Who We Are

Dr. Daniel Schwab is the Founder and President of STEM for Development (SFD), providing strategic direction and oversight for all educational programs and regional partnerships. In addition to his role with SFD, Dr. Schwab serves as a Science & Technology Policy Advisor in the Office of Science, Office of International Activities, Research Security, and Interagency Coordination (IRIC) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), where he supports science policy and programs related to international affairs. Prior to his current work, Dr. Schwab held fellowship positions at the U.S. Department of Defense Basic Research Office and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, and served as the Chair of the Education Committee at Afrisnet: Africa STEM Network. He holds a PhD in Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior from Indiana University, Bloomington, and is passionate about science diplomacy and supporting STEM talent across the world. He seeks to ensure that all students have equal opportunity to obtain advanced STEM education and achieve their dreams.

Nicholas Offei graduated from the University of Ghana in 2021 with a BSc in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology. After graduation, he spent a year as a Research Assistant at the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), where he explored the anticancer effects of natural products on cancer metastasis. He will be starting a PhD position in the Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology Program at Rutgers University in Fall 2023. He hopes to hone his skills in translational cancer research and contribute to the scientific community. Outside of work and school, he likes choral singing and teaching children. He is excited about mentoring early career STEM researchers, and is eager to assist them with their graduate school application process. 

Naomi Ducat is a business development proposal writer within the Chief Growth Office at Booz Allen Hamilton, where she writes proposal content on behalf of company executives pursuing billion-dollar federal contracts. She obtained this role after holding consulting positions for the U.S. Department of Defense, where she developed communications and business processes to drive operational efficiencies, enabling government leaders to foster international relationships, understand policies, identify and mitigate risks, plan for crises, and make strategic operational decisions. Naomi is PMP certified and has a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Oxford. 

Oluwadamilola Salau is a PhD Student in Geography and a University Fellow at the Ohio State University (OSU). She is a hydro-climatologist interested in modeling the impact of extreme weather events on vulnerable populations and infrastructure. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees in Geography and Planning from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. Oluwadamilola advocates for the inclusion of vulnerable communities in urban planning geared towards mitigating climate-related disasters. 

Isaac Kaba is currently a PhD student in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. He began his undergraduate studies in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) before transferring to the University of Toledo in the U.S., where he earned a BSc in Pharmacy with college and departmental honors in Medicinal and Biological Chemistry. His research lies at the intersection of chemical biology and drug discovery. His current work focuses on developing new chemical tools to modulate cytokine signaling, intending to advance our understanding of immune cell signaling and enable new therapeutic approaches for diseases such as cancer and autoimmune disorders. Isaac has received numerous recognitions, including the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Scholarship (2020), the STEM DRC Excellence Scholarship (2021), the Golden Key Undergraduate Achievement Award (2022), the Phi Kappa Phi Pioneer Award (2023), the Sung-Hou and Rosalind Kim Graduate Fund in Chemical Biology (2024), and most recently the GEM Fellowship with Genentech (2025).

Alongside his commitment to scientific research, Isaac is passionate about education, science outreach, and STEM mentorship to empower the next generation of scientists. He served in several leadership roles, including as the Vice President of the African Students’ Association at the University of Toledo and the General Secretary of the executive committee of the Pharmaceutical Scientific Circle at the University of Kinshasa. He also volunteers as a Training Facilitator with the Ethical Servant Leadership Center and Malaika in the DRC. He is fluent in both French and English. As the Head of African Affairs at SFD, he hopes to strengthen our regional partnerships across Sub-Saharan Africa and integrate Francophone institutions into SFD initiatives to facilitate access to world-class graduate programs for young talents across the continent.