Profile of Professor Isaac AyensuProfessor 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 is a fellow of the Ghana College of Pharmacist and 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.