Dr. Nialah Wilson-Small Shatters Barriers, Becomes First Black Woman to Earn PhD in Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University

Announcing her success, Dr. Wilson-Small shared, “I successfully defended my dissertation and became the 1st Black woman to get a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from Cornell University. You may now call me Dr. Nialah Wilson-Small.”

In a historic achievement, Dr. Nialah Wilson-Small has made an indelible mark as the first African-American woman to obtain a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from Cornell University, New York. The brilliant scholar celebrated her groundbreaking accomplishment on LinkedIn, describing her academic journey as a “wild and tiring ride.”

Nialah Wilson-Small commenced her academic pursuits at Howard University, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Her pursuit of excellence led her to Cornell University, where she attained a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering before achieving her crowning glory – a PhD in the same field.

During her doctoral studies at Cornell, Nialah focused on algorithms for large collectives of simple robots, delving into human-swarm and human-drone interactions. Her work, situated at the intersection of design, human-robot interaction, and autonomy, exemplifies her commitment to pushing the boundaries of aerospace engineering.

This achievement parallels the groundbreaking strides of Nigerian-American Wendy Okolo, who also made history as the first black woman to earn a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at the age of 26.

Dr. Nialah Wilson-Small’s journey serves as an inspiration, breaking barriers and paving the way for future generations of black women in the field of Aerospace Engineering.