Amollo Ambole is and Honorary Research Associate of the African Centre for Cities and the Programme Director for the African Mayoral Leadership Initiative (AMALI).

With 14 years teaching and research experience at the university level, she is a seasoned academic whose work has spanned development studies, creative arts, product design, and climate change. Through collaborative and transdisciplinary research projects, Ambole has previously worked closely with residents in informal settlements, policymakers, and practitioners in Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa to co-design solutions to urban development challenges such as energy poverty, sanitation and non-communicable diseases.

Her research in these areas has been published in academic journals and on respected science platforms. Amollo has also participated in international leadership programs and presented at high-level events such as the United Nations’ Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to joining Big Win Philanthropy, Amollo was a lecturer at University of Nairobi and was a principal investigator under the Gender for Energy Security (GENS) SA-Africa-UK Trilateral Research Chair. Ambole holds a Master of Arts in Design and a PhD in Public and Development Management.