Striga causes devasting losses to sorghum production in sub-Saharan Africa. The wide range of control options available are not durably effective and easily adaptable to the farming systems of smallholder farmers. Immaculate aims to enhance Striga tolerance and resistance in sorghum against Striga by tailored plant nutrition. Also, she is focussing on the best affective and cost-effective delivery technique of the nutrients for smallholder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa.

She has a one year taught postgraduate degree in Molecular Plant science from the University of Bath (UK) and a two years’ research postgraduate degree in Biotechnology from Kenyatta University (Kenya). Her bachelor’s degree specialised in Molecular and Cellular Biology at Kenyatta University (Kenya). She has strong knowledge and experience in plant science, genetics and molecular biology techniques.  Her research focus is on understanding plant pathogenesis, development and enhancement of resistance in cereals by plant nutrition.

• Mwangangi IM, Büchi L, Haefele SM, Bastiaans L, Runo S, Rodenburg J. 2021. Combining host plant defence with targeted nutrition: key to durable control of hemiparasitic Striga in cereals in sub-Saharan Africa? New Phytologist; DOI: 10.1111/nph.17271
• Mwangangi, Immaculate., Kiilu Muli, Joshua., & Neondo, Johnstone. (2019). Plant Hybridization as an Alternative Technique in Plant Breeding Improvement. Asian Journal of Research in Crop Science, 4(1), 1-11. (doi.org/10.9734/ajrcs/2019/v4i130059)

• 2018 ‘Commonwealth Scholarship Award’ by Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, UK
• 2015 ‘Postgraduate regional scholarship award’ by Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture, (RUFORUM-Africa)