Edem Mahu
Edem Mahu is a Ghanaian Marine Scientist who is a senior lecturer at the University of Ghana. Her research considers ocean health, oyster fisheries and climate change. She was awarded the 2022 American Geophysical Union Africa Award for Research Excellence in Ocean Sciences. Early life and education Mahu applied to study medicine at university, but decided to move into oceanography and fisheries. She earned her doctorate in oceanography at the University of Ghana. Upon receiving the 2022 American Geophysical Union Africa Award for Research Excellence in Ocean Sciences, Mahu reflected on her choice of careers: I must confess that the decision to pursue a career in ocean sciences in West Africa was intrepid. The most rewarding aspect of this journey has been my ability to serve our global community, mentor several young scientists, and facilitate the development of ocean science capacity in Africa, while at the same time striving to develop my research as a young woman scientist.Her research made use of radioisotopes in reconstructing the pollution history of heavy metals in the shores of the Gulf of Guinea. She analyzed sediment cores and built a database that described trace metal distribution and toxicity. During her doctoral research, she completed