• Researchgate

My doctoral research focuses on grey leaf spot (GLS) disease, a notorious foliar disease of great economic importance in maize (Zea mays) producing countries worldwide. As the demand for maize increases, its production is continually being threatened by an array of biotic stresses including GLS, whose causative pathogen is Cercospora zeina in Africa, China and Eastern parts of United States. My research is aimed at elucidating the genetic diversity of C. zeina in African countries north of South Africa with interest in understanding the evolutionary forces driving its population structure.

I completed my MSc in Plant Science at Wageningen University and Research Centre, The Netherlands, where I accomplished two theses. My major thesis, under the Phytophthora group in the Phytopathology department focussed on understanding the role of legume-like lectin receptor kinases in Nicotiana benthamiana in the resistance of Phytophthora species. For my minor thesis under the Biosystematics department, I unveiled the evolutionary history of the legume-like lectin kinase gene family in Brassicaceae and also proposed a uniform nomenclature for a group of 11 legume lectin proteins based on their protein domains and Phylogenetic analysis. For my BSc Hons degree in Crop Science, I studied the role of integrated weed management (IWM) in controlling Striga hermonthica in maize-based cropping systems in Uganda at Makerere University.