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In its 31st year, the Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Visiting Professors and Scholars Program will host nine outstanding scholars from across America. The flagship program honors the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. by increasing the presence and recognition of underrepresented minority scholars at MIT. Throughout the year, the cohort will enhance its scholarship through intellectual engagement with the MIT community and enrich the students’ cultural, academic and professional experience.
The scholarship holders 2021-22
Sanford Biggers is an interdisciplinary artist in the Department of Architecture. His work is an interplay of narrative, perspective and history that addresses current social, political and economic events and at the same time examines their context. His diverse practice positions him as a collaborator with the past by exploring often overlooked cultural and political narratives from American history. Working with his Faculty host, Brandon Clifford, he will spend the year contributing to projects involving architecture; Art, culture and technology; the transmedia storytelling initiatives; and community workshops and commitment to local K-12 education.
Kristen Dorsey is an Assistant Professor of Engineering at Smith College. It is moderated by the Program in Media Arts and Sciences at the MIT Media Lab. Her research focuses on the manufacture and characterization of microscale sensors and microelectromechanical systems. Dorsey tries to understand “why something goes wrong” by examining the reliability and stability of the devices. At MIT, Dorsey is keen to forge collaborations to address access and equity issues related to wearable health devices.
Omolola “Lola” Eniola-Adefeso is the Assistant Dean of Graduate and Professional Education and Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan. She will join the Department of Chemical Engineering (ChemE) at MIT. Eniola-Adefeso will collaborate with Professor Paula Hammond on the development of electrostatically assembled nanoparticle coatings that enable the targeting of specific immune cell types. As co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Asalyxa Bio, she is interested in the interactions between blood leukocytes and endothelial cells in the vascular lumen lining and how they change during an inflammatory reaction. Eniola-Adefeso will also work with the Diversity in Chemical Engineering (DICE) PhD group at ChemE and the National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers.
Robert Gilliard Jr. is an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Virginia and will join the MIT chemistry department and work closely with faculty host Christopher Cummins. His research focuses on various aspects of the chemistry of the Group 15 elements. He was a founding member of the UGA section of the National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers and was a mentor of the Bridge Program of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and a mentor of the ACS project. Gilliard has also worked with the Cleveland Public Library to introduce various young scholars to STEM areas.
Valencia Joyner Koomson ’98, MNG ’99 will return to MIT for the second term of her calling this fall. At Tufts University, where she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Koomson has focused her research on microelectronic systems for cell analysis and biomedical applications. Last semester she was a juror for the Black Alumni / ae of the MIT Research Slam and worked closely with the Faculty’s host, Professor Akintunde Akinwande.
Luis Gilberto Murillo-Urrutia will continue his appointment to MIT’s Environmental Solutions Initiative. He has over 30 years of experience in shaping, implementing and advocating public policy, particularly in the areas of sustainable regional development, environmental protection and natural resource management, social inclusion and peacebuilding. At MIT, he continued his research on environmental justice with a focus on carbon policy and its impact on Afro-tribal communities in Colombia.
Sonya T. Smith was the first professor of mechanical engineering at Howard University. She will join the aerospace division at MIT. Her research includes numerical fluid mechanics and the thermal management of electronics for aircraft and space vehicles. She looks forward to mentoring underrepresented students at MIT and promoting new research collaborations with her home laboratory in Howard.
Lawrence Udeigwe is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Manhattan College and will join MIT’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. He plans to teach an advanced seminar with Professor James DiCarlo to investigate practical and philosophical questions related to the use of simulations to develop theories in neuroscience. Udeigwe also heads the Lorens Chuno group; As a singer-songwriter, his work deals with intersectionality problems that contemporary Africans face.
S. Craig Watkins is an internationally recognized media expert and professor at the University of Texas at Austin. He will join MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society to help research the role of big data in enabling profound structural change in relation to systemic racism. He will continue his work as the founding director of the Institute for Media Innovation at the University of Texas at Austin, exploring the intersections of critical AI studies, critical racial studies and design. He will also work with MIT’s Center for Advanced Virtuality to develop computer systems that support social perspective taking.
Commitment to the community
During the academic year 2021-22, MLK professors and scientists will present their research in a monthly series of lectures. The events take place in a personal / zoom hybrid environment. All members of the MIT community are encouraged to participate in this year’s cohort of outstanding scientists and hear from them directly. To learn more about upcoming events, subscribe to their mailing list.
On September 15, everyone is invited to welcome the fellows of the Institute Community and Equity Office with a welcome dinner on campus.
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