Doreen Josen Siria is a Research Scientist at the Ifakara Health Institute, working in the Department of Environmental Health and Ecological Sciences (EHES) at the Ifakara branch in Morogoro, Tanzania.

Doreen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and Management from Ardhi University (2015) and a MSc in Ecology and Environmental Biology from the University of Glasgow (2020). She is currently pursuing a PhD in Infectious Biology at the University of Glasgow, furthering her expertise in the field in close collaboration with the Ifakara Health Institute.

Her professional career began in 2015 as a research officer at the Ifakara Health Institute, where she has contributed to numerous projects focused on the biology and control of disease-transmitting mosquitoes. Initially, Doreen joined the institute as a junior Geographical Information Systems (GIS) analyst, supporting various projects with analysis and visualization of geo-referenced data.

Presently, Doreen co-leads an innovative project utilizing infrared (mid-infrared and near-infrared spectroscopy) and machine learning (ML) to investigate the behavior and infectiousness of disease-carrying mosquitoes in the Kilombero Valley, south-eastern Tanzania.

Her dedication to advancing public health earned her a prestigious award from Wellcome Trust Masters and Fellowship in Public Health in 2018-2020. Through this fellowship, Doreen completed her master’s degree and developed an eco-friendly, insecticide-free approach to malaria transmission control in rural Tanzanian villages where progress is being derailed by insecticide-resistant mosquitoes.

Doreen has also published extensively in international peer-reviewed journals, contributing high-impact research on the laboratory and field applications of infrared and artificial intelligence (AI) for malaria vector surveys (PMID: 353146883).