Visiting Professors Profiles
Dr. Esther Obonyo
Esther Obonyo is an Associate Professor of Engineering Design and Architectural Engineering at Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Obonyo is also the Strategic Initiatives Director for East Africa of the Penn State Global Programs which facilitates Penn State’s leadership in global engagement through brokering regional partnerships for institution-to-institution collaboration. She is also a Steering Committee member and Technical Advisor at the New Kensington Innovation Corridor.
Dr. Obonyo served as the interim director of the Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship program from January to August 2017 while concurrently working in the Office of the Vice Provost for Global Program Office as Penn State’s Inaugural Global Faculty Fellow. During her tenure as a fellow, she designed and developed a new science diplomacy-driven, cross-disciplinary partnership for research and education in Kenya. She was also the facilitator in the Penn State-led Convening of Multi-sectoral stakeholders in Nairobi in May 2016.
Dr. Obonyo was also a 2015-2016 Jefferson Science Fellow placed in the USAID Global Development Lab. She served as the Senior Policy Advisor on the Digital Development for Feed the Future (D2FtF) team. D2FtF is a collaboration between the USAID’s Global Development Lab and the Bureau of Food Security which aimed to study the use of Big Data Analytics for evidence-based decision-making. Dr. Obonyo also worked with the Research Partnerships for Development team under the Center for Data, Analysis, and Research on issues related to improving the generation and use of scientific research to address development challenges. In addition, Dr. Obonyo also designed strategies for enhancing the Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) program, a USAID-funded program implemented by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to fund collaborative research being led by developing country scientists and engineers and develop new activities that address gaps in the local research ecosystem.
Beyond her academic credentials, Dr. Obonyo has extensive industry experience, having worked as a Construction Engineer, Project Manager, and Innovations Analyst in several engineering and construction companies in Kenya, the United Kingdom, and the United States. She has two registered ventures for sustainable products from Kenya, Nyarkendu Solutions and Nyarkendu Technologies. Dr. Obonyo is also the technology and entrepreneurship advisor of Gunga Women Group, which is a social venture in rural Kenya for the food value chain, since 2016. Her work has been disseminated through over 100 journal papers, conference proceedings, and presentations.
Dr. Obonyo graduated with a degree in Building Economics from the University of Nairobi in 1998. She received her Master of Arts in Architectural Technology from the University of Nottingham, UK in 2000. Finally, she received her doctorate degree in Civil & Building Engineering from the University of Loughborough University, UK in 2004.
Dr. Obonyo was also part of the Visiting Professors Activity last 2019 where she was deployed at Batangas State University and Saint Louis University. In 2020, she was virtually deployed to Ateneo de Naga University and Eastern Visayas State University. This 2023, Dr. Obonyo will de virtually deployed to University of the Philippines Mindanao.
Batangas State University x Esther Obonyo
The College of Engineering already started involving the College of Accountancy, Business, Economics, and International Hospitality, Management in teaching Technopreneurship classes. During Dr. Obonyo's visit, she facilitated discussions on involving the Department of Development Communications next to ensure that the technology enterprises will indeed address the needs of the community.
Dr. Obonyo also helped facilitate the discussion of offering a Social Innovation subject across all courses in the University. Months after her deployment, BatStateU established the Social Innovation Research Center and one of their tasks is managing the offering of the Social Innovation subject.
Saint Louis University x Esther Obonyo
Dr. Obonyo helped SIRIB translate their goals and simplify their mission and vision statements.
Dr. Obonyo also shared her Humanitarian Engineering & Social Entrepreneurship (HESE) syllabus with the SLU Team which they used as one of the guides in crating their Technopreneurship 101 syllabus and integrates social impact.