Nigerian Emerges First Black Woman To Get PhD In Robotics At Michigan

A Nigerian female engineer, Oluwami Dosunmu-Ogunbi, has made history by becoming the first black woman to earn a doctorate degree also known as PhD in Robotics at the University of Michigan, United States.

Dosunmu-Ogunjobi made this known on Saturday, while speaking at the University of Michigan’s College of Engineering convocation, on the roles of mentors and advocates in realising her aspirations.

Robotics is the interdisciplinary study and practice of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots. Within mechanical engineering, robotics is the design and construction of the physical structures of robots, while in computer science, robotics focuses on robotic automation algorithms

Oluwami, shortened as Wami, a daughter of Nigerian immigrants Dosunmu-Ogunbi, in the US, was elated about her remarkable feat, as she asserted, “I am the first Black woman to get a PhD in Robotics at the University of Michigan.”

Wami Dosunmu-Ogunjobi said, “I do not stand here on my own two feet alone. None of us got here by our individual merit alone, whether it be teacher, friends, family, mentors, or role models, we each have one or multiple people to whom we are grateful for making this moment possible.”

Speaking on what she wanted to be remembered for, the Nigerian female robotics engineer said she wanted to be remembered as the University of Michigan’s first black woman to get a PhD in Robotics, and as a person using her knowledge in engineering to improve the lives of others.

“A Michigan Engineer is one who does not just provide scientific and technological leadership, but is also one who is intellectually curious, socially conscious, creates collaborative solutions to societal problems, and promotes an inclusive and innovative community of service for the common good,” Wami Dosunmu-Ogunjobi said.

She added, “We each have a solemn duty to make positive contributions to the world. Well, my reasons for becoming an engineer were initially frivolous, but they eventually moved into something more meaningful. I want to have a positive impact on the world.”

The University of Michigan Robotics Department website describes Dosunmu-Ogunbi’s journey as one shared by many PhD students who initially lack a clear vision for their final goals.

In her website, Dosunmu-Ogunjobi revealed several achievements in her academic journey at the university which included saying, “I was awarded the Intersectional Advocacy Award in recognition for my dedication to honoring and advocating for the intersectional nature of students’ many identities through involvement and activities.”

She also wrote in one of the posts, “I spoke at the College of Engineering Graduate Student Commencement at the University of Michigan on May 1, 2024.” Other posts with photos included, “I presented a poster at the Midwestern Robotics Workshop in Chicago on April 18, 2024.

“I was awarded the Intersectional Advocacy Award in recognition for my dedication to honoring and advocating for the intersectional nature of students’ many identities through involvement and activities.

“I had the opportunity to inspire a group of high school girls from “Girls Who Code” by telling them about my PhD journey. I represented Michigan Robotics at the Robotic and Intelligent Systems Expo (RISE) at Purdue University on March 30, 2024,” Dosunmu-Ogunjobi added.

The number of Nigerians making waves in academics and technology across the globe keeps growing as they continually contribute to the development of inventions, innovations and ideas. The beautiful thing about the astounding feats is that both Nigerian men and women are blazing the trail.

Recently, Nigerian female scholar, Professor Rose-Margaret Ekeng-Itua, also emerged as the first black woman to earn a doctorate degree (Ph.D) in Cybernetics in the world.