ELIZABETH NORKOR NARTEY (MRS.)
Elizabeth Norkor Nartey is currently an Assistant Research Scientist at the CSIR-Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI), where she assists the rice breeding team in the development and dissemination of improved varieties. She plays a pivotal role in conducting field trials, collecting and analyzing data, evaluating elite rice lines, post-harvest handling in the rice value chain as well as training of smallholder farmers on good agricultural practices. Her significant contributions to the rice breeding team have led to the development and successful release of fifteen (15) high-yielding, resilient, and nutritionally enriched lowland and upland rice varieties since 2018.
These varieties are currently being grown on farmers’ fields across the country and contributing immensely to Ghana’s efforts at becoming self-sufficient in rice production. Elizabeth’s dedication to learning and applying breeding technologies underscores her potential as a future leader in the agricultural research community. With a combination of academic excellence, dedication to learning and practical experience, Elizabeth is poised to become a valuable asset in the ongoing efforts to address the challenges of food security through innovative plant breeding practices.
Her primary research interests focus on the genetics of rice characteristics including grain quality, yield component traits, biotic and abiotic stresses. Her interest lies in the combination of both traditional breeding methods and molecular techniques to accelerate the development of improved rice cultivars.
At the CSIR-Crops Research Institute, Elizabeth has worked on several research projects such as the Excellence in Breeding (EiB)-sponsored project that has fully incorporated the use of DNA markers making the selection of the best rice lines very accurate and hastening the breeding of superior rice varieties.
She holds an MPhil in Plant Breeding and Biotechnology from the CSIR College of Science and Technology (CCST), Kumasi, where she graduated as the valedictorian. Additionally, she also holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc.) degree in Agriculture (First Class Hons) from the University of Cape Coast and a Diploma in General Agriculture from the Kwadaso Agricultural College, Kumasi.
In addition to her academic pursuits, Elizabeth actively seeks opportunities for professional development and networking. She has participated in several international conferences, workshops, and training programs, where she has showcased her research, exchanged ideas with fellow scientists, and forged collaborations with research institutions and breeding organizations.
During her masters’ programme, Elizabeth conducted a study on the agro-morphological characterization and QTL profiling of grain dimensions of Ghanaian rice germplasm. Her research findings will help select the right parents for crosses and facilitate the use of SNP markers for marker-assisted selection of grain traits.
As an up-and-coming plant breeder, Elizabeth is eager to continue her journey of learning and discovery, pushing the boundaries of plant breeding research and innovation. She aspires to pursue a Ph.D. in Plant Breeding and Genetics to further her expertise in the field.
In 2019, Elizabeth was one of about 700 outstanding young leaders from Africa selected for the prestigious and highly competitive Mandela Washington Fellowship (MWF) for Young African Leaders. She consequently spent six weeks at the Texas Tech University, Lubbock, USA being trained in the “Leadership in Public Management” track of the fellowship. Upon her return, she joined the African Girls and Women in Agriculture (AGWA), a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization, that encourages African girls to pursue agriculture as a career and empowers women in agriculture for increased productivity.
With her passion and dedication, she is poised to become a leading figure in the field of plant breeding, contributing to the development of resilient and productive crop varieties that address the evolving needs of global agriculture.
She has authored two peer reviewed journal papers and three conference paper abstracts.
She is currently the Vice President of the CSIR-CRI Ladies Club and also served as the SRC Vice President of the CCST Kumasi campus between 2020 and 2022. She is a Christian and married with two children.
Elizabeth loves reading and watching movies when she has time to spare.
