Biography
Balla Diop Ngom is Professor of Nanomaterials Physics at the Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar (UCAD), Senegal, and Director of its Laboratory of Quantum Photonics, Energy and Nanofabrication. He holds a PhD in Physics from UCAD and a second PhD in Nanomaterials Physics from the University of the Western Cape, South Africa.
With more than fifteen years of research experience and over one hundred scientific publications, Professor Ngom works on advanced nanomaterials and biomass-derived materials for energy storage, renewable energy and environmental applications, with particular emphasis on valorising African resources for sustainable technological solutions. He has held leadership positions within the African Materials Research Society and the NanoSciences African Network, and in 2026 was elected Vice President for Western Africa of the African Academy of Sciences for the 2026–2029 term. In accepting LAS Fellowship he wrote of his delight in contributing to materials science, renewable energy, advanced laboratory training, scientific capacity building and the development of young African researchers, and to strengthening scientific connections between Liberia, West Africa and the broader African scientific community.
His leadership of West African science is directly relevant to Liberia's integration into regional research networks.