CAS Announces 2026 CAS Future Leaders

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