Michael Okoth Email & Phone Number

Professor Michael W. Okoth is a Chemical Engineer with vast training and experience in Food Science and Technology with emphasis on Food Process Engineering. He obtained B.Sc.(Eng) degree in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London in 1978.After a two-year stint in mineral beneficiation industry, Prof. Okoth proceeded to ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich) for coursework leading to M.Sc. Food Science and Technology of the University of Nairobi in 1984. He later obtained a doctorate degree (Dr. sc. techn.) in Food Process Engineering from ETH Zurich in 1990. Prof. Okoth is a Professor in the Department of Food Science. Nutrition and Technology of the University of Nairobi (DFSNT), having risen through the ranks from the position of Assistant Lecturer in 1985.Prof. Okoth was a Commonwealth Fellowship scholar in the Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Reading in 1994-1995 academic year. He served as Chairman of the DFSNT from 2004 to 2013. He was the Associate Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture from 2013 to 2016.Prof. Okoth’s research interests include: (1) Energy use in food processing industry;(2) Solar energy in food processing industry; (3) Optimization of food processing operations with regard to utilities, waste generation, food quality and safety, and profitability and (iv) Food product and process development.Prof. Okoth has supervised 16 PhD and 35 MSc. students to completion and published 112 papers in refereed journals. He has also co-authored one book and written six book chapters (5 as Associate Professor). In addition, he has authored or co-authored a total of 92 conference and workshop papers. Presently, Prof. Okoth has over 1750 Google Scholar citations, an H-Index of 24 and an i-10 of 49. Prof. Okoth has participated in consultancy and outreach work in many industries including sugar, coffee, tea, cereals, agro-chemical, vegetable oil, and fruits and vegetables on various tasks such as plant design, feasibility studies, technical assessment, plant and machinery valuation, and improvement of energy utilization efficiency. He has also served the Kenyan public in some policy making committees and boards.Prof. Okoth is a member of the Kenya National Academy of Sciences (KNAS), a Senior member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and a Fellow of the Kenya Society of Environmental, Biological and Agricultural Engineers