Emma Muthoni Kariuki

Muthoni is an environmental scientist from Kenya with five years of experience advancing restoration, climate action, and carbon project development across Africa. She will join the University of Oxford to pursue an MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Nature Recovery, where she hopes to strengthen the scientific foundations of community-led restoration and climate finance.

Her work focuses on ensuring that conservation delivers measurable benefits for both people and nature. She previously led the restoration of 12 hectares of degraded mangrove forest along the Kenyan coast, coordinating 80 volunteers to plant 3,000 mangroves each month and achieving a 91% survival rate over three years. She is currently an ESG Specialist at ARC Ride Global, leading sustainability initiatives across Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, and South Africa, with expertise in carbon project development, MRV, and climate data intelligence.

In recognition of her leadership, Muthoni was selected as a 2025 Mandela Washington Fellow, completing a leadership programme at Louisiana State University focused on civic engagement, impact measurement, and cross-cultural collaboration. She has also presented at the 2025 Africa EV Exposition on advancing women’s and youth leadership in the just energy transition and authored Kenya’s Next Charge on E-Mobility Transition.

Muthoni volunteers with the Rotary Club of Kilifi, supporting community service initiatives and policy engagement. As the first woman in her clan to pursue graduate education, she is passionate about mentoring young women and has guided six girls in their career journeys.

Outside work, Muthoni enjoys running and is working toward completing one half marathon every month. She looks forward to learning at Oxford and exchanging ideas with leading scholars and professors to strengthen her work in community-led climate action across Africa.