Watu Wamae is Head of Innovation at the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx), University of Oxford. She spearheaded the design and implementation of the AfOx Innovation Platform, which she now leads. Watu is a Reuben College Official Fellow in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, where she leads the College’s programme of activity for MBA students supported by the Laidlaw Women’s Leadership Fund in conjunction with the Said Business School. She holds other roles in Oxford including as Tutor at the Said Business School on the MBA students’ Entrepreneurship Projects and as a lecturer on the Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship course on the MSc in International Health and Tropical Medicine.
Watu has substantive expertise in the dynamics of innovation-led structural change. Her recent research is focused on understanding the experiences of women innovators in Africa. She is committed to extending opportunities for women in Africa to participate meaningfully in turning their scientific ideas into sustainable solutions through science-based venture building. Watu is also co-Investigator on a research project focused on addressing the need for innovation that enables equitable access to high quality healthcare at scale.
As head of the AfOx Innovation Platform she has led the formation of strategic partnerships across the University of Oxford and beyond including with the Science for Africa Foundation and the Royal Academy of Engineering. Her strong understanding of network building across disciplines and geographies, and proactive nature has made it possible to curate an impressive flagship programme on Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship with academics, change leaders and other key players in industry and government. She is currently extending the model to address challenges in sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation. The platform has an ambitious goal of developing long-term, world-class, Bioscience-led innovations that provide solutions to Africa’s diverse challenges.
Watu brings her deep appreciation of science and technology to an understanding of global innovation economy. She has deep knowledge and experience of the African innovation ecosystems and an exceptional ability to apply her expertise to identify and leverage talent for addressing real life challenges through innovation. Watu has held various innovation policy related roles advising African governments on national strategies for Science, Technology and Innovation. She serves as an advisor to the technical committee of the Kenya Innovation Agency (KeNIA) and was awarded the African Biotech Ambassador Award 2022 by the BIO Africa Convention for her services to advancing biotech innovation in Africa.
Prior to Oxford, Watu was Senior Co-ordinator at the Wellcome Trust-Cambridge Centre for Global Heath Research, University of Cambridge. She holds a PhD in Economics of Innovation and has held post-doctoral positions at the Science and Technology Research Unit (SPRU), University of Sussex and UNU-MERIT, Maastricht.
