After a long break, Postgraduate Nigeria is back with Shining the Spotlight. American of Nigerian descent (supposedly) is shining brightly in the rare field of astrophysics. See previous spotlights.
Hakeem Oluseyi, Astro-physicist who addressed MIT School of Science Postgraduate Convocation
Early Life
Born March 13, 1967, in New Orleans, the United States as James Plummer Jnr, this black star re-identified as Hakeem Muata Oluseyi to honour his African descent. Hakeem is now a reputable name among African-Americans in STEM, especially astrophysics.
Last month, specifically on Wednesday 31st May, Hakeem Oluseyi was a special guest at the MIT School of Science advanced degree ceremony. Such an honour for a personality of no small stature. To be clear, Hakeem Oluseyi is currently the president of the National Society of Black Physicists in the United States.
Academic Profile of Hakeem Oluseyi
From the backwaters of New Orleans, this black genius now rubs minds with the greatest intellectuals in science. Hakeem Oluseyi attended Tougaloo College, an HBCU. At this institution, he bagged a bachelor of science degrees in Physics and Mathematics. He proceeded to a Master’s and Doctorate degrees in physics at Stanford University. The academic speciality was in astrophysics under the tutelage of the late Arthur Walker Jr.
At Stanford, Hakeem Oluseyi collaborated with Walker on a major astrophysics project, the Multi-Spectral Solar Telescope Array. This work pioneered the ultraviolet and soft X-ray imaging of the sun’s transition region and corona.
Post Stanford University, Hakeem has received many appointments and fellowships. This includes Martin Luther King, Jr. visiting scholar at Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT. As part of his academic accolades as a STEM educator, Hakeem is the current president of the National Society of Black Physicists.
Success outside Academics
For Hakeem, his academic and research success also echoes in industry. Recently, he worked with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) space mission directorate. Here, his role was in space science education.
Working in the fields of astrophysics, cosmology, and plasma physics, and the development of space missions and similar subject has produced at least 10 patents. In 2021, he published a memoir titled, “A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars”.
Big ups to Hakeem Oluseyi, for blazing the trail in an uncommon field. Postgraduate Nigeria celebrates you