Edmund Ilimoan Yamba

Faculty Biography

Dr. Edmund Ilimoan Yamba is a Senior Lecturer and Research Scientist in the Department of Meteorology and Climate Science at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. He holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Physics and a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Geophysics, both from KNUST. He earned his Doctorate (PhD) in Meteorology and Climate Science from the University of Cologne, Germany. Since joining the Department in January 2018, Dr. Yamba has played a pivotal role in teaching, research, and community service. In addition to his academic responsibilities, he currently serves as the Examination Officer and Postgraduate Studies Coordinator for the Department.Dr. Yamba has expertise in university teaching and curriculum design, research design, grant writing and project management, scientific writing and peer review, and graduate student supervision. Dr. Yamba also has specialized expertise in data science especially, advanced scientific computing, data analysis and mining, statistics, and visualization. He is proficient in programming languages such as FORTRAN, Python, R, and Shell Scripting. He is skilled in working with Linux-based systems and utilizes LaTeX for scientific writing. His specialized knowledge extends to climate-sensitive infectious disease modeling, land use/cover change mapping, and climate modeling. Dr. Yamba is a multidisciplinary scientist with broad specialties in climate-sensitive health modeling , biometeorology, bioclimatology, biostatistics, climate change and human health. His current research focuses on how climate change and variability drives the transmission of vector-borne diseases, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, heat-related diseases (such as heat stress, stroke, exhaustion, and mental health challenges) and air pollution impacts on respiratory diseases.Dr. Yamba is actively involved in several impactful research projects that address pressing global and regional health and climate challenges. He is contributing to the project “Responsible AI for developing a Robust public health surveillance system: Early Detection and Prediction of Vector-borne Viral Zoonotic Pathogens (RAPID-VBP)”, as a Co-Investigator which runs from December 2023 to November 2027 and is funded by the Global South AI4PEP Network. This initiative focuses on leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance public health surveillance systems and improve the early detection and prediction of vector-borne zoonotic pathogens. Additionally, Dr. Yamba serves as Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) on a Wellcome Trust-funded project titled “Building a climate cohort to monitor health impacts of climate change in Ghana” ( which runs from February 2024 – March 2027). This research seeks to develop a comprehensive climate-health cohort to evaluate the long-term effects of climate change on public health in Ghana. Furthermore, he is Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) on the project “Enhancing Healthcare Accessibility and Communication in Underserved Communities through a Mobile Application (mHealth)”, which runs from February 2024 to August 2025. This initiative aims to bridge healthcare gaps in underserved communities by developing innovative mobile application solutions to improve accessibility and communication in healthcare delivery. Together, these projects exemplify Dr. Yamba’s commitment to advancing scientific research that directly addresses public health and climate-related challenges. Dr. Yamba’s contributions to academia and research are well-documented in his publications, which are available on his Google Scholar page.Dr. Yamba’s life philosophy centers on leveraging his expertise to lead positive change and mentor the next generation of critical thinkers and innovators. He believes in the power of collaboration to create a better and more sustainable world. Dr. Yamba welcomes collaborations and partnerships that drive impactful outcomes in public health, climate science, and beyond.