Dr. Lulu Tunu Kaaya is ACARE's African Women in Science (AWIS) program Mentorship & Project Specialist. In this capacity she serves as a mentor and thought leader for the program. She guides the program's dynamic development and growth to maximize participant gain and build a vital capacity-building network for early-career African women scientists.

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Dr. Kaaya is also a Senior Lecturer in Freshwater Ecology in the School of Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Technology at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania where she teaches limnology and watershed management. Lulu is also the Director of Internationalization, Convocation and Advancement at the University of Dar es Salaam.

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Dr. Kaaya has been doing research in the rivers and lakes of Tanzania since 2005 focusing on the ecological role and functions of freshwater ecosystems in the management of water resources. She has been providing professional consultation on the integration of ecology into watershed management approaches in Tanzania. Her Ph.D. thesis titled “Biological Assessment of Tropical Riverine Systems Using Aquatic Macroinvertebrates in Tanzania, East Africa’’ provides a detailed analysis of bioassessment from the regional perspective. She has published ten peer-reviewed articles based on freshwater ecosystems of Tanzania, supervised nine master’s students in the area of aquatic sciences and conducted several outreach programmes on bioassessment.

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Dr Kaaya is highly inspired by the youth and spends a significant time in empowering the youth in the field of aquatic sciences.  She is a natural mentor to the youth in her field. She also has used her research experiences to educate and empower local communities to manage river ecosystems in Tanzania.

 

On a personal note, Dr. Kaaya is a wife, mother of four, loves nature and sports (swimming and running), enjoys gardening and making new contacts. She is also a Rotarian.