Graduate Student Profile - Elma Kontor-Manu

Elma Kontor-Manu successfully defended her Ph.D. dissertation on March 2, 2026. Elma is originally from Ghana. Prior to beginning her journey as a graduate student, she obtained her Bachelor of Science and Master of Philosophy from the University of Ghana.

Elma's dissertation was entitled, "Stakeholders' decision-making in evolving agricultural systems: Producers and consumers' perspectives." Her research focuses on how different stakeholders, including consumers, produce growers, and aquaponic producers, make decisions related to food safety and agricultural practices. Elma studied what influences their choices, how they interpret information, and what helps encourage safer or more effective food safety actions. Using tools such as surveys, focus groups, and behavioral analysis, her work has shown that factors such as risk perception, communication style, training access, and operational challenges can significantly affect decision-making and compliance. Overall, Elma's work aimed to develop practical, evidence-based strategies that improve food safety-related communication, training, and decision-making across the food system.

Elma's advisor was Yaohua "Betty" Feng. Other members of her graduate committee included Lavanya Reddivari, Maria Marshall, and Barbara Chamberlain.

Elma was drawn to Purdue Food Science for her graduate degree for a couple of reasons, stating, "Coming from Ghana, I have always been interested in the role food plays in health, community, and everyday life. Growing up, I became aware of the challenges related to food safety, consumer awareness, and access to reliable food information in many communities. This sparked my interest in understanding how people make food-related decisions and how research can help improve public health outcomes."

She continues, "When searching for a graduate program, I was looking for one with a strong Food Science research foundation, while also providing opportunities to integrate consumer and human-focused research, since my long-term interest is in food and public health policies. I chose Purdue University because it offered the ideal combination of these interests, particularly through the Food Science Department, with the
work my advisor was already doing. Purdue’s strong reputation in food science, research innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration ultimately sealed the deal for me."

During her time at Purdue, Elma was a member of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) Student Professional Development Group from 2023-2026, and she was a member of the Purdue Graduate Student Grant Review Allocation Committee from 2024-2026. In addition to her organizational involvement, Elma received the 2024 Kirleis Graduate Student Award.

As for her next giant leap, Elma has accepted a postdoctoral researcher position in the Food Safety Human Factor Lab. Congratulations, Elma!