The official biography below was current at the time of the award. Awardees may choose to provide their latest biographical information on their profile page.

Dr. Steven F. Watkins is involved with programs at Louisiana State University known to produce the largest number of African-American doctorates in chemistry than any other university in the country. The number of African American graduates increased from 3-11 over a 10-year period and now is sustained annually at that level. The success achieved in graduation rate is but one of several accomplishments of comparable quality in which Dr. Steven F. Watkins has played an indispensable role.