Wambui M Karanja

Wambui Karanja is a Kenyan psychologist and brain health researcher with over five years of experience advancing dementia care, research, and public awareness in Kenya and across Africa. She is pursuing an MSc in International Health and Tropical Medicine at the University of Oxford and is a member of St Anne’s College.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Kenyatta University and has built a track record in global neurodegenerative diseases engagement and equitable brain health research. She is a Global Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health, trained at the Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin.

In 2024, Wambui received the Global Brain Health Institute’s Pilot Award for Global Brain Health Leaders, delivered in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association and Alzheimer’s Society. Her project focuses on developing relevant, evidence-based solutions to strengthen family care partners’ dementia understanding and skills, in collaboration with Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland. The project is hosted and administered through the Aga Khan University Brain and Mind Institute.

She co-founded the Africa Brain Health Atlas, a platform working to reshape the narrative around data and the determinants of brain health across the life-course in Africa. She is an active member of the International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment, where she has served as a founding Co-chair of the Low- and Middle-Income Countries Workgroup within the Diversity and Disparities Professional Interest Area.

In recognition of her work, she received the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference’s Neuroscience Next 2026 “One to Watch” award, which recognises early career investigators who are trailblazers in scientific thinking, collaboration, communication and outreach.

Wambui will be joining the University of Oxford to deepen her commitment to cross-disciplinary scientific innovation and collaboration.