Dr. Edem Mahu Receives AGU Africa Award for Research Excellence in Ocean Sciences

Dr. Edem Mahu, Senior Lecturer, Department of Marine and Fisheries Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, is the 2022 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Africa Award for Research Excellence in Ocean Sciences recipient. She is the first Ghanaian awardee and the second female to receive this award since its establishment in 2015.

The African Award for Research Excellence in Earth or Ocean Sciences is presented to an early career African scientist in recognition of excellent research on Earth or ocean sciences. Other criteria considered in the nomination process include outstanding service and outreach to society, acting as the main driver of the science when working in collaborative teams and mentoring student scientists.

Expressing her delight at this feat, Dr. Mahu said, “I volunteered and dedicated a significant part of my early career years, maybe close to 50% or even more to serving the global oceanographic community, mentoring young scientists, working hard to develop ocean science capacity in Africa, and striving to bridge the inequities in ocean science between Africa and the global North, while at the same pursuing a challenging research career in this field as a young woman scientist. Today, I am very happy that the largest society of ocean and space scientists on this planet, the American Geophysical Union (AGU) has recognized this effort and conferred this special award on me”.

Dr.Edem Mahu dedicates the award to the University of Ghana and the entire African continent, noting her confidence in Africa being at par with the rest of the world by the end of the UN Ocean Decade, as efforts to protect the "one ocean" from the numerous human-induced challenges intensifies.

She expressed her deepest appreciation to her family and mentors: Prof. Kwasi Appealing Addo, Director, Institute of Environment and Sanitation Studies, University of Ghana; Prof. Brian Arbic, University of Michigan; Dr. Sophie Seeyave, Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean and the late Prof. Kenneth Coale, former Director,  Moss Landing Marine Laboratory.

Dr. Mahu will join other category winners for a formal AGU awards ceremony in Chicago, later in the year. 

Congratulations Dr. Mahu!