Published February 28, 2025
By : Staff Writer
Pamela McCauley is one of the first women to earn a Ph.D. in engineering in Oklahoma and was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2022.
This prestigious honor has recognized over 700 accomplished individuals since its establishment in 1927.
In 2019, Dr. McCauley was named Technologist of the Year at Women of Color Magazine's 24th annual Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Conference, making her the first academic to receive this top award in nearly twenty-five years.
Dr. McCauley is a distinguished scholar, educator, entrepreneur, and university administrator with over 100 published works, including technical papers, book chapters, conference proceedings, and four books, among them the bestselling ergonomics textbook Ergonomics: Foundational Principles, Applications, and Technologies.
She was appointed dean of the School of Engineering at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania, in 2023. Additionally, in February 2023, she was inducted into the BEYA Hall of Fame.
Throughout her career, Dr. McCauley has initiated support groups and community organizations for young women in STEM.
She has also served as a UN global expert on women in STEM and collaborated with the World Bank to enhance the sustainability of HIV/AIDS healthcare service delivery in developing countries.
Her research focuses on human engineering in information systems, examining the human impact on information security and how people interact with technology in disaster management. This includes creating simulations and technologies to improve high-consequence disaster management through artificial intelligence (AI).
Dr. McCauley’s career took off in 1993 when she won a prestigious $90,000 graduate fellowship from the National Science Foundation (NSF) at the University of Oklahoma.
While pursuing her studies as a single parent, she established support groups and organizations for young women in STEM.
She spent nearly three decades as a professor at the University of Central Florida (UCF) before taking on the role of associate dean for academic programs, diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University.
Her contributions to engineering have garnered numerous accolades, including being named a U.S. Fulbright Scholar in 2012.
She also received a fellowship for a U.S.-New Zealand Human Engineering and Mobile Technology in High Consequence Emergency Management Research Program, which focused on biomechanics, human factors, and ergonomic design.
In 2015-2016, she was awarded the Jefferson Science Fellowship by the State Department, a distinguished appointment given to senior academics recognized for their expertise in scientific or engineering fields, allowing them to integrate their knowledge into the U.S. Department of State and USAID policy discussions.
