University of Nairobi Welcomed UC Davis Delegation to Strengthen California-Kenya Research Ties
The University of Nairobi (UoN) hosted an 11-member delegation from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) and the California state government on November 10, advancing the recently established California-Kenya Climate and Trade Partnership.
Led by UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May, the delegation met with Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof. Margaret Jesang’ Hutchinson and senior UoN leadership. UC Davis serves as the secretariat for the partnership, signed in September 2025 by Kenyan President William Ruto and California Governor Gavin Newsom, focusing on agriculture, clean energy, and health innovation.
Attendees from UoN included acting deputy vice-chancellors for finance, academic affairs, research, and administration; deans of health sciences, engineering, agriculture, and arts and social sciences; and directors of university advancement, intellectual property, corporate affairs, and international relations.
The UC Davis group featured Chancellor May and his spouse, LeShelle May; Vice Chancellor for Research Prof. Simon Atkinson; Dean of the College of Letters and Science Prof. Estella Atekwana; Dean of the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing Prof. Stephen Cavanagh; Dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Prof. Ashley Stokes; Vice Provost and Dean of Global Affairs Prof. Joanna Regulska; Associate Vice Provost for Global Affairs Dr. Michael Lazzara; Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies Prof. Alissa Kendall; Director of the Global South Centre for Clean Transportation Aditya Ramji; and Samuel Assefa, director of the California Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation.
Discussions centered on expanding collaborations in strategic areas. In agriculture and food security, UoN’s faculties of agriculture and food science will partner with UC Davis ranked No. 1 in the U.S. and No. 2 globally in agricultural and environmental sciences on plant genomics, climate-smart farming, and sustainable food systems. This builds on prior joint projects, including the UC Davis-led Horticulture Innovation Lab and a new Fresh Produce Aggregation and Distribution Hub at UoN.
On clean transportation and energy, the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies will collaborate with UoN to develop renewable energy, clean mobility, and sustainable infrastructure, with plans to establish a Centre of Excellence on Clean Transport Systems in Kenya.
In health and nursing, the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing will enhance ties with UoN’s Faculty of Health Sciences, emphasizing nursing education, healthy aging, digital health, cancer care, and HIV research, leveraging UC Davis’ existing programs in Kenya.
The partnership also covers environmental sciences, where UC Davis ranked first in the U.S. and seventh globally in sustainability will share expertise from its Institute for Carbon Neutrality on low-carbon systems and climate resilience. Opportunities in artificial intelligence were explored, aligning UC Davis’ interdisciplinary graduate programs with UoN’s new MSc in Artificial Intelligence for joint curriculum development.
Global learning and UN Sustainable Development Goals were highlighted, with UC Davis co-chairing a UN SDGs Hub that could model UoN’s internationalization efforts. Links in poverty, equality, and policy research will connect UC Davis’ Center for Poverty and Inequality with UoN’s faculties of arts, social sciences, and business.
Prof. Hutchinson noted UoN’s centers of excellence, such as the KAVI Institute of Clinical Research and the Centre for Advanced Studies in Environmental Law & Policy, as platforms for collaboration. She also cited UoN’s role in the Africa-Europe Clusters of Research Excellence initiative.
Three specialized sessions addressed clean transportation and energy, agriculture and food systems, and health and nursing, allowing faculty and technical teams to outline joint projects.
Chancellor May reaffirmed UC Davis’ commitment to mission-aligned partnerships, citing its leadership in sustainability, interdisciplinary education, and global engagement.
Vice Provost Regulska described the collaboration as mutually beneficial, combining UoN’s regional expertise with UC Davis’ translational research to address shared challenges in California and East Africa. Future initiatives may include student and faculty exchanges, pilot projects, and shared curricula.
The visit operationalizes the September MoU and positions Nairobi as a key African hub for global research partnerships, aligning California’s technological strengths with Kenya’s development priorities
