Nigerian-born chemist and doctoral researcher, Humphrey Sam Samuel, has been honoured in the United States for his scholarly and community endeavours through grants and leadership awards.

Samuel is a PhD student and graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Chemistry at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where his assistantship is worth over $40,000. His research interests lie in physical chemistry, green chemistry, environmental chemistry, and material science.

Before Emory University, Samuel revealed that his leadership endeavours began as an undergraduate at the Federal University Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria, where he graduated with a First Class, and served as the student president of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the secretary of the American Chemical Society of the university’s chapter.

According to him, serving in these capacities taught him the importance of building community, fostering collaboration, and advocating for the value of science education in resource-limited environments.

“For me, leadership is the intentional use of one’s position, knowledge, and influence to create pathways for others. The leadership ideals I live by are integrity, collaboration, and impact. I believe that a true leader remains committed to excellence, even whenever no one is watching,” he said.

Samuel stated that since joining Emory University, he has been privileged to demonstrate leadership by serving as the Secretary of the Pi Alpha Chemical Society (PACS) at Emory University, which earned him the Heart of Emory SOAR Award. He was also awarded the 2026 Piedmont TATTO Fellowship and serves as a graduate teaching assistant.

His most recent honour, The CAS Future Leaders Award as one of the 30 emerging global scientists, he said, funded his trip to the CAS headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, for a two-week leadership programme and Chicago for the ACS Fall 2026 conference and a stipend of $1,000. Furthermore, the Leadership Development Award by the Younger Chemists Committee (YCC) of the American Chemical Society supported his participation in the YCC Leadership Development Track, providing him with invaluable training in scientific leadership, advocacy, and professional development.

The chemist spoke about his participation in the Green Chemistry for Climate and Sustainability Certificate Programme by the Yale School of the Environment, where emerging scientists were trained in the principles and applications of green chemistry for addressing climate change and sustainability challenges.

“The programme taught me how chemistry can be used as a powerful tool for environmental sustainability and provided me with a broader interdisciplinary perspective on the intersection of chemistry, policy, and sustainable development,” he said.

Samuel’s bio reveals that he has published and co-published over seventy peer-reviewed scholarly and book-chapter works. He stated that he volunteers through membership on editorial journal boards, membership in certified bodies, and fellowship activities.
He is also a peer reviewer of scholarly publications, and has completed 24 manuscript reviews across 12 international journals, contributed to six published articles through high-quality review reports, and supported 121 authors in improving research quality.
“Peer review is one of the most important forms of scientific leadership. By reviewing manuscripts for leading international journals, I contribute directly to maintaining the quality and integrity of global scientific literature,” he said.

Speaking about how he manages his scholarly and leadership activities with his Emory PhD programme, he revealed that time management, prioritisation, and passion are his three greatest tools.

“However, I also believe strongly that a scientist’s responsibility extends beyond the laboratory. So, I intentionally carve out time for my volunteer and service commitments, viewing them not as distractions but as complementary and enriching dimensions of my overall development as a scientist and leader,” he added.

The chemist said that his leadership activities extend to mentoring the next generation of Nigerian scientists, which he does through virtual trainings, maintaining strong connections with students, and providing guidance on scientific writing, grant applications, and career development.

Humphrey Samuel noted that students can effectively manage academic work and leadership work and still graduate with stellar results. He advised students to create a school-life balance, develop a strong commitment to academic excellence, and get involved in extracurricular and leadership activities strategically.