Dr. (Mrs.) Bennetta Koomson is a Senior Lecturer and Consulting Engineer in the Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. Her work focuses on urban mining, mineral waste valorization, and circular economy solutions, with the aim of converting hazardous mining and metallurgical waste into safe, value?added materials that support sustainable mining and environmental protection.

She holds a PhD, MPhil, and BSc in Minerals Engineering from the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, and KNUST, Kumasi respectively. She completed her MPhil and PhD exchange research at the University of Western Ontario (Western University), Canada, and the University of South Australia, Future Industries Institute, respectively.

Dr. Koomson has strong industrial, laboratory, and academic experience in minerals processing and waste management. Her research covers metallurgical slag upcycling, assay laboratory waste recycling, nanotechnology applications in mine  tailings management, wastewater treatment, water quality monitoring, and galamsey water remediation. Her work has produced practical solutions for heavy?metal removal, zero?waste laboratory practices, and safe reuse of industrial by?products, with direct relevance to Ghana’s mining sector.

As a 2023 OWSD Early Career Fellow (UNESCO), she leads pioneering research on the urban mining of lead?laden fire assay cupels and slag, developing circular processes that recover lead and convert waste residues into locally manufactured replacement cupels. She has also upcycled metallurgical slags for heavy metal removal from contaminated water.

Dr. Koomson has received competitive funding from OWSD, DAAD/BMZ (WE- Africa Project), Vodafone Ghana Foundation, KNUST Research Fund and SEESA, supporting applied research, student training, and laboratory development. She has authored and co?authored peer?reviewed journal articles and conference papers in mineral processing, waste valorization, and environmental management.

She is a member of the Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE), current / first female vice chairperson of GHIE's BRanch 1 (Ashanti Region)  and a former President of Women in Engineering (WinE), Ashanti Region. She is also active in Women in Mining (WiM), LiMAP?GH, and WiSTEM?Ghana, mentoring students and early?career professionals and advancing gender equality in STEM.

Dr. Koomson is the founder of the Luv?Ebeneta Career Fair, a national STEM outreach and youth development programme for upper primary, junior high, and senior high schools in Ghana. The programme provides STEM career guidance, particularly for girls, alongside training in ethics, leadership, financial literacy, independence, and hands?on engineering and vocational skills development.