Nelson Torto is the executive director of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS), Nairobi, where he oversees the mandate of AAS, which includes promoting partnerships, mobilizing the scientific African community, leading science advocacy efforts, and using research in policymaking processes to ensure that science remains at the forefront of the agenda in Africa and is adequately supported to transform the lives of its people. Prior to joining the AAS, Professor Torto was the founding chief executive officer of the Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation (BITRI), a national research institution. His other appointments include full professor in analytical chemistry and head of the chemistry department at Rhodes University, associate professor at the University of Botswana, analytical editor of the South African Journal of Chemistry. He is a founding director of the Centre for Scientific Research Indigenous Knowledge and Innovation (CesriKi). He has also served in various capacities in pan African and international networks and organizations, including the African Network of Analytical Chemists (SEANAC) and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry's Division V. Professor Torto is a recipient of several international awards, including the American Chemical Society's Young Investigators in Separation Science Award and the Award for Collaboration in Analytical Chemistry from the Nigerian Chemical Society, Osuni Chapter. He has a B.Sc. Hons in chemistry from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in the United Kingdom, an M.Sc. from the University of Botswana, and a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Lund University in Sweden. Professor Torto is a Time to Think coach and has completed an ontology coaching program.