Winston Wole Soboyejo is an American

materials scientist Materials science is an interdisciplinary field of researching and discovering materials. Materials engineering is an engineering field of finding uses for materials in other fields and industries. The intellectual origins of materials scien ...

of Yoruba

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

parentage. His research focuses on biomaterials and the use of nanoparticles for the detection and treatment of disease, the mechanical properties of materials, and the use of materials science to promote global development. He was appointed President at

SUNY Polytechnic Institute The State University of New York Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Polytechnic Institute or SUNY Poly) is a public university in the Marcy, New York, town of Marcy, New York, in the Utica–Rome metropolitan area. It is part of the State University of ...

and began his service on October 2, 2023.

Early life and education

Wole was born in Palo Alto, California, in 1964. He moved to Nigeria with his family in 1965. Wole is the son of Professor Alfred Sobojeyo of the Ohio State University and Anthonia Soboyejo. He was educated at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

( BSc, Mechanical Engineering, 1985) and

Churchill College, Cambridge Churchill College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. It has a primary focus on science, engineering and technology, but retains a strong interest in the arts ...

(PhD, Materials Science and Metallurgy, 1988).

Career

Wole returned to the United States in 1988 to become a research scientist at The McDonnell Douglas Research Labs in St. Louis, MO. In 1992, he worked briefly as a Principal Research Engineer at the Edison Welding Institute before joining the engineering faculty of The

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

in Columbus, OH. From 1997 to 1998, he was a visiting professor in the departments of mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering at

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

. He served as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Secretary General of the United Nations from 2014 to 2016. Dr. Soboyejo moved to Princeton University in 1999 where he served as a professor of

mechanical Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations o ...

and

aerospace engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

and a professor in the Princeton Institute of Science and Technology of Materials (PRISM). He also served as the director of the U.S./Africa Materials Institute (USAMI), one of six international materials institutes supported by the National Science Foundation, and the Director of the Materials Undergraduate Research Program in PRISM. Between 2012 and 2014, Soboyejo served as president and provost of the African University of Science and Technology (AUST) in Abuja, Nigeria. AUST is a Pan-African university founded by the Nelson Mandela Institutions (NMI). Soboyejo has also served as the chair of the African Scientific Committee of the NMI. In September 2016, Wole joined the faculty and administration at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) where he served as the Bernard M. Gordon Dean of Engineering and Professor of Engineering Leadership, prior to being named Senior Vice President and Provost. His research focuses on materials for health, energy and the environment. His current projects include the use of nanomaterials for targeting and treating cancer; a shear assay technique that may be able to measure the mechanical properties of

organelle In cell biology, an organelle is a specialized subunit, usually within a cell (biology), cell, that has a specific function. The name ''organelle'' comes from the idea that these structures are parts of cells, as Organ (anatomy), organs are to th ...

s in the cell; the development of low cost

solar cell A solar cell, also known as a photovoltaic cell (PV cell), is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by means of the photovoltaic effect.

s/light emitting devices; and sustainable approaches to providing clean water, affordable housing and education to people in the developing world. In 2021, he was elected a member of the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...

for contributions to understanding dynamic behavior of materials and for leadership in STEM outreach in Africa.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Soboyejo, Winston Wole Living people Alumni of King's College London Alumni of Churchill College, Cambridge 21st-century African-American scientists American materials scientists American people of Nigerian descent American people of Yoruba descent Princeton University faculty Nigerian scientists Yoruba scientists American aerospace engineers Yoruba engineers Ohio State University faculty African-American engineers 21st-century African-American academics 21st-century American academics 1964 births Fellows of the African Academy of Sciences