HE Joyce K. Kikafunda, member of IRRI’s Board of Trustees
Member, Board of Trustees
(Elected: 2010-2015)
Joyce Kikafunda, one of the few female Professors in Uganda, is a Professor of Food and Nutrition Sciences at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda where she worked for over 20 years. In 2012, Joyce was appointed Uganda’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to protect and promote Uganda’s interests in the UK and Ireland. She took up her new position in July 2013. Joyce graduated with a First Class BSc in Agriculture from Makerere University, Uganda in 1976; MSc in Food Science and Technology from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada in 1979 and her PhD in Food Science and Nutrition from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom in 1996. She is well known for spearheading the establishment of the first ever Department of Food Science and Technology in Uganda in 1989, which she nurtured and headed for over 10 years. This department has been instrumental in capacity building for Uganda and the region and because of its strategic importance for National Development, the Department was recently upgraded to a School status; The School of Food Technology, Nutrition and Bio-engineering at Makerere University.
Prof. Kikafunda has been a team leader in several national programs and projects sponsored by international Organizations such as IFPRI, FAO, World Bank, and USAID. She is an active researcher and publisher and has published over 40 articles in refereed international journals in the fields of; food science, food security, food processing, nutrition, public health and development issues. She has supervised many students at both Masters and PhD levels. She has attended many international conferences and summits.
Prof. Kikafunda was a member of the international Team that developed USAID Feed the Future Program in Uganda and the Team Leader of the hugely successful Program entitled Gender Informed Nutrition and Agriculture (GINA), a model that was significant in reducing the high levels of malnutrition among children and is now used in many developing countries. She has received many Leadership Awards among which are: USAID Award in recognition of research efforts to reduce Hunger and Malnutrition (2006); President Yoweri Museveni’s Award for Excellent Leadership in the Food sub-sector (2009); New Vision’s Women Achier of the year Award for outstanding innovations in Science and Technology (2009); Gender Equality Award (2010); Outstanding African Scientist of the year (2011) and many others.
Prof. Kikafunda has served on the Boards of Uganda National Council of Science and Technology; Uganda National Agricultural Research Organization; Uganda National Bureau of Standards and the Uganda National Food and Nutrition Council. Prof. Kikafunda was a founder member of the Uganda Action for Nutrition (UGAN) of which she was its President for 8 years. She has played an active role in the CGIAR Gender and Diversity Program on African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD). Prof. Kikafunda has represented Africa on the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Board of Trustees for the last 6 years (2009-2015).
