Bobby Haney, who will earn his Ph.D., in Chemical Engineering from FAMU on May 9th, has been selected for a post-doctoral position at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
When Haney, earned his undergraduate degree from a 2+2 program between Claflin University and Clemson University in South Carolina, perhaps his toughest challenge was trying to explain to his parents that he wanted to continue going to school after graduating, his parents were less than enthusiastic. After all, as a chemical engineering graduate with his bachelor’s degree he could get a job with a guaranteed income right away. Haney explained that this is the type of decision that students who come from low-income situations like his have to face when thinking about pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree. But for him, there was never a doubt.
“My older sister is the first person in the history of my family to go to college and get a degree,” Haney said. “Ten years later I got my degree in chemical engineering. To my family, getting an engineering degree was enough. It was synonymous with a high-paying job that would earn a salary no one in my family has ever seen. It was hard to convince them to see the bigger picture, but they supported my decision. Once I got my Ph.D., my family couldn’t be prouder.”
He plans to continue work as a research scientist before applying for a faculty position in a chemical engineering department. A post-doctoral term will allow him to research in areas that are different from his doctoral area of expertise.
“Harvard offered me an opportunity to work in a laboratory,” Haney said. “I will have the opportunity to work with new research and have the chance to learn new techniques. The experience will be invaluable in being a more experienced professor in the end.”
Haney’s graduate work was supported in part by the $4.9 million CREST grant, Center for Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) at FAMU. CREST is a National Science Foundation (NSF) program with the goal of training underrepresented minority students in areas of national interest and need, by helping them to pursue STEM degrees. CREST provides stipends for undergraduates, graduates, and students in summer research experiences and helps them apply for national fellowships.
He is the first doctoral graduate of the CREST program at FAMU-FSU Engineering, which began in 2018.
Haney’s research focuses on the use of unique particles that promote the dispersion of traditionally immiscible liquids. This technology is useful in creating cosmetic products that increase shelf-life and limit skin irritation. It can also be used in transporting highly viscous crude oil through water pipes by breaking the oil into many very small droplets.