Global program equips outstanding early-career scientists with leadership skills to shape the future of science
COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) specializing in scientific knowledge management, is pleased to announce the 2026 CAS Future Leaders™. Chosen from a competitive global applicant pool, the new cohort of early‑career scientists conducts research across areas such as cheminformatics, synthetic biology, and materials science.
Participants will attend leadership and career development workshops, learn about mentorship from industry leaders, participate in science discourse, and forge connections with fellow scientists during the in-person program in August.
“We are proud to support early-career scientists who want to strengthen their leadership and communication skills. The strong interest in this year’s program reflects the value scientists see in developing capabilities that amplify their impact in their fields,” said Peter Carlton, CAS Future Leaders program director.
The 2026 CAS Future Leaders:
- Jeanette A. Adjei, University of California, Merced
- Ashton Aleman, Stanford University
- Jusung An, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Juliana Rodriguez Antonio, Southern Methodist University
- Lucas Attia, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Alicia Battaglia, University of Toronto
- Isabela Alves de Albuquerque Bessa, Universidade Federal Fluminense
- Shinhyeong Choe, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
- Marcel Roy Domalanta, North Dakota State University
- Blaine Fiss, Dalhousie University
- Adrián de la Fuente Ballesteros, Leuphana University
- Anthony Griffin, University of Southern Mississippi
- Ainoa Guinart Planellas, ETH Zürich
- Tarisha Gupta, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar
- Anjali Gurajapu, California Institute of Technology
- Hannah Holmes, Stanford University
- Scarlet Hopkins, Griffith University
- Maggie Horst, University of California, San Francisco
- Nishu Kanwa, Radboud University
- Daniel Krajovic, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Kaitlin Landy, University of Chicago
- Valeria Belén López Cervantes, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
- Kenneth Lopez Perez, University of Florida
- Guanyu Lu, Northwestern University
- Andrés Merino-Restrepo, University of Alberta
- Racchana Ramamurthy, McGill University
- Alicia Robang, Weill Cornell Medicine
- Humphrey Sam Samuel, Emory University
- Nitesh Sanghai, University of Manitoba
- Yohei Tanifuji, Keio University
- Vishal Yadav, Pennsylvania State University
The two-week program will offer participants exclusive insight into CAS operations and how the organization transforms scientific knowledge into actionable intelligence for innovative organizations. Participants will have the opportunity to present their research at the ACS Fall 2026 conference in Chicago, IL, and will receive a three-year ACS membership.
“I am truly honored to join the 2026 CAS Future Leaders class alongside an extraordinary cohort of scientists. This program is an incredible opportunity to forge powerful connections, grow as a humanized leader, and amplify curiosity-driven research that moves science forward, creating a positive impact in human lives,” said Nitesh Sanghai, University of Manitoba.
Beyond the in-person participants, CAS extends virtual programming and career support to additional exceptional scientists through the CAS Future Leaders Top 100 initiative. Developing skilled, confident scientific leaders is central to the CAS mission of advancing scientific breakthroughs that improve lives.
For more details about the 2026 CAS Future Leaders, visit www.cas.org/about/futureleaders.
About CAS
CAS connects the world’s scientific knowledge to accelerate breakthroughs that improve lives. We empower global innovators to efficiently navigate today’s complex data landscape and make confident decisions in each phase of the innovation journey. As a specialist in scientific knowledge management, our team builds the largest authoritative collection of human-curated scientific data in the world and provides essential information solutions, services, and expertise. Scientists, patent professionals, and business leaders across industries rely on CAS to help them uncover opportunities, mitigate risks, and unlock shared knowledge so they can get from inspiration to innovation faster. CAS is a division of the American Chemical Society. Connect with us at cas.org.
Media contact:
Joe Singh
Senior Communications Manager
Cas-PR@cas.org
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