Stories and facts

Elsie Akosua Biraa Effah Kaufmann is a renowned Ghanaian academic, biomedical engineer, and the charismatic host of the National Science and Maths Quiz.

She hails from Assin in the Central Region and comes from a family of educators.

Kaufmann completed her secondary education at Aburi Girls’ Senior High School and earned her International Baccalaureate Diploma in Wales before pursuing a Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD in Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, USA.

She began her career in the United States as a Research Supervisor at Rutgers University before returning to Ghana to join the University of Ghana, where she became the founding head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

In December 2020, she was promoted to Associate Professor, and on 1 August 2022, she made history as the first female Dean of the School of Engineering Sciences.

She also established the Elsie Effah Kaufmann Foundation, which empowers students across Ghana to pursue hands-on STEM research.

Since 2006, Kaufmann has been the face of the National Science and Maths Quiz, inspiring generations of students with her professionalism, charisma, and passion for science and mathematics.

Her work has earned her numerous accolades, including the Golden T.O.R.C.H. Award for International Academic Leadership and recognition as Woman of the Year at the 2022 EMY Africa Awards.

Kaufmann is a mother of three, holds a PMP Certification, and has completed executive programs at Harvard Business School and INSEAD.

Explore the remarkable life and achievements of Elsie Effah Kaufmann in the collection below.