Harvard prof Calestous Juma—passionate advocate for biotechnology in developing world—dies at age 64

juma pic

US-based Kenyan scholar Calestous Juma, who was in June named as one of the most reputable people in the world, is dead.

Prof Juma, who until his death was teaching at Harvard University, was the only Kenyan to be listed in the inaugural list of “2017 Most Reputable People on Earth”.

[Editor’s note: Juma was a proud supporter of the Genetic Literacy Project. Read GLP article by him here (published December 18); He wrote this article for the GLP in 2014.]

The list compiled by South African consulting company Reputation Polls has 100 individuals who have “amassed high reputation for themselves through the works they have been engaged in”.

Prof Juma died while undergoing treatment in Boston, Massachusetts.

Prof Makau Mutua, another US-based scholar, said he was shocked and “deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Prof Calestous Juma, an African intellectual giant.”

“He was a towering scholar and a great human being. The best of the best. Unbelievable.”

Prof Juma was one of the most sought after experts in the field of application of science, technology and innovation to sustainable development in developing and developed countries.

A public intellectual, he was very prolific in social media, frequently sharing his writings on Twitter.

At the time of his dearth he was teaching graduate courses on science, technology and development policy and biotechnology at Harvard University.

Read full, original post: Kenyan-born Harvard scholar Calestous Juma dies in US

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