• PhD., University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), 2016
• MSc., Egerton University, 2011
• BSc., Egerton University, 2007

• Post-doctorate, awarded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2024

• Crop Genetics and Genomics
• Climate Change Genetics
• Conservation Genetics/Genomics

• Li MM, Meegahakumbura MK, Wambulwa MC, Burgess KS, Möller M, Shen ZF, Li DZ, Gao LM. (2023). Genetic analyses of ancient tea trees provide insights into the breeding history and dissemination of Chinese Assam tea (Camellia sinensis var. assamica). Plant Diversity. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pld.2023.06.002
• Liu J, Magige EA, Fan PZ, Wambulwa MC, Luo YH, Qi HL, Gao LM, Milne RI. (2023). Genetic imprints of grafting in wild iron walnut populations in southwestern China. BMC Plant Biology. 23: 423.
  Liu J, Milne RI, Möller M, Zhu GF, Ye LJ, Luo YH, Yang JB, Wambulwa MC, Wang CN, Li DZ, Gao LM. (2018). Integrating a comprehensive DNA barcode reference library with a global map of yews (Taxus L.) for forensic identification. Molecular Ecology Resources,18:1115–1131. https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.12903
• Liu J, Milne RI, Zhu GF, Spicer RA, Wambulwa MC, Wu ZY, Boufford DE, Luo YH, Provan J, Yi TS, Cai J. (2022). Name and scale matters: Clarifying the geography of Tibetan Plateau and adjacent mountain regions. Global and Planetary Change. 215:103893.
  Magige EA, Fan PZ, Wambulwa MC, Milne R, Wu ZY, Luo YH, Khan R, Wu HY, Qi HL, Zhu GF, Maity D. (2022). Genetic diversity and structure of Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.) in Pakistan: Implications for conservation. Plants. 11: 1652.
• Meegahakumbura MK, Wambulwa MC, Li DZ, Gao LM. (2018). Preliminary investigations on the genetic relationships and origin of domestication of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis (L.)) using genotyping by sequencing. Tropical Agricultural Research, 29: 230–240.
  Meegahakumbura MK, Wambulwa MC, Li MM, Thapa KK, Sun YS, Möller M, Xu JC, Yang JB, Liu J, Liu BY,
• Li DZ, Gao LM. (2018). Domestication origin and breeding history of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) in China and India based on nuclear microsatellites and cpDNA Sequence Data. Frontiers in Plant Science, 8:2270. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2017.02270
  Meegahakumbura MK, Wambulwa MC, Thapa KK, Li MM, Möller M. Xu JC, Ranjitkar S, Liu J, Li DZ, Gao
• LM. (2016). Indications for three independent domestication events for the tea plant (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) and new insights into the origin of tea germplasm in China and India revealed by nuclear microsatellites. PLoS ONE. 11(5): e0155369. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0155369
• Muturi SM, Karanja LS, Wachira FN, Wambulwa MC. (2013). Ten (10) M Ammonium acetate is an efficient molecular concentration for the extraction of genomic DNA from small insects used for rolling circle amplification. African Journal of Biotechnology, 12(39): 5790-5798.
• Muturi SM, Wachira FN, Karanja LS, Wambulwa MC, Macharia E. (2013). Paracoccus burnerae (Homoptera; Planococcidae) as a vector of Banana streak virus. Journal of Experimental Biology and Agricultural Sciences, 1(5): 405-414.
• Ogoma CA, Liu J, Stull GW, Wambulwa MC, Oyebanji O, Milne RI, Monro AK, Zhao Y, Li DZ, Wu ZY. (2022). Deep insights into the plastome evolution and phylogenetic relationships of the tribe Urticeae (Family urticaceae). Frontiers in plant science. 13: 870949.
