Meet Emma Etim, Nigerian researcher named ‘Global Future Leader’

Emma Etim, a Nigerian researcher at the University of Nottingham, is gaining international recognition after being named a Global Future Leader, an honour that highlights his impact, innovation, and rising influence in academia.

Emma, a PhD researcher, and a postgraduate teaching assistant in the School of Geography at the University of Nottingham, emerged winner at the 2026 U21 Leader of the Future in Glasslow, receiving international recognition for his research excellence, leadership and commitment to widening participation in higher education.

The award was announced on 21 April at the Universitas 21 Annual Network Meeting and Leadership Summit in Glasgow, which brought together senior leaders, researchers and students from across the global U21 network. Emma was honoured for his exceptional contributions as an emerging scholar, whose work and values are helping to shape the future of global higher education.

Emma’s research, funded by the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF-Nigeria), examines how environmental responsibility is constructed across cultural, institutional and behavioural contexts. His work is already informing international discourse on sustainability, policy and social responsibility, establishing him as a researcher whose influence extends well beyond academia.

Emma responding to the recognition, said, “This recognition affirms my belief that research and academic work are most meaningful when they enable others to imagine new possibilities and contribute to meaningful change.”

Alongside his academic work, Emma is deeply committed to widening participation in higher education. He mentors students and works with The Brilliant Club to support young people from underrepresented backgrounds to access and succeed at university.

As part of the U21 celebrations in Glasgow, Emma was also invited to contribute to the inaugural U21 Leadership Summit, ensuring student and early‑career researcher perspectives were included in discussions shaping the sector’s future.

He joined a high‑profile panel which also included Dame Katherine Grainger, Chair of UK Sport and Chancellor of the University of Glasgow; Professor Sir David MacMillan, Nobel Laureate, Princeton University; and Linda Cowan, Managing Director, Kaplan International Pathways to discuss “Opportunity for all: reimagining access to higher education”, sharing insights from his research and widening participation work alongside global higher education leaders.

For his first degree, Emma graduated from University of Calabar (UNICAL) in 2022, where he studied Public Administration from 2019 to 2022. Before travelling to the United Kingdom, he spent some year at the Lagos Business School-Pan Atlantic University.