Meet doctoral candidate Ernest Opoku

In 2023, Ernest Opoku received an Outstanding Doctoral Student Award from the Graduate School.

Originally from rural Dadease near Kumawu of the Ashanti region in Ghana, West Africa, first-generation college student Ernest Opoku is living out his passion for chemistry as a doctoral student in professor J.V. Ortiz’s quantum chemistry group at Auburn University.

Opoku has been awarded numerous accolades and much recognition both within Auburn’s College of Sciences and Mathematics (COSAM) and outside the Plains, where he has garnered great admiration as a respected quantum chemist.

Naturally curious about the world around him, Opoku fell in love with science as a young boy.

“I always wanted to understand how things worked,” Opoku said. “I desired to understand God’s creation from a molecular level. As I grew older, I realized that science and chemistry provided many of the answers to nature and how it exists.”

However, he faced obstacles early in his academic journey, as the public schools in Dadease either chose not to offer science courses or simply couldn’t because of a lack of funding and resources.

“General science wasn’t an option at Dadease Agricultural Senior High School (DASHS). There wasn’t a laboratory or teachers for the courses. Students who went could only pursue business studies, general or visual arts.

“But I wasn’t deterred by this setback. I wanted to be a scientist — to study science — so I organized a few of my classmates, and we petitioned the headmaster at our school to incorporate elective science courses into the institution. He granted our request and that’s how the DASHS science program was introduced to the high school, and we became the first students to participate.”

Award-winning chemist

Named a 2024 CAS Future Leader in March, Opoku was selected from a large pool of global candidates who applied for a spot in the program. He earned the Chemical Computing Group Excellence Award and had one of his recently published articles selected as one of the 2024 Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics Hot Articles, also featured in the journal’s 25th-anniversary issue.

At Auburn, Opoku was chosen to receive the Harry Merriwether Fellowship, granted annually to graduate students to recognize their devotion to their academic pursuits and contributions to their fields of study, and the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award, which recognizes the work of graduate teaching assistants (GTA) demonstrated through excellence in the classroom and laboratory. In 2023, he was awarded a Dow Fellowship and the Dean’s Research Award in COSAM and received an Outstanding Doctoral Student Award from the Graduate School.

With an abundance of awards and honors tacked to his resume and nearly a dozen publications listed, one couldn’t possibly imagine the amount of hard work and devotion required to stay grounded and committed to his research, even in the face of adversity. However, for Opoku, work doesn’t feel like work at all.

“My work is my hobby,” Opoku said. “I enjoy it. If I’m not sleeping or teaching, then I am researching. This is the triangle of my life.”

Opoku’s PhD research focuses on developing and applying new-generation electron-propagator methods for computing electron binding energies (EBEs) and Dyson orbitals. EBEs are the amounts of energy required to remove an electron (ionization energy) or add an electron (electron affinity) in chemical transformations. EBEs figure prominently in electrochemistry, biochemical processes, materials science, molecular spectroscopy, and a multitude of organic and inorganic chemical reactions.

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Elephant toothpaste, flaming gummy bears and exploding pumpkins – oh my!

Opoku, second from left, and other members of the Auburn NOBBChE chapter visited Sanford Middle School in Opelika to conduct fun chemistry experiments with more than 450 students from fifth to eighth grade.

Making a difference

Apart from his research, Opoku participates in a student organization called NOBCChE [National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers]. He served as the president during the 2022-23 academic year and remains now as an active member.

NOBCChE initiates and supports local, regional, and national programs assisting people from historically marginalized groups in realizing their potential in academic and professional pursuits in chemistry, chemical engineering and related fields. The organization also promotes careers in science and technology as an achievable goal for elementary, middle and high school students.

In March 2022, the Auburn NOBBChE chapter visited Sanford Middle School in Opelika and conducted fun chemistry experiments with more than 450 students from fifth to eighth grade. Opoku and other NOBCChE members gave students demonstrations of chemical reactions by making “elephant toothpaste” and showed how energy is released by setting gummy bears aflame.

“I have always desired to encourage people from marginalized groups to participate in scientific education, research and policy,” said Opoku. “Being able to mentor future scientists, especially those from diverse backgrounds, is an honorable thing — I am committed to mentorship.

“Ultimate success is being able to make a meaningful impact in the lives of younger people because the continuity of scientific knowledge is critical.”

Opoku is living out his passion for chemistry as a doctoral student in professor J.V. Ortiz’s quantum chemistry group.

The Science of resilience

Opoku founded the Nesvard Institute of Molecular Sciences in Ghana as a gateway to effective academic support and guidance to build the diverse scientific abilities of young African students. He has used this initiative to mentor several individuals, many of whom have joined doctoral programs in the United States.

He wants students interested in science and chemistry to investigate these pursuits wholeheartedly and realize their potential as the future of these industries, encouraging them to take full advantage of every opportunity afforded them and not to allow adversity to sway them from pursuing what they want out of life.

“You cannot always accomplish every goal you have, some things are beyond our control,” Opoku said. “However, one thing we have absolute control over is making the best of our situations, so be patient with yourself — be patient with your education, make informed decisions and work as hard as possible to accomplish what you can.

“Challenges will surely come your way as you begin to explore and conquer new environments — it is a part of the growth process.”

Opoku will pursue postdoctoral studies, eventually taking up a tenure-track chemistry professor position. He will work to advocate for and implement sustainable initiatives, promoting equity in scientific research and science policy.