Irene Kiio is currently a graduate fellow at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). She has a Master of Science in Biochemistry. Her current research is on evaluation of selected recombinant tick proteins for their anti - tick and pathogen transmission blocking effects. Prior to joining the vaccine platform in ILRI for her doctorate, Irene's research interests were on biosprospecting; isolating and characterizing extremophiles for their potential application in industries.