Dr. Catherine Gwandu
Position: HEAD OF PLANT BREEDING AND LABORATORY MANAGER
Email: cathyngwandu@gmail.com
Dr. Catherine Gwandu is a plant breeding specialist and
currently heads Plant Breeding department and acts as a Laboratory Manager at
TARI-Kibaha. She has more than 10 years’ experience in agricultural research. Dr.
Catherine Gwandu holds a BSc in Biotechnology and Laboratory Science, MSc in
Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from Sokoine University of
Agricultural Morogoro, Tanzania and PhD in Plant Breeding and
Biotechnology at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. Professionally, Dr.
Gwandu has been involved in sweet potato, cassava and sugarcane projects
particularly on diagnostic of sweet potato and cassava virus diseases
diagnostics, breeding for whitefly resistance on cassava genotypes, studies of
pest’s population dynamics on crops and development and evaluation of sugarcane
varieties for improving sugarcane productivity in Tanzania. To date Dr. Gwandu
has total of 7 papers in peer review journals. Among her main research goals at
TARI-Kibaha is to conduct and coordinate demand driven research in order to
give solution to farmers and to improve production and productivity.