Kobia is a senior researcher at the Center for Malaria Elimination – Mount Kenya University, Kenya. His background is in Cell and Molecular Biology, and he obtained his PhD in Molecular Medicine from the European School of Molecular Medicine and the University of Milan. He received his postdoctoral research training at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the University of Milan.
His current research activities are mainly in maternal and child health, with a focus on placental infections and how they affect placenta health and function, as well as pregnancy outcomes. His research has been supported by grants from The European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), the Cambridge-Alborada research fund, the UCL Global Engagement Funds (GEF), and the NIH. In 2025, Kobia was elected as a Colenso Visiting Fellow at St John’s College for the Lent Term 2026.
