Rising CBE Senior is a 2025-26 Astronaut Scholar

Tochukwu “TK” Aniekwensi has been selected by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) to join the elite group of Astronaut Scholars for the 2025-26 academic year. TK will be a senior in chemical engineering in the fall and has been conducting undergraduate research in Prof. Fanxing Li’s lab since the Spring 2024 semester. He is currently enrolled in the Sustainable Engineering, Energy, and Environment concentration, is on the honors in chemical engineering track, and plans to pursue an accelerated master’s degree with the department after graduation. 

This year the ASF awarded 74 scholarships to students from 51 different universities across the nation. The scholarships are given to students with the intent to pursue research or advance their field of study upon completion of their final degree. These students are among the best and brightest minds in STEM and show initiative, creativity, and excellence in their field.

TK chose to apply for this scholarship because of the doors it can open. This distinction creates several networking and mentoring opportunities for the scholars. “I have seen a lot of very accomplished people pass through this program and I aspire to be like them,” he explains, “I also thought I fit the narrative of what an Astronaut scholar looks like: hard working, thoroughly engaged with research, and set on changing the world in whatever way I can.” He is interested in supporting the energy industry and wants to work towards revolutionizing the energy portfolio.

TK describes himself as “authentically curious” and it has been this sense of curiosity that inspired him to pursue a degree and career in STEM. He credits the understanding of complex systems and innovative problem solving that chemical engineering requires with why he has been successful in the field. His love for STEM extends beyond the department and he has been taking advanced coursework in mathematics in addition to the chemical engineering curriculum. 

TK has worked with Prof. Lisa Bullard to help formulate a path toward his educational and career goals, and would like to thank her as well as a few others for their support:

“I want to acknowledge Dr. Fanxing Li and William Martin for helping build technical lab skills, and Dr. Bullard and Dr. Kim Roberts for their support professionally.”

Congratulations on this achievement, TK!