Professor Ateka is an accomplished researcher and academician with over 25 years’ experience. Prior to joining Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST), he served as Dean, School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (2018-2023) and Chairman, Department of Horticulture (2011-2015) at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (2018-2023). Prof. Ateka had earlier served as a Senior Research Officer at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (which was then Kenya Agricultural Research Institute -KARI). Leading to this, he had worked in the extension service as an Agricultural Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture.
Prof Ateka, is a Professor of Plant Pathology with particular interest in plant viruses devastating many crops particularly root and tuber crops. In 2010, he was a Research Fellow/Scientist at the International Cooperation Center at Nagoya University, Japan. He served as an Adjunct Senior Lecturer, at the University of New England, Australia between 2012 to 2016. Prof. Ateka has undertaken a number of professional trainings in the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, Zambia, Uganda and Tanzania.
Prof. Ateka has been a Principal Investigator for several projects. He has supervised many postgraduate students and published over 110 articles in peer refereed Journals. He is an active member of the International Society for Tuber and Root Crops (ISTRC) and the Horticultural Association of Kenya (HAK).
