Dr. Ismaila Emahi holds a PhD and M.S. in Chemistry from Saint Louis University, USA, an M.Sc. in Water and Environmental Management from the University of Gloucestershire, UK, and a B.Sc. in Chemistry (First Class Honours) from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. He is a full-time senior member in the Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), Sunyani, where he teaches courses at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including Electrochemistry, General Biochemistry, Advanced Biological Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology, Instrumental Methods of Analysis, Bioelectrochemistry, and Research Methods in Chemistry
Dr. Emahi is actively involved in research, and his research focuses on environmental and bioanalytical chemistry, particularly the development of aptamer-modified biogenic materials for selective detection and removal of toxic metals from contaminated water. His work integrates adsorption thermodynamics, electrochemical sensing, and surface chemistry to provide low-cost solutions for water purification and pollutant monitoring in communities impacted by artisanal mining activities. He has published extensively in international peer-reviewed journals, with recent works on particulate air pollution, heavy metal remediation, and sustainable water treatment technologies, supported by funding from the U.S. Department of State and Cambridge-Africa Alborada Research Fund.
He is a recipient of the prestigious Iso Lomso Fellowship at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS), South Africa, and maintains active international collaborations with institutions including Freie Universität Berlin and Universität Bonn both in Germany, University of Cambridge and University of Oxford both in the UK, as well as other partners in the USA and Africa. Dr. Emahi is a member of the American Chemical Society (ACS), Biochemical Society (UK), Ghana Science Association (GSA), and Ghana Chemical Society (GCS), and regularly play key roles in training programs and outreach initiatives linking academia, research, and policy toward achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on clean water and environmental sustainability.