Ebenezer Laing

Ebenezer Laing, (28 June 1931 – 19 April 2015) was a Ghanaian botanist and geneticist who served as the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon. He was a professor at the University of Ghana, Legon, and later an emeritus professor. Laing, together with his university and faculty colleague, George C. Clerk (1931–2019), was one of the first Ghanaian academics to specialise in botany as a scientific discipline and contributed significantly to the growth of the field in Ghana. He was also a Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, inducted in 1965. In 1985, he was elected an inaugural Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences.

Early life and education Ebenezer Laing was born in Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana on 28 June 1931. as a student of Sir Ronald Fisher.

Career Ebenezer Laing was appointed a lecturer at the University of Ghana’s botany department and rose through the ranks to become a full professor. Other senior administrative positions he held include the Dean of the Faculty of Science and the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the university. An aficionado of Ghanaian music, he also played the classical guitar and the Oboe. He was buried at the Osu Cemetery (previously known as Christiansborg Civil Cemetery) in Accra.

Awards and honours Honorary Doctor of Science (D. Sc.), University of Ghana, Legon A Geneticist's Apology: Thoughts on Genetics Teaching and Research (1985) The New Biology: New Hope, New Threat Or New Dilemmas (1989) Science and society in Ghana (1990)