MSU’s Ridwan earns spot among world’s top young scientists as CAS Future Leader
Contact: Meg Henderson
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Ridwan Ayinla, a doctoral student from Mississippi State’s College of Forest Resources, is one of only 35 people from across the globe joining the American Chemical Society’s prestigious Chemical Abstracts Services Future Leaders Class of 2025.
Launched in 2010, the CAS Future Leaders program supports emerging scientists in fields such as nanotechnology, green chemistry and related disciplines as they begin their professional careers and develop into future leaders in science.
Participants will travel to CAS headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, from Aug. 11-16 for a week of leadership skills development, networking and engagement in scientific discourse. The following week, they will attend the ACS Fall 2025 meeting in Washington, D.C., to present their research and complete professional development training. Class members also receive a three-year ACS membership and a $1,000 stipend.
Originally from Afon in Kwara State, Nigeria, Ayinla came to MSU after earning his bachelor’s degree from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology and a master’s from University Teknologi PETRONAS in Malaysia. Now a fifth-year doctoral student studying sustainable bioproducts, Ayinla has received previous accolades for his research into green batteries and supercapacitors, which store energy from agricultural waste. As his graduate studies at MSU draw to a close, he looks to the CAS Future Leaders program as an opportunity to initiate the next stage of his career.
“I look forward to connecting with other young scientists from around the world. Most scientific breakthroughs happen as a result of collaboration,” Ayinla said. “I’m also looking forward to the potential for leadership growth this opportunity provides.”
Ayinla credits MSU’s sustainable bioproducts faculty for supporting him through his educational journey, comparing the department to “good soil” where students, like seeds, can grow and flourish in their studies.
“My advisor, the department head and the rest of the faculty have been incredibly supportive,” he said. “They have not only set a high standard for my work but also have guided me on how to strive for and achieve it.”
“Ridwan’s work is exceptional, and his creativity truly stands out,” said El Barbary Hassan, Ayinla’s advisor and a professor in the department. “I’m happy to see him get this global recognition. It is well deserved.”
For more on MSU’s Department of Sustainable Bioproducts, visit www.bioproducts.msstate.edu.
Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.