Pamela McCauley, who became the first Black woman to receive a Ph.D. in engineering in Oklahoma, was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2022.
This prestigious honor has been given to over 700 accomplished individuals since it was established in 1927.
In 2019, Dr. McCauley was recognized as the technologist of the year at Women of Color magazine's 24th annual Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Conference.
She was the first academic to receive the top award in almost twenty-five years.
Dr. McCauley is a renowned scholar, educator, entrepreneur, and university administrator who has authored over 100 technical papers, book chapters, conference proceedings, and four books, including the bestselling ergonomics textbook Ergonomics: Foundational Principles, Applications, and Technologies.
She was announced as the new dean of the School of Engineering at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania, effective July 1, 2023.
She is a vocal advocate for diversity and inclusion in engineering and higher education, particularly for underrepresented groups in STEM.
She has received numerous awards and accolades for her contributions to these fields, including her historic achievement as the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in engineering in Oklahoma. She was inducted into the Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) Hall of Fame in February 2023.
Throughout her career, Dr. McCauley has launched support groups and community organizations for young women in STEM.
She has also served as a UN global expert on women in STEM and worked with the World Bank to promote the sustainability of HIV/AIDS healthcare service delivery in developing nations.
Her research focuses on human engineering in information systems, including the human impact on information security and how humans interact with technology regarding disaster management.
She has also created simulations and technologies to streamline high-consequence disaster management using artificial intelligence (AI).
Dr. McCauley's career began to rise in 1993 when she won a $90,000 graduate fellowship from the National Science Foundation (NSF), which was the largest fellowship at the University of Oklahoma.
While on campus as a single parent, she also established support groups and community organizations for young women in STEM.
She spent almost three decades as a professor at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and became the associate dean for academic programs, diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University.
Dr. McCauley has won numerous accolades for her contributions to the field of engineering, including the distinction of being a 2012 U.S. Fulbright Scholar.
She won a fellowship for a U.S.-New Zealand Human Engineering and Mobile Technology in High Consequence Emergency Management Research Program focused on biomechanics, human factors, and ergonomic design.
She was also awarded the Jefferson Science Fellowship by the State Department in 2015-2016, a distinguished appointment given to senior academics based on their stature in scientific or engineering communities and their ability to understand scientific advancements outside their discipline area to effectively integrate this knowledge into U.S. Department of State/USAID policy discussions.
