Phyllis Naa Yarley Otu is a doctorate holder and Associate Professor at Accra Technical University, where she serves on the HND and BTech (top-up) programmes in Science Laboratory Technology. She was named Head of on January 1, 2020, and reappointed August 1, 2022. She’s currently the Director, Quality Assurance and Academic Planning.

Professor Otu is a Food Science Engineer whose research focus includes the extraction of bioactive compounds from plants for food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic product development. She has led investigations of polysaccharides extraction from Sorghum bicolour L. and Moringa oleifera Lam. dried leaves using aqueous/ ionic liquid aqueous two-phase system and ultrasound technology and has served as PI on ARIF grant on the usage of bioactive Ghanaian wild mushroom in the development of anti-cancer snacks.

Professor Otu has currently authored and co-authored 18 SCI publications with 282 citations. She is the author of “Reviews on mechanisms of in vitro antioxidant, antibacterial and anticancer activities of water-soluble plant polysaccharides” and “Sorghum Bicolor L. leaf sheath polysaccharides: Dual frequency ultrasound-assisted extraction and desalination”. Ongoing is research on the development of soap and cream with dried Phyllantus nuriri and Azadirachta indica leaves. She serves on academic, faculty and departmental boards. She is also a cognate representative of the Faculty of Built Environment, Accra Technical University, an external verifier for the Commission for Technical & Vocational Education and Training, a reviewer of the Journal of Food Science and Technology International, an academic counsellor, a member of Departmental advisory curriculum development and Quality assurance committees.

Professor Otu served as a cognate member of the Board of Engineering, secretary of PTA Executives, Oasis Montessori and Senior Coordinator of Vacation Bible School and Young Generation Department, Calvary Baptist Church.

Professor Otu graduated from Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang Province, China, in June 2022 and received her PhD. in Food Science and Engineering from the School of Food and Biological Engineering, in December 2021. She also received her second degree in MSc. Food Science and Technology and her first degree in BSc. Biological Sciences from KNUST in 2010 and 2005 respectively.