Pauline became CEO of ESSA on 1st August 2025, succeeding Dr Lucy Heady. She previously served as ESSA’s Chief Impact Officer and before that, as the Director of Research and Programmes.

Pauline joined ESSA in September 2020, bringing extensive experience in research leadership and grants management. Prior to ESSA, she was Senior Manager for Global Health at the UK’s National Institute for Health Research, managing a portfolio of international development grants. From 2009 to 2018, she was instrumental in setting up and managing the University of Cambridge’s Cambridge-Africa Programme, facilitating research collaborations with African universities/institutions, and initiating capacity strengthening programmes.

She holds a BSc in Agriculture from the University of Ghana and an MPhil and PhD in Biological Science from the University of Cambridge. In 2022, she was honoured with a Global Women in Leadership Award for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals in sub-Saharan Africa.

Pauline serves on the International Scientific Advisory Board of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement, and is a board member at the University of Suffolk (UK). She also holds voluntary trustee roles in international development, and is a 2025 judge for the MIT Solve Global Learning Challenge.