--- description: Segenet Kelemu, an Ethiopian scientist, leads a research facility in Nairobi that solves problems posed by insects to public health. title: Scientist Segenet Kelemu Saves Lives by Studying Insects image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8c26e5e49076a063/6988f65c97cdff12e36b3be1/optimist-issue-s-kelemu.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Optimist](/tag/optimist/) ## Optimist Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # This Ethiopian Scientist Is Saving Lives by Studying Insects  by [Nate Hopper](/author/nate-hopper/)  ## Nate Hopper Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 4, 2018 11:24 AM CUT  Segenet Kelemu, scientist at the International Centre of Insect Phsyiology and Ecology, Nairobi. Segenet Kelemu, scientist at the International Centre of Insect Phsyiology and Ecology, Nairobi.  by [Nate Hopper](/author/nate-hopper/)  ## Nate Hopper Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 4, 2018 11:24 AM CUT Segenet Kelemu has always been a discoverer. As a scientist, she would achieve breakthroughs–“Crack the constraints,” as she puts it–and feel euphoric. But she came to a realization: “So you do research, you publish the paper–and then what?” Having constructed an international network of biotechnology laboratories in Africa and now serving as director general of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology–a research facility in Nairobi that solves problems posed by insects to public health–Kelemu ensures that research reaches people. Thanks to improved seed and farming technology, the ICIPE has been able to control grain pests and improve soil, now reaching at least 20,000 Ethiopian farmers. Kelemu, 60, grew up in a small Ethiopian village with only one dress and no shoes to wear. She rebelled against the constraints placed on her as a girl. (They cracked.) Along the way, she has fostered a faith that each problem possesses a solution. Among her discoveries: “Life is always a lesson,” she says. “Every day, I learn from everybody.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5087356/this-ethiopian-scientist-is-saving-lives-by-studying-insects/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5087356/this-ethiopian-scientist-is-saving-lives-by-studying-insects/"},"headline":"This Ethiopian Scientist Is Saving Lives by Studying Insects","datePublished":"2018-01-04T11:24:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T18:44:19.529Z","description":"ICIPE In Nairobi","url":"https://time.com/5087356/this-ethiopian-scientist-is-saving-lives-by-studying-insects/","keywords":["Optimist"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8c26e5e49076a063/6988f65c97cdff12e36b3be1/optimist-issue-s-kelemu.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nate Hopper","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/nate-hopper/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8c26e5e49076a063/6988f65c97cdff12e36b3be1/optimist-issue-s-kelemu.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"optimist-issue-S-Kelemu","caption":"Segenet Kelemu, scientist at the International Centre of Insect Phsyiology and Ecology, Nairobi.","creditText":"","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/optimist/","name":"Optimist"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5087356/this-ethiopian-scientist-is-saving-lives-by-studying-insects/","name":"This Ethiopian Scientist Is Saving Lives by Studying Insects"}}]}] ```