Dr. Veronica Okello is a researcher and a senior lecturer at Machakos University (MksU) Kenya in the Department of Physical Sciences and also doubles up as the Director of Quality Assurance. Veronica has a PhD in Analytical/Environmental Chemistry from State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton, USA. Currently, her research focuses on the development of green sustainable remediation and detection approaches for heavy metals, non-conventional pharmaceuticals pollutants among other xenobiotics. Veronica is a member of OWSD, RSC, KCS and WiNN Global/Kenya. She is also an EIA/EA expert.

After graduating from SUNY Binghamton, Veronica launched her career in Kakamega at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology. In 2015, Veronica joined Machakos University as a lecturer in the Department of Physical Sciences, teaching undergraduate/post graduate courses, research and mentoring of young adults. It is in this capacity that she successfully won the 2016 Instrumental Grant from Seeding Labs, USA; 2020 Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) Early Career Fellowship grant; 2020 & 2023 Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP) grant; and several Chemical Security Program (CSP) grants by CRDF Global, 2022 Erasmus+ Mobility Grant between the Technical University of Mining Freiberg and five Sub-Sahara African Universities. In addition, as a co-PI, she recently won the Nuveen Grants International Collaborative Research Award 2021-2022 that earned her a short-term scholar visit to University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and as a user at Argonne National Labs (ANL), USA. Veronica’s current H-index on Scopus is 11.

In addition, she is the founder and coordinator of Go Green MksU club, a vibrant student club that operates on the principles of Green Chemistry.

In her spare time, Veronica enjoys travelling, participating in mentorship programs, community development and outreach projects where in the later she is actively involved in promotion of Chemical Safety and Security programs in formal and non-formal institutions/sectors and environmental conservation activities.