Inorganic chemistry explorer - Dr Ruth Odhiambo
ISP would like to recognise Dr Ruth Odhiambo for her important work to improve inorganic chemistry research in Kenya.
Dr Ruth Odhiambo worked as a high school teacher in chemistry and mathematics for 14 years, before she took up graduate studies in chemistry at University of Nairobi (UoN), Kenya. Dr Ruth received her PhD in 2015, following ISP sandwich training at Lund University, Sweden. Today she is a researcher and teacher in inorganic chemistry at the Department of Chemistry, UoN.
Dr Ruth´s research mainly focuses on the design and development of coordination complexes with potential application in health and environmental sectors. The overall objective of the formerly ISP supported inorganic chemistry research group, which Dr Ruth is part of, is to build capacity through training of graduate students, and to improve the quality of research in inorganic chemistry to address national, regional and global priority needs for human development and industrialisation.
Dr Ruth, what got you interested in chemistry in the first place?
- I have always been fascinated by chemical reactions because the ‘circle of life’ is at the heart of chemical reactions. For example, biological processes occur as a result of chemical reactions.
Chemical reactions occur when molecules interact and change; bonds between atoms in molecules break and are reformed in new ways, thus leading to formation of products whose properties are totally different from the starting materials. Some of these products have found very useful application in medicinal field (treatment of cancer, bacterial, microbial and viral infections), industry (catalysis), chemosensors (detection of environmental pollutants), etc.
I derive joy in designing and developing products which can improve the quality of life in the world we live in.
What did ISP support mean to you and your research group?
- ISP funding means ‘the whole world’ to us! ISP funding has revived research in inorganic chemistry, an area which has been neglected for many years. It has enabled me to pursue my dream of designing and developing small molecules (complexes) to address the local, national, regional and global priority needs in the health and environmental sectors.
It has also built in me, the capacity to train graduate students whose dream is to pursue the design and development of similar molecules to address global priority needs affecting humanity.
I am forever grateful to ISP for funding the Inorganic chemistry research group. I am ‘what & where’ I am today because of this support.
According to Dr Ruth, ISP funding has led to:
- two PhDs and two MScs graduated between 2020 and 2021 at Lund University, Sweden, and University of the Western Cape, South Africa. These students developed coordination complexes with potential applications in catalysis and anti-cancer drug agents.
- Established collaborations with Lund University and University of Western Cape.
- Established a modern ‘Synthesis Unit’ at the Department of Chemistry, University of Nairobi. Students are now able to conduct their synthesis work locally.
- Purchased a number of equipment (UV-Vis, FTIR, Potentiostat, Luminescence, Glove Box, Fumehood and Accessories for Schlenk Line), and received a donation of a GC-MS.
- Conducted a number of instrumentation workshops for both academic and technical staff.