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Nana Siaw-Mensah: All that glitters is not gold. . .but it might be diamonds!

A graduate student stands at a table full of research supplies as a group of 8 elementary students listen in.
Nana Siaw-Mensah shares his research with middle school students. Photo by Carrie Kroehler for Virginia Tech.

This piece was written in the spring of 2025 by GRAD 5144 (Communicating Science) student Tamalika Paul as part of an assignment to interview a classmate and write a news story about his research.

Nana Siaw-Mensah's research journey started in the field of mechanical engineering in Ghana, with a project focused on power generation. He worked on building a working wind turbine model. 

    But slowly he began to ask himself the “why” questions: "I loved mechanics, but I started wondering, what actually makes these machines work? What are they made of?" It was not a Eureka moment for him, he said, but rather a gradual realization that he needed to understand the science behind the machines to answer all his “why” questions.

    That desire for understanding led him to the decision to make the switch from mechanical engineering to materials science. His decision was also influenced by a visit from a Virginia Tech professor to Ghana for a collaborative project; that's when Siaw-Mensah realized his specific interest in the field of materials science.

    One of his most exciting current side projects is growing diamonds in the lab. Yes, you heard that right: Growing diamonds. 

A graduate student stands in front of the classroom mid-gesture while explaining his research to curious students.
Nana Siaw-Mensah describes his work to middle school students at an outreach event. Photo by Carrie Kroehler for Virginia Tech.

    His research focuses on making diamonds in a very cost-effective manner that is also sustainable — by using organic carbon sources. The whole process is complicated, he says, and explains that natural diamonds take up to a million years to build, so he is working on increasing the speed of the process, and his research focuses on sustainable carbon sources, too.

  "Diamonds are the hardest material known to man," Siaw-Mensah explains. "Imagine turning pistachios, pumpkins, or even coal into diamonds."

    Siaw-Mensah’s work faces significant competition from the diamond industry. He is working on securing the funding and protecting the lab’s intellectual property before they scale up the process. 

    Despite his busy graduate studies schedule, Siaw-Mensah enjoys mentoring undergraduate researchers.

    “It's rewarding,” he says. “When people ask for your advice, it means they trust your expertise. That's the best feeling!" 

    Siaw-Mensah is diving deep into materials science, and his journey is a reminder that our career paths are about following our burning curiosity, asking the right questions, and embracing the new opportunities that life gives you. 

    "If we can make durable, affordable, and sustainable diamonds, it would revolutionize industries. And hey, if I get rich in the process, that is a bonus," Siaw-Mensah jokes. But joking aside, his research has the potential to reshape the materials that we are already aware of, like diamonds, and that is amazing and priceless.