Catherine Machungo, PhD, is a Research Scientist at the Wyss Academy for Nature’s East Africa Hub, specializing in Payment for Ecosystem Services. She is currently involved in developing a multidimensional Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) framework to capture the multiple benefits of Payment for Ecosystem Services projects. Dr. Machungo has more than 17 years of experience in research and technology transfer within both governmental and international organizations.

Prior to joining the Wyss Academy, she served as Head of Carbon Sciences at Natural State, overseeing the design and implementation of near-real-time carbon monitoring systems. These initiatives facilitated research collaborations with global partners, focusing on data accuracy and operational efficiency, and supported funding efforts for climate-related activities. Earlier, Dr. Machungo led the Research Department at the National Irrigation Authority, managing internal and external research projects and providing specialist advice across the organization. She has also greatly contributed contributed to collaborative projects supporting smallholder farming communities.

Her previous experience includes work with CSIRO-Australia and the BecA-ILRI Hub, where she helped develop affordable, portable, and non-invasive diagnostic methods for detecting aflatoxin contamination to address health, trade, and livelihood challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. Her work focuses on generating and sharing scientific knowledge to inform policy and encourage the application of science-based technologies.

She holds a BSc (Agriculture, Honours) from the University of Nairobi, an MSc (Horticulture) from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, and a PhD in Agriculture/Applied Science from the University of Canberra, Australia.