Year born: 1981
Research Areas: Atmospheric Physics, Climate Science, Physics
"Teaching science well can nurture that curiosity in children, can satisfy some of that yearning to understand the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ in nature. Teachers can help change the idea in students that science is an area to avoid."
Source: Citi FM interview (2018)
Early Life
Nana Ama Browne Klutse was born in 1981 in Ghana. Encouraged by her father, she studied physics at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana. Then she decided to learn more about climate science and got her doctorate from the University of Cape Town in South Africa. After that, she returned to Ghana to work on climate change.
Career highlights
Nana Ama is a climate scientist and a professor of physics. She looks at how climate change affects the West African region. She is also involved in politics in Ghana. She works on climate laws to help fight climate change. Nana Ama is interested in the African monsoon. A type of wind that changes direction with the seasons. She studies how monsoons affect the climate and how climate change is altering the monsoon patterns. She also looks at how climate change affects people and different groups in society.
She has worked on early warning systems for flooding and drought in areas of northern Ghana. Nana Ama has also worked with farmers on the best times to plant their crops.
In 2023, she became the first female full professor of physics in the whole of Ghana. A few years later, she also became head of the physics department at her university.
As well as research, Nana Ama teaches lots of classes at the university on topics like the physics of the atmosphere. She is trying to improve science education, not just in her country but all over the world.
Nana Ama does a lot of work outside the university and helps change climate policies in Ghana. She is part of lots of groups, sharing her knowledge to make sure the best decisions are made for her country and the climate. In 2025, Nana Ama was made the executive officer of Ghana's Environmental Protection Agency.
Legacy
Nana Ama's impact on climate science and policy is very important. It gives her country the chance to change the law to help manage the climate crisis. She not only adds to what we know about the climate crisis, but also teaches this to politicians. She has also started to get involved in politics herself, keeping the need to protect the climate at the centre of her actions.
Other Interests
Nana Ama has strong family ties with her parents, husband and children, who have continually supported her research and career. She is a champion for getting more young girls into science subjects. She is an active mentor, always seeking ways to help others.