Congratulations to the 2024 CAS Future Leaders

Announcing the 2024 CAS Future Leaders! This group of exceptional Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scholars from around the world will take the next steps in their leadership journeys this August in Columbus, Ohio, and Denver, Colorado.

Announcing the 2024 CAS Future Leaders! This group of exceptional Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scholars from around the world will take the next steps in their leadership journeys this August in Columbus, Ohio, and Denver, Colorado.

CAS Future Leaders Program 2022

2024 CAS Future Leaders

2024 CAS Future Leaders

This year's participants were selected from among hundreds of highly qualified applicants, representing a wide array of scientific disciplines and organizations from around the world. Congratulations to our 2024 class:

Aziz Abu-Saleh, University of Windsor, Canada
Noah Bartfield, Yale University, United States
Michelle Brann, Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, United States
Rosemary L. Calabro, U.S. Army DEVCOM Armaments Center and United States Military Academy, United States
Xiangkun (Elvis) Cao, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States
Áine Coogan, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Chiara Deriu, Politecnico di Torino, Italy
Madison Elaine Edwards, Texas A&M University, United States
Olga Eremina, University of Southern California, United States
Inès Forrest, Scripps Research Institute, United States
Patrick W. Fritz, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
Nabojit Kar, Indiana University Bloomington, United States
Stavros Kariofillis, Columbia University, United States
Joshua Kofsky, Queen's University, Canada
Eric Kohn, University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States
Danielle Maxwell, University of Detroit Mercy, United States
Keita Mori, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan
Aditya Nandy, University of Chicago, United States
Akachukwu Obi, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States
Ernest Opoku, Auburn University, United States
Daisy Pooler, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
Pragti, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, India
Stephanie Schneider, McMaster University, Canada
Ekaterina Selivanovitch, Cornell University, United States
Hanchen Shen, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, China
Lilian Sophie Szych, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
Alexander Umanzor, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, United States
Ken Aldren Usman, Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University - Waurn Ponds, Australia
Sara T. R. Velasquez, University of Twente, Netherlands
Gayatri Viswanathan, Iowa State University, United States
Kunyu Wang, University of Pennsylvania, United States
Athi Welsh, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Kyra Yap, Stanford University, United States
Yirui Zhang, Stanford University, United States
Junyi Zhao, Washington University in St. Louis, United States

Learn More

Join our global network of Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scholars in chemistry and related sciences.

299 alumni
38 countries/regions

Testimonials

"Beyond learning life lessons and skills from top leaders in the chemical industry, participating in Future Leaders gave me the opportunity to connect with inspiring scientists from all over the world, creating strong friendships with remarkable individuals who continue to be a source of support and motivation long after finishing the program."

—César A. Urbina-Blanco (2018), C&EN

"For a group of young scientists, strangers to one another, working in such diverse areas of chemical sciences, we connected on a level that no one had ever expected."
—Felicia Lim (2018), CAS Blog

"Being part of the Future Leaders transforms your life. You never forget the moment you get that email from CAS. But more importantly, you never forget the people you meet during the program."
—Fernando Gomollon Bel (2014), CAS Blog

More Testimonials

Why You Should Apply

The CAS Future Leaders program supports the growth of science leadership among early-career scientists. Since 2010, the program has awarded Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scholars opportunities to learn leadership skills, engage in scientific discourse, and connect with peer scientists and innovators from around the world.

 

Learn

Get exclusive leadership training from industry experts and learn how CAS connects the world’s scientific knowledge.

Engage

Share your latest discoveries to advance scientific knowledge at the American Chemical Society fall meeting.

Connect

Network to make meaningful connections with peer scientists and innovators from around the world.

2024 CAS Future Leaders Benefits

Expense-paid trip to CAS Headquarters in Columbus, Ohio
August 12-17, 2024
Expense-paid trip to ACS Fall 2024 in Denver, Colorado
August 18-22, 2024
$1,000 USD
3-year ACS membership
Profile featured in C&EN (201720182019, 20202022, and 2023 articles)
Complimentary registration for the ACS meeting
Opportunity to present your research at the ACS meeting
Complimentary registration for an ACS Professional and Leadership Development course at the ACS meeting
Lifetime membership in the CAS Future Leaders Alumni Community

The 2024 CAS Future Leaders Top 100 program recognizes additional outstanding applicants from our call for applications. This new initiative honors their accomplishments and provides exclusive Top 100 benefits to support the growth of their science leadership potential.

2024 CAS Future Leaders Top 100 Benefits

Exclusive virtual leadership training and networking opportunities
Lifetime membership in the CAS Future Leaders Alumni Community
1-year ACS membership

Frequently Asked Questions

Am I eligible to apply? 

You must be a current Ph.D. student (or plan to be enrolled in a Ph.D. program in 2024) or postdoctoral scholar in chemistry or related science, with a working knowledge of multiple research information tools. 

How do you define “postdoctoral scholar”?

We consider a postdoctoral scholar as an individual who has received a doctoral degree (or equivalent) and is engaged in a temporary period of mentored advanced training to enhance the professional skills and research independence needed to pursue their chosen career path.

More FAQ

Contact Us

Questions about the CAS Future Leaders program? See our FAQ and Terms & Conditions or email the CAS Future Leaders team.

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