Staff Profile

Tiwonge Mzumara-Gawa is an ornithologist, ecologist and conservation biologist by training; and an activist by passion. She is a Lecturer in the Biological Sciences Department, at the Malawi University of Science and Technology. She holds a PhD in Ecological Sciences from the University of KwaZulu Natal and an MSc in Conservation Biology from the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

Her research interests are in species studies, particularly looking at how species study can help in ecosystem management and restoration. She is also interested in engaging with policy makers to ensure that science better informs policy. This later interest introduced her to the field of Biodiversity Informatics and she has since been the champion of the field in Malawi, leading a team from a variety of institutions that have been the force leading the publications of the first datasets from Malawi by Malawian institutions on the GBIF website.

Tiwonge is the current National Chairperson of the Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi. She has over 10 years’ experience in ecology and conservation projects with specialized assignments conducting species and biodiversity assessments in Malawi.