George Yaw Obeng

Faculty Biography

Prof. George Yaw Obeng is a Former Dean, Faculty of Mechanical and Chemical Engineering, Former Head, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Director of Technology Consultancy Centre, KNUST. He is a Barrett Global Fellow and Senior Sustainability Fellow, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability of Arizona State University, USA where he served as a visiting faculty. He is also a Fellow of The Brew-Hammond Energy Center, KNUST. He has been a faculty of KNUST for about 30 years. He teaches production engineering, machine shop and factory design, engineering research & quantitative methods and renewable/sustainable energy applications for the developing world. His primary research areas include renewable energy (solar, bioenergy), emissions and engineering design. He holds a PhD, MSc, BSc. He has also been trained in Design Process at MIT D-Lab, Boston/Cambridge and Design of Dies & Molds at CITD Hyderabad, India. He has served on several local and international committees including Steering Committee Member of Ghana Jatropha (GHAJA) Project; Member Kumasi Business Incubator (KBI); Research Group on Culture, Knowledge and Development of the Center for Development Research (ZEF) University of Bonn, Germany; Planning Meeting on ASADI VI agenda for the Energy Access, Pretoria; Advisory Committee on Design and Urbanisation, New York, USA and GlobalResolve of Arizona State University (ASU), USA. He has international experience working with EU, CIDA, EUEI-PDF, GEF/UNDP, GEDAP/World Bank, Rockefeller Foundation, USAID/IDIN project, MIT D-Lab USA, University of Pennsylvania USA, Olin College USA, Centre for Development Research (ZEF), Bonn-Germany, Arizona State University (ASU) in development focused research. He has travelled extensively, on international collaborations, to several countries in AFRICA - Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Liberia, Togo, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Cape Verde and The Gambia. EUROPE - Germany, Denmark, United Kingdom, Italy, The Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, France, Switzerland, Austria. ASIA – India (New Delhi, Chandigarh, Hyderabad), United Arab Emirates (Dubai). USA – Massachusetts (Boston/Cambridge, Rockport), Arizona (Tempe, Mesa, Flagstaff, Phoenix), Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey, Salt Lake City, California (San Francisco, Sacramento, Berkeley, Davis), Virginia, Washington DC. He combines engineering and planning tools to undertake R&D in renewable energy, environment, quality of life and productive improvements in Ghana and Africa. Arising out of his R&D efforts are journal articles, conference papers, technical papers and working prototypes.