The 2026 class of CAS Future Leaders has been unveiled, and the roster of 31 early career scientists features a formidable presence of Indian born and Indian origin researchers.
This prestigious initiative, directed by CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society selects top tier PhD candidates and postdoctoral scholars to undergo an intensive leadership and career development program in August.
For this year’s cohort, the “India connection” is a recurring theme. Many awardees began their academic journeys at premier Indian institutions before moving to North America or Europe to specialize in disciplines like molecular electrocatalysis and neurodegeneration.
Among the recipients is Vishal Yadav, a postdoctoral fellow at Pennsylvania State University. An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, Yadav earned his PhD in chemistry from Johns Hopkins University.
Growing up in India, Yadav cited former President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam as a foundational inspiration. “This recognition highlights something I care deeply about , leadership,” Yadav said. “For me, that has meant building community and helping create spaces where people can show up fully in science.”
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Another standout is Nitesh Sanghai, a researcher at the University of Manitoba, Canada, who is developing drug candidates for ALS. A first generation high school student from India, Sanghai moved to Canada in 2019 to honor a promise made to his late father to “do something new.” Reflecting on his selection, Sanghai said, “I aspire to humanize science by connecting authentically with scientific leaders… to amplify scientific voices for a positive impact on human lives.”
The list also includes Tarisha Gupta, a PhD scholar at IIT Gandhinagar. A Prime Minister’s Research Fellow, Gupta earned her bachelor’s at the University of Delhi and her master’s as a silver medalist at IIT Gandhinagar. She is currently a visiting researcher at the University of Lincoln in England.
Her peer, Anjali Gurajapu, a PhD candidate at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), brings a data science background from UC Berkeley to her research in machine learning for organic chemistry.
Other notable Indian-origin names in the 2026 class include Nishu Kanwa, an R&D scientist at Radboud University in Netherlands, who previously studied at Miranda House and IIT Indore, and Racchana Ramamurthy, a McGill University PhD candidate and Anna University Chennai alumna.
“We are proud to support early-career scientists who want to strengthen their leadership and communication skills,” said Peter Carlton, CAS Future Leaders program director. The program will culminate this August at the ACS Fall 2026 meeting in Chicago, where these researchers will present their latest discoveries to the global scientific community.