Profile of Professor Isaac Ayensu

Professor Isaac Ayensu, a distinguished alumnus of Mfantsipim School (Cape Coast), has been appointed as a Full Professor in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), marking the first such promotion since  1988. This prestigiousnappointment, effective August 1,  2023,  was  formally communicated in a letter dated June 24, 2024, signed by the Registrar of KNUST.

Professor Ayensu holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree (First Class Honors,  2000) and a Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Analysis and Quality Control (2003) from KNUST. He began his academic career as a lecturer in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at KNUST in  2003. He furthered his education through a Commonwealth Scholarship, earning a PhD from the University of Greenwich, UK, between  2009 and  2013. Additionally, he holds a Commonwealth Executive Masters in Public Administration (CEMPA) from the Institute of Distance Learning (IDL), KNUST, which he completed in  2015.

Professor  Ayensu  has  held  several  leadership  roles,  including  three  terms  as  Head  of  the Department  of  Pharmaceutical  Chemistry  (2014-2017),  and  most  recently,  as  Head  of  the Department of Herbal Medicine (2020-2022). He currently serves as the Head of the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry. His leadership extends beyond academia; he is the immediate past

Chairman of the Academic, Social, and Research Pharmacists Association (ASRPA) and served on the Governing Board of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana from  2019 to 2023. He was also a member  of  the  Governing  Board  of  the  Traditional  Medicine  Practice  Council.

With a robust research portfolio, Professor Ayensu has published extensively and presented at numerous national and international conferences. He is a respected reviewer for several peer-reviewed international journals. His research interests include pharmacokinetics, bioavailability, stability evaluation of allopathic and plant medicines, pharmaceutical analysis, drug regulation, quality control, and the development of novel drug formulations.

 Since returning to Ghana after his PhD, Professor Ayensu has been instrumental in bridging academia and  industry,  significantly  enhancing  the quality  of training  for PharmD,  Human Biology, Dental Surgery, Veterinary Medicine, MPhil, and PhD students. He has trained countless pharmacists,  doctors,  dentists,  physician  assistants,  veterinary  doctors,  medical  herbalists, pharmacologists, and pharmaceutical analysts in Ghana, Nigeria, and China. Since  2019, he has supervised and graduated seven (7) PhD candidates who are now academics and leaders in various institutions globally. He is also a visiting professor at Madonna University (Nigeria) and China Pharmaceutical University (Nanjing, China).

 Professor  Ayensu  is  a  Commonwealth  Fellow  (2017)  and  a  recipient  of  the  Seeding  Labs Instrumental  Access  Award  (2018).  His  expertise  is  pivotal  in  advancing  the  Ghanaian Pharmaceutical Industry's research and development (R&D) capabilities, fostering strong collaborations between academia and industry. His work in medicine quality control has significantly improved the quality of herbal products on the Ghanaian market, addressing the critical issue of substandard medicines that pose risks to vulnerable populations such as children and pregnant women.

Professor Ayensu is married to Mrs. Olivia Ayensu, and they are blessed with four children.