NSMQ Quiz Mistress Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann Named 2026 YIMGA Champion of Academic Excellence
- Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann, Ghana's celebrated NSMQ quiz mistress, received the 2026 YIMGA Champion of Academic Excellence award
- YIMGA formally presented the honour to Prof. Kaufmann on January 5, 2026, at her office at the University of Ghana, Legon
- The recognition highlights her decades of work in biomedical engineering, education leadership and youth development
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Prof. Ing. Elsie Effah Kaufmann, Ghana's beloved National Science and Maths Quiz mistress and biomedical engineering academic, has been named the 2026 YIMGA Champion of Academic Excellence.
Source: Facebook
The award, presented by YIMGA on January 5, 2026, at Prof. Kaufmann's office within the University of Ghana's School of Engineering Sciences, celebrates her sustained contributions to education, academic leadership and the development of young Ghanaians.
Prof. Kaufmann's academic and engineering career
Beyond her public profile, Prof. Ing. Elsie Effah Kaufmann holds a distinguished position in Ghana's academic community as Dean of the School of Engineering Sciences at the University of Ghana.
She has been instrumental in shaping biomedical engineering education in the country, helping to build a discipline that sits at the intersection of science, medicine and technology.
Her work in this field has contributed meaningfully to efforts to advance STEM education and research across Ghana.
Prof. Kaufmann's two decades behind the NSMQ podium
For many Ghanaians, Prof. Kaufmann is most recognisable as the face of the National Science and Maths Quiz, having served as quiz mistress since 2006.
Her composed presence, distinctive delivery and command of scientific knowledge have made her an enduring fixture of the annual competition, which draws students from senior high schools across the country.
Over nearly two decades, she has helped transform the NSMQ into a nationally celebrated event, bringing intellectual competition and a passion for science and mathematics to audiences far beyond the school gates.
Generations of students have faced her questions on the NSMQ stage in pursuit of academic glory, and her influence on how young people engage with science has been widely acknowledged.
The YIMGA recognition brings together both strands of her career, acknowledging not only her scholarly output and engineering leadership but also her role as a public figure who has consistently championed academic excellence.
From lecture halls and research labs to the bright lights of the NSMQ contest, Prof. Kaufmann has kept education at the heart of her life's work.
Being named the 2026 YIMGA Champion of Academic Excellence adds another landmark to an already distinguished career.
The X post on Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann's achievement is below.
NSMQ's Daniel Gakpetor graduates with 2 degrees
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported on Daniel Kekeli Gakpetor, the former PRESEC-Legon student who has graduated from Dartmouth College with two engineering degrees.
After leading PRESEC to victory in the 2020 NSMQ, Gakpetor went on to work in artificial intelligence and machine learning—and was named a recipient of Dartmouth’s 2026 Don Stayner Changemaker Award.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
