Martin Kimanya is currently working for the East African Community (under the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit -GIZ), as Technical Advisor on Food Standards and Sanitary & Phytosanitary (SPS) measures. Prior to joining the EAC (on 1st October 2018), Martin worked as a Technical Advisor on Aflatoxin Control for the African Union Commission (January 2017 - September 2018).
Martin is an associate Professor of Food and Nutrition Sciences affiliated with the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST). For the university, Martin supervises post-graduate students and as of June 2021, 12 have successfully graduated at PhD level.
For over 20 years, Martin has been participating in research on food safety and nutrition sciences with special interest in impact of aflatoxin and fumonisin exposure in humans. Currently, he is a member of a consortium investigating a causal linkage between mycotoxin exposure and child stunting. He is also leading an initiative assessing the health impacts of bio-controlling aflatoxins in maize.
Martin is a holder of PhD in Applied Biological Sciences and Master’s & Bachelor’s degrees in Food Science and Technology. Through his PhD research (supervised by Ghent University), Martin discovered that fumonisin mycotoxins are associated with impaired child growth.
Key publications
Kimanya, M.E., Routledge, M.N., Mpolya, E., Ezekiel, C.N., Shirima, C.P. & Gong, Y.Y. (2021). Estimating the risk of aflatoxin-induced liver cancer in Tanzania based on biomarker data. PLoS ONE 16(3): e0247281. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0247281
Kamala, A., Kimanya, M., Magoha,H., De Meulenaer, B., Kolsteren, P., Jacxsens, L. Haesaert, G. Kilango, K., Tiisekwa, B. & Lachat, C (2018). Post-harvest interventions decrease infants’ dietary exposure to aflatoxins and fumonisins in Tanzania: a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial. World Mycotoxin Journal, 11(3), 447 – 458; https://doi.org/10.3920/WMJ2017.2234
Shirima, C., Kimanya, M., Routledge, M. Srey, C., Kinabo, J., Humpf, H., Wild, C., Tu, Y. & Gong, Y. (2015). A Prospective Study of Growth and Biomarkers of Exposure to Aflatoxin and Fumonisin during Early Childhood in Tanzania. Environmental Health Perspective, 23(2): 173 – 179; DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1408097
Kimanya, M. Shirima, C., Magoha, H., Shewiyo,D. De Meulenaer, B., , Kolsteren, P. & Gong, Y. (2014). Co-exposures of aflatoxins with deoxynivalenol and fumonisins from maize based complementary foods in Rombo, Northern Tanzania. Food Control, 41C. 76-81 ; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2013.12.034
Kimanya, M.E., De Meulenaer B., Roberfroid, D., Lachat, C. & Kolsteren, P. (2010). Fumonisin exposure through maize in complementary foods is inversely associated with linear growth of infants in Tanzania. Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, 54, 1659–1667; DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.200900483