From foreigner to successful scientist—My journey around the world and into materials science

By Randy Ngelale

I sometimes like to wonder if I could travel back in time and meet my 16-year-old self—would he be proud of the person he would one day become? At a young age, science was something that intrigued me but seemed far beyond my options. I was born and raised in Nigeria, a developing nation crippled by lack of stable electricity despite the fact that the country’s major export is crude oil.