Prof. Deogratius Jaganyi

Professor Deogratius Jaganyi has served as the Vice-Chancellor of Mount Kenya University since January 2021, bringing an extensive academic and leadership career in higher education and scientific research. A physical chemist by profession, he earned his BSc (Honours) and Master's degrees from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, followed by a Diploma of Imperial College (DIC) and a PhD from Imperial College, University of London, UK.

He joined the University of Natal, South Africa, in 1993, rising to Associate Professor (2007) and Full Professor (2010). He served as Deputy Dean and later Dean of the Faculty of Science & Agriculture, College Dean of Research, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, before moving to the University of Rwanda in 2018 as Director of Research and Innovation.

He is internationally recognised as a chemical kineticist specialising in the mechanisms of substitution reactions in transition metal complexes, including those with biological significance for cancer treatment. He has supervised over 40 Honours students and more than 50 MSc, PhD and Postdoctoral scholars, and authored over 120 peer-reviewed papers in high-impact journals, including Nature.

His honours include the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Fellowship (Germany), the NRF/DIT THRIP Award for Outstanding Black Research/Project Leader (2007), and the University of KwaZulu-Natal Distinguished Teachers Award (2010).