Elmer Nayra Ametefe

Biography:

Elmer Nayra Ametefe is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Ghana. As an applied microbiologist, her research has focused on the characterization of microbial strains in African fermented foods and the beneficial interactions of these microbes with human and animal hosts. This focus has driven her research career toward exploring the potential probiotics associated with fermented foods and their impact on human and animal health. As the Lead Researcher of the Ametefe Probiotic Research Lab, she and her team have characterized Bacillus, yeasts, and lactic acid bacteria as promising probiotic candidates for gut microbiome modulation. Her research also extends to the application of intrinsic microbes in polluted soil and water as agents for pollutant degradation. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Botany from the University of Ghana and both an MPhil and PhD in Biochemistry from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. She is married with two teenage sons and is passionate about advancing STEM education in Ghana.