Calestous Juma is Professor of the Practice of International Development and Director of the Science, Technology, and Globalization Project. He also directs the Agricultural Innovation in Africa Project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He is a former Executive Secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and Founding Director of the African Centre for Technology Studies in Nairobi, and he also served as Chancellor of the University of Guyana. He has been elected to several scientific academies including the Royal Society of London, the US National Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World, the UK Royal Academy of Engineering and the African Academy of Sciences.
He has won several international awards for his work on sustainable development. He holds a PhD in science and technology policy studies and has written widely on science, technology, and environment. Among others, he serves on on the boards of WWF International and the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) Foundation.He is lead author of Innovation: Applying Knowledge in Development. H and co-editor of Engineering Change: Towards a Sustainable Future in the Developing World. He is editor of the peer-reviewedInternational Journal of Technology and Globalisation and International Journal of Biotechnology.
Juma received the 1991 Pew Scholars Awardin Conservation and the Environment for dedication in preserving global biodiversity; the 1992 Rweyemamu Prize for broadening Africa’s knowledge base for development; the 1993 UN Global 500 Roll of Honour for Environmental Achievement for important contributions to Africa’s quest for solutions to the complex issues of biotechnology, biodiversity and the transfer of technology; and the 2001 Henry Shaw Medal for significant contribution to botanical research, horticulture, conservation or the museum community.
In 2006 he delivered the Iowa State University’s 6th John Pesek Colloquim on Sustainable Agricultureand the 2006 Hinton Lecture of the Royal Academy of Engineering in London. In the same year he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Sussex for outstanding contributions to the promotion of science and technology for development. He also received the honor of the Elder of the Order of the Burning Spear (EBS) from President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya in recognition of “his achievements and distinguished service to the nation”. He was cited as a respected “international diplomat who has assisted governments to solve diplomatic problems”.