About

Esther Tobechukwu Okafor completed her BSc degree in Microbiology from the University of Nigeria (Nsukka). Through this, she acquired research competence in food microbiology and African beer fermentation. After her bachelor study, she worked in the food industry for about 4 years as a Food Safety and Quality assurance professional. Here, she was responsible for assuring food and water safety, microbiological analysis, continuous process improvement, and new product development. In 2019, she proceeded to the Netherlands to do a master’s degree in food safety (Specialisation: food microbiology) at Wageningen University (the Netherlands). During the masters’ thesis, she assessed the susceptibility of biofilms of Listeria monocytogenes to cleaning and disinfection regimes. Based on the findings of the master’s thesis, her interest in alternative antimicrobials was stimulated, and this led to a research internship at the Universidad Politecnica de Cartagena (Spain) on essential oils and their ability to induce antibiotic resistance. Currently, Esther is working as a PhD student at the University of Malta (Malta). The project aims to identify the molecular targets and the underlying mechanism for inactivation by Ultrasound technology for common food-borne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms.