Watu Wamae is the Head of Innovation at the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx), where she spearheaded the design and implementation of the AfOx Innovation Platform, which she now leads.

She is also a Governing Body Fellow in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Reuben College, Oxford and serves as a Board Member of the Global Innovation Fund.

Wamae has extensive expertise in African innovation ecosystems, with a particular focus on the structural dynamics of African economies. Her work explores the intersection of innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic transformation across the continent.

She holds a PhD in the Economics of Innovation and has held postdoctoral research positions at the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU), University of Sussex, and UNU-MERIT in Maastricht.