Mulika Musyimi

Project focus: The Fellow will help the Exploratorium to connect the latest climate and sea level rise adaptation science to effective public outreach strategies—becoming deeply immersed in a rich milieu of interdisciplinary projects concerned with engaging the public in the practice of science and helping the public to develop their own skills as science learners and as agents of change in their own communities.

Mulika is the son of cooks, farmers, hotel workers, tailors, and teachers from coastal communities in Kenya along the Indian Ocean. He attributes his storytelling affinity to various relatives and the impact of several public school teachers who provided stability throughout his many life transitions. As a migrant, he has called various places home, each shaping his worldview.

He earned his Master of Public Health (MPH) from UC Berkeley in 2023, where he was a Graduate Student Instructor and a Human Rights Center Fellow at Berkeley Law. Previously, as an undergraduate at San Diego State, he worked as a Kiswahili interpreter for the International Rescue Committee, aiding the resettlement of Sub-Saharan African families and honing his intuition in recognizing areas of unintended confusion or miscommunication.

His experiences inform his transdisciplinary approach to social determinants of health (SDOH) and community-driven research. He is dedicated to advancing discourse, collaboration, and outcomes on SDOH, focusing on accountability and redress frameworks.

The shared visions of perpetual scientific inquiry, inclusivity, and representation at the Exploratorium and the Civic Science Fellows Program deeply resonate with his personal and professional aspirations. During his tenure in the Civic Science Fellows Program, he hopes to meaningfully contribute to place-based interventions informed by the lived experiences of his now-adopted Bay Area community.

He is enthusiastic about joining the Climate and Landscapes Group at the Exploratorium, empowering the public through climate science education, and contributing thoughtfully to the professional rigor and social capacity of the current cohort of Civic Science Fellows.