Dr. Naftaly Githaka has a PhD from the graduate school of Veterinary Medicine of Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan, an M.Sc. in parasitology from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Nairobi. He currently works as a senior scientist at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) where he leads research on tick-borne diseases and manages the Tick laboratory. Dr Githaka’s research focuses on the development of vaccines against ticks and tick-borne haemoparasites, understanding vector-pathogen interactions and the epidemiology of invasive tick species. He has over 15 years of research experience and has published over 50 research articles.