Hakeem Oluseyi
Birth nameJames Edward Plummer Jr.
Birth dateMarch 13, 1967 (age 59)
FieldsPhysics, astrophysics, cosmology, electrical engineering, science education
Workplaces
EducationTougaloo College (BS)
Stanford University (MS, PhD)
Thesis urlhttp://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2000PhDT........68O
Thesis year2000
Doctoral advisorArthur B. C. Walker Jr.

Hakeem Muata Oluseyi[1] (born James Edward Plummer Jr.;[2] March 13, 1967) is an American astrophysicist, cosmologist, inventor, educator, science communicator, author, actor, veteran, and humanitarian.

Early life, family and education

Hakeem Oluseyi was born James Edward Plummer Jr.[1][3] on March 13, 1967.[4][5] After his parents divorced when he was four years old, he and his mother moved to a different state along the southern border of the US every year. They resided in some of the country's toughest neighborhoods, including the 9th Ward of New Orleans; Watts, Los Angeles, California; Inglewood, California; South Park, Houston, Texas; and Third Ward, Houston, Texas, before settling in rural Mississippi a month before Oluseyi turned 13 years old. He completed middle school and an all-black high school there, in the East Jasper School District, graduating as his high school's valedictorian in 1985.

Oluseyi served in the US Navy until 1986. He credits the Navy with teaching him algebra.[1] He left the Navy with an honorable discharge due to a skin condition from which he had suffered since he was a child. Oluseyi subsequently enrolled in Tougaloo College, a historically black college (HBCU) where he earned Bachelor of Science degrees in physics and mathematics. Oluseyi is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi.[6]

In 1991, he became a graduate student at Stanford University.[1] He considered dropping out of Stanford due to culture shock. Compared with his previous schooling, where "everybody's in the same economic position," Oluseyi recalled that at Stanford, "how you dressed, how you talked, all these sort of things mattered. [. . .] It was really very difficult at first." Oluseyi eventually found a mentor in solar physicist Arthur B. C. Walker Jr., who helped him adjust to the environment, and he completed his schooling at Stanford, earning an M.S. degree in physics in 1995. [1] In recognition of how much his life had changed since his troubled childhood, he changed his name to Hakeem ("wise" in Arabic) Muata ("he who speaks the truth" in Swahili) Oluseyi ("God has done this" in Yoruba) in 1996.[1]

Oluseyi earned his Ph.D. degree in physics from Stanford in 1999.[1][7] Walker continued to mentor Oluseyi, who instructed him in experimental space research. Under Walker's tutelage, Oluseyi helped to design, build, calibrate, and launch the Multi-Spectral Solar Telescope Array (MSSTA), which pioneered normal incidence extreme ultraviolet and soft x-ray imaging of the Sun's transition region and corona.

Career

From 1999 to 2001, he worked on semiconductor research at Applied Materials. From 2001 to 2004, he was a research fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, working on the Dark Energy Camera and Vera C. Rubin Observatory.[8] From 2007 to 2019, he was on the faculty of the Florida Institute of Technology in the departments of Physics and Space Sciences. His academic rank was distinguished research professor.[7] From 2016 to 2019, he was stationed at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC where he was the Space Sciences education manager for NASA's Science Mission Directorate via the Intergovernmental Personnel Act Mobility Program.[7][9] Oluseyi was named a Visiting Robinson Professor at George Mason University in 2021, a distinction by which the university recognizes outstanding faculty.[10]

In 2021, he published his autobiography, A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars, co-authored with Joshua Horwitz.[8] As of 2022, Oluseyi is the president of the National Society of Black Physicists.[11] Since 2024 Oluseyi has been CEO of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.[12]

His best known scientific contributions are research on the transfer of mass and energy through the Sun's atmosphere; the development of space-borne observatories for studying astrophysical plasmas and dark energy; and the development of technologies in ultraviolet optics,[13][14][15][16] detectors,[17][18][19][20] computer chips,[21][22][23][24] and ion propulsion.[25]

In 2021, Oluseyi carried out an investigation into the role that former NASