Prof. Nelson Torto is a renowned analytical chemist, executive leader, and science policy advisor with a distinguished career spanning academia, government, and international research organizations. He is currently Permanent Secretary in Botswana’s Ministry of Higher Education and previously served as the Founding Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Communications, Knowledge and Technology and for the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Research, Science, and Technology, where he championed digitalization and innovation to drive national transformation. Prof. Torto is a graduate of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (BSc Hons), University of Botswana (MSc), and Lund University in Sweden (PhD).

He has held leading academic positions including Full Professor and Head of Chemistry at Rhodes University and Associate Professor at the University of Botswana, where he also founded the Centre for Scientific Research Indigenous Knowledge and Innovation (CesriKi). As the former Executive Director of the African Academy of Sciences and Founding CEO of the Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation (BITRI), Prof. Torto fostered a collaborative, impact-driven research culture across Africa. An accomplished researcher, Prof. Torto has published over 130 papers, supervised 19 PhDs, and holds several patents in material chemistry and nanotechnology applications for health, biotechnology, water, and the environment.

He has received numerous international honors, including the American Chemical Society’s Young Investigator Award in Separation Science and has led major scientific bodies such as the African Network of Analytical Chemists (SEANAC). Dedicated to evidence-based policy, he serves on several advisory boards and panels both in Africa and internationally, including the UK Research Council and the editorial board of Chromatographia. Prof. Torto is also an accredited Time to Think Coach, Facilitator, and Ontological Coach, and is celebrated for his keynote talks and master classes worldwide. He is a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences, the Botswana Academy of Sciences, and the Royal Society of Chemistry. Prof. Torto’s leadership, global outlook, and commitment to science for societal transformation continue to inspire the next generation of innovators and policy-makers.