Isaack Kikway is a postdoctoral researcher at The Ojiambo’s Lab in the department of Entomology and Plant pathology. He is originally from Kenya.  During his undergraduate program he developed interest in plant pathology. He then enrolled for and earned M.Sc. (plant pathology) from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. He is a recent graduate from North Carolina State University where he focused on biology, ecology and epidemiology of Pseudoperonospora cubensis a causal agent of cucurbit downy mildew. The main focus for his Ph.D. research study were: 1) characterize the temporal dynamics and severity of cucurbit downy mildew epidemics as affected by chemical control and cucurbit host type; 2) establish the temporal shifts in sensitivity of P. cubensis population in response to cucurbit downy mildew fungicides; 3) determine the field occurrence and overwintering of oospores of P. cubensis in the southeastern U.S.

Among other milestones, his study has resulted in the first report on the occurrence and overwintering of Pseudoperonospora cubensis oospores in nature in the USA.