Daniel Masiga is a principal research scientist and the Head of the Human and Animal Health themes at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe).  He is an infectious diseases biologist who studies the arthropod disease vectors and the pathogens they transmit. After graduating from the University of Nairobi, Masiga did his postgraduate studies at University College London and the University of Bristol in the UK. He later joined the University of Glasgow as a postdoctoral fellow studying the molecular genetics of African trypanosomes. He returned to Kenya and began a lectureship in Biochemistry and Biotechnology at Kenyatta University. In 2001, Masiga became the first Kenyan to be awarded the IFS/Danida Award for sub-Saharan Africa.  As a research leader, he has served on several boards, panels and expert groups. He was a Governing Council member and President of the African Society for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (ASBCB). As President of ASBCB, he spearheaded the formation of a strong association with the International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB). He joined icipe in 2006 as a research scientist and Head of the Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics unit.  Masiga was the president of the JRS Biodiversity Foundation Board from 2012 to 2014 during which time the focus of funding shifted to Africa-focused biodiversity informatics projects. He serves as a reviewer on several panels for grants, fellowships and other assessments. To advance science in Africa, Masiga has increasingly focussed on providing guidance and mentorship to students and young scientists with a strong commitment to building Africa’s capacity to lead science-based growth.