Former Rwandan education minister joins elite group limited to 0.5% of APS membership, recognized for work on STEM, women in science and sustainable global collaboration
WORCESTER, Mass. — Romain Murenzi, a Rwandan physicist, former Minister of Education and current professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, has been elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society, one of the most prestigious international recognitions in physics.
The APS announced the election as a significant milestone, noting that Fellowship is reserved for no more than half of one percent of the society’s global membership each year. Unlike general professional membership, election to APS Fellowship requires peer nomination and approval by the APS Council of Representatives, and is intended to recognize individuals who have made exceptional and lasting contributions to physics.
According to the official APS citation, Murenzi was recognized “for extraordinary leadership in leveraging science for peace and progress: creating opportunities for women and girls in science, championing STEM education in Rwanda and the developing world, and launching innovative programmes fostering sustainable global collaborations and excellence.”
The recognition places Murenzi among a select group of international scientists whose contributions extend beyond technical research to include public policy, scientific diplomacy and expanding access to education in developing countries.
Murenzi is currently a professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. His career spans decades across scientific research, higher education, public service and global science policy.
He served as Rwanda’s Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Scientific Research from 2001 to 2006. In 2006, he moved to the President’s Office as Minister Responsible for Science, Technology and Scientific Research, including Information and Communications Technology, a role he held until 2009.
In 2009, Murenzi joined the American Association for the Advancement of Science as a senior scholar before becoming director of its Center for Science, Technology and Sustainable Development. He later joined UNESCO, where he directed the Division of Science Policy and Capacity Building in the Natural Sciences sector from 2016 to 2017.
Murenzi also spent more than a decade leading The World Academy of Sciences, an organization dedicated to advancing scientific capacity and research excellence in developing nations. He served as its executive director from 2011 to 2016 and returned for a second term from 2017 to 2023. During his tenure, TWAS expanded its education and training fellowships, elevated its role in international science policy and strengthened scientific cooperation across the Global South.
In addition, between 2014 and 2015, Murenzi chaired the United Nations Secretary-General’s high-level panel on establishing a Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries, an initiative aimed at strengthening access to technology, scientific knowledge and intellectual property for vulnerable economies.
The APS Fellowship adds to a career that has increasingly bridged the worlds of scientific research, government and international development. For Murenzi, the honor reflects not only his contributions to physics but also his long-running effort to use science as a tool for education, opportunity and global cooperation.
