Bridging Food Science and Digital Innovation.

I’m a food scientist and product manager in Kano, Nigeria. I turn agricultural surplus into valuable products and build digital tools that reduce food waste.

Portrait of Nafisa Abdulmalik Auwal

About

I’m pursuing an M.Sc. in Food Science and Technology at Bayero University Kano, and I hold a B.Sc. degree. My work sits where food science, sustainability and technology meet.

I believe in the circular economy: waste from one stage should become the raw material for the next. That idea guides my lab work, my product design and my fashion pursuits.

Research: sweet potato glucose syrup

My M.Sc. research converts local sweet potatoes into glucose syrup, adding value to a crop that is abundant across northern Nigeria. I work under Dr. Ahmed Gambo, Head of Department.

  1. Starch isolation
  2. Enzymatic liquefaction
  3. Saccharification with amyloglucosidase
  4. Proximate analysis
  5. Sensory evaluation of baked cakes
Nafisa pouring a solution into a measuring cylinder in the laboratory
Preparing a sample in the lab at Bayero University Kano.
Trays of grated sweet potato in orange, cream and brown, drying
Grated sweet potato from the three varieties, ready for processing.

Three local varieties

Dan Bakalori (A), an orange-fleshed type (B) and Dan china (C), compared for syrup quality and yield.

Optimised by design

Response Surface Methodology and a Box-Behnken design (Design-Expert and Excel) model temperature, reaction time and enzyme concentration.

What I measure

°Brix, pH, viscosity and yield, plus how the syrup performs when baked into cakes.

FoodLife Saver

3rd place, 3MTT Tech for Good Hackathon

A digital platform to cut post-harvest loss and food waste. It connects food donors with recipients and helps recycle surplus food, so edible food reaches people instead of landfills.

I took FoodLife Saver through the 3MTT Cohort 1 programme and placed third at the 3MTT Tech for Good Hackathon in Kano.

FoodLife Saver app logo on a phone screen
Presentation cheque from the 3MTT Tech for Good Hackathon naming FoodLife Saver, Kano, third place
The hackathon cheque: FoodLife Saver, Kano, third place.
Wireframes of the FoodLife Saver app: sign up, login, donate, food request, food map and feedback screens
App wireframes: sign up, donate, request food, food map and feedback.
Farm workers sorting baskets of fresh tomatoes and fruit at harvest
Losses start at harvest, so that is where the platform begins.
Illustration of edible food being thrown into bins while two people reach for it
Good food is thrown away while people go without.

Strategy

Product strategy documents and Notion PRDs that define the problem, users and scope.

Design

Figma wireframes and UX workflows that make donating and receiving simple.

Delivery

Trello agile sprint boards to plan, prioritise and ship in small steps.

SpendWise

Our capstone project at the Women Techsters Bootcamp, Cohort 5.1. SpendWise is a budgeting app that helps students, workers and business owners track income and expenses, set savings goals, get reminders and see where their money goes.

It has separate personal and business modes, supports multiple currencies including the naira, and works offline.

SpendWise app overview: home screen, core features, app screens and user flow
SpendWise design overview: features, screens and user flow.
SpendWise login page with the headline Take Control of Your Money
The SpendWise login screen.

Also designed: SafeKids

Wireframes for a child-safety app concept with simple sign-up and a map-based “Get me Home” feature.

SafeKids app wireframes: welcome, create account and Get me Home map screens

Mentorship: NextGen, 3MTT cohort

I led a mentorship session for the NextGen by Airtel and 3MTT cohort, sharing what I have learned in product management and technology with fellow learners.

Nafisa speaking in front of a NextGen by Airtel and 3MTT banner
Leading the mentorship session.
Group photo of the NextGen 3MTT cohort
With the NextGen 3MTT cohort after the session.

More mentorship and community work

Training and certificates

I keep learning across product management, cybersecurity, digital skills and sustainability. My Upwork freelancing profile has been live since August 2026.

Women Techsters Bootcamp Cohort 5.1 certificate of completion in Product Management
Women Techsters Bootcamp, Product Management, August 2026.
Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate on Coursera
Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate, April 2026.
ECO30 Sustainable Living Challenge certificate of excellence from AIIDEV
ECO30 Sustainable Living Challenge, Certificate of Excellence, April 2026.
Certificate of appreciation for facilitating SHEnovate Design Divas 2.0
SHEnovate Design Divas 2.0 facilitator, November 2025.
Digital for All Challenge 2.0 certificate of completion in Basic Digital Literacy
Digital for All Challenge 2.0, Basic Digital Literacy, June 2025.
Innovate North 2024 Hackathon certificate of completion
Innovate North 2024 Hackathon, January 2025.
3MTT certificate of completion in Product Management
3MTT Cohort 1, Product Management, May 2024.

Tools I work in

I also design research surveys in Google Forms, with skip-logic branching, to study agricultural waste and food supply chains.

Fashion design

Fashion is my creative counterweight to the lab. Both start with materials, structure and patience, and both can be made more sustainable. My label is Miss Dimple Couture; see more pieces on Instagram.

Miss Dimple Couture logo: a dress on a hanger
Dark purple abaya with pink piping and fabric-covered buttons
Abaya with contrast piping and covered buttons.
Mauve abaya with beaded leaf motifs and grey trim
Abaya with beaded leaf motifs and grey trim.

Contact me

I’m open to research collaborations, product management projects, mentorship and freelance work.

Email
misdimple98@gmail.com
Phone
+234 803 071 1139
Location
Kano, Nigeria