OUR FELLOWS
Science has always been a passion, says Mary Obodai, who wants to help people attain better health and nutrition. Growing up in Ghana, Togo, and the U.K., she graduated with a BSc in Mycology and Plant Pathology from the University of Ghana, Legon in 1986. Her MPhil studies introduced her to oyster mushroom cultivation, which was also the main topic of her research at the CSIR-FRI, which she pursued for 10 years.
For my PhD studies at Nottingham University, I studied the molecular characterization of bacteria responsible for the fermentation processes that create our African delicacies, such as nyarmie (a yoghurttype dairy product) with the aim of establishing starter cultures for the product, but in recent times I’ve been working on mushrooms,” she explains. More than 3,000 farmers have been trained in mushroom production, about 30 percent of whom are still active mushroom growers.
Field of Research
Molecular characterization of micro-organisms involved in the fermentation of African foods, and evaluation of agricultural waste for mushroom production.