S (Samuel) Mugambi

Samuel Mugambi is a PhD candidate at the Knowledge Technology and Innovation (KTI) Group. His research primarily concerns the role of institutions in shaping demand for innovations. His PhD project focuses on agricultural research for development (AR4D), specifically the Excellence in Agronomy (EiA) Initiative of the CGIAR, as a case study. His PhD research examines how AR4D organizations and institutions identify, negotiate, and articulate demands and how that affects innovation process outcomes.

With a background in soil and environmental management and a Master’s degree in International Rural Development, Samuel is relatively new to qualitative research; however, his interest in the field has been growing since his undergraduate studies. He is looking forward to connecting his background in natural science with current research in social sciences and exploring how that enriches his personal approach to research in a highly diverse field of agriculture. His current research interests include demand for innovation, user needs, scaling of innovations, organizational and institutional dynamics, and upstream–downstream interactions in agricultural development research.

Samuel obtained his Master’s degree from the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) in the UK. Prior to joining KTI, he worked for different CGIAR research institutes and Rwanda’s national agricultural research institute.