• Sun Z-Y, Liu J, Li Z-H, Wambulwa M, Wu Z-Y. (2021). The complete chloroplast genome sequences of an endemic species of Urticaceae (Debregeasia hekouensis). Mitochondrial DNA Part B, 6(11): 3300-3302. doi: 10.1080/23802359.2021.1993761.
• Wambulwa MC, Fan PZ, Milne R, Wu ZY, Luo YH, Wang YH, Wang H, Gao LM, Xiahou ZY, Jin YC, Ye LJ, Xu ZC, Yang ZC, Li DZ, Liu J. (2021). Genetic analysis of walnut cultivars from southwest China: Implications for germplasm improvement. Plant Diversity. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pld.2021.08.005
• Wambulwa MC, Luo YH, Zhu GF, Milne R, Wachira FN, Wu ZY, Wang H, Gao LM, Li DZ, Liu J. (2022). Determinants of Genetic Structure in a Highly Heterogeneous Landscape in Southwest China. Frontiers in plant science. 13: 779989.
• Wambulwa MC, Meegahakumbura MK, Chalo R, Kamunya S, Muchugi A, Xu JC, Liu J, Li DZ, Gao LM. (2016). Nuclear microsatellites reveal the genetic architecture and breeding history of tea germplasm of East Africa. Tree Genetics & Genomes.12:11. doi: 10.1007/s11295-015-0963-x
• Wambulwa MC, Meegahakumbura MK, Kamunya S, Muchugi A, Moller M, Liu J, Xu JC, Li DZ, Gao LM. (2017). Multiple origins and narrow genepool characterise African tea germplasm: concordant patterns revealed by nuclear and plastid DNA markers. Scientific Reports, 7: 4053. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-04228-0
• Wambulwa MC, Meegahakumbura MK, Kamunya S, Muchugi A, Moller M, Liu J, Xu JC, Ranjitkar S, Li DZ, Gao LM. (2016). Insights into the genetic relationships and breeding patterns of the African tea germplasm based on nSSR Markers and cpDNA sequences. Frontiers in Plant Science. 7: 1244. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01244
• Wambulwa MC, Meegahakumbura MK, Kamunya S, Wachira FN. (2021). From the Wild to the Cup: Tracking Footprints of the Tea Species in Time and Space. Frontiers in Nutrition 8: 706770. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2021.706770
• Wambulwa MC, Milne R, Wu ZY, Spicer RA, Provan J, Luo YH, Zhu GF, Wang WT, Wang H, Gao LM, Li DZ, Liu J. (2021). Spatiotemporal maintenance of flora in the Himalaya biodiversity hotspot: Current knowledge and future perspectives. Ecology & Evolution 11: 10794–10812. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7906
• Wambulwa MC, Wachira FN, Karanja LS, Kiarie SM, Muturi SM. (2013). The influence of host and pathogen genotypes on symptom severity in banana streak disease. African Journal of Biotechnology, 12: 27-31.
• Wambulwa MC, Wachira FN, Karanja LS, Muturi SM. (2012). Rolling Circle Amplification is more sensitive than PCR and serology-based methods in detection of Banana streak virus in Musa germplasm. American Journal of Plant Science, 3(11): 1581-1587.
• Wambulwa MC, Zhu GF, Luo YH, Wu ZY, Provan J, Cadotte MW, Jump AS, Wachira FN, Gao LM, Yi TS, Cai J, Wang H, Li DZ, Liu J. (2025). Incorporating Genetic Diversity to Optimize the Plant Conservation Network in the Third Pole. Global Change Biology, 31: e70122.
• Xiahou Z-Y, Wambulwa MC, Xu Z-C, Ye L-J, Fan, P-Z, Magige EA, Luo Y-H, Liu J. (2023). A Multiplex PCR system of novel microsatellite loci for population genetic application in walnuts. Plants. 12: 4101. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12244101
• Yan LJ, Fan PZ, Wambulwa MC, Qi HL, Chen Y, Wu ZY, Milne RI, Khan R, Luo YH, Gao LM, Shen SK, Rashid I, Khan SM, Maity D, Li DZ, Liu J. (2024). Human‐associated genetic landscape of walnuts in the Himalaya: implications for conservation and utilization. Diversity and Distributions, 30: e13809.

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