthurus triostegus. Journal of Fish Biology. 93:597-605.
- Otwoma ML, Reuter H, Timm J, Meyer A. (2018). Genetic Connectivity in herbivorous coral reef fish (Acanthurus leucosternon) in the Eastern African region. Hydrobiologia.806: 237-25.
Grants and Awards
| Awards | Awarding Institution | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Conservation Leadership Ambassador Outreach Grant | Awarded to promote conservation outreach activities among Kenya’s fishing communities | |
| GLOMAR Travel Grant | Awarded for traveling to Stellenbosch, South Africa, for a DIPnet training course | 2017 |
| International Foundation of Science (IFS) Travel Grant | Granted to attend the Tenth WIOMSA symposium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | 2017 |
| PLOS Global Participation Initiative (GPI) | Waiver to publish in PLOS One | 2016 |
| Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) | PhD Scholarship at the University of Bremen, Germany | 2014 |
| Erasmus Mundus Fellowship Award | Fellowship to monitor larvae of four common bivalves in the Gulf of Gdansk, Poland | 2013 |
| VLIR-OUS (Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad) Scholarship | Master of Biology at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium | 2010 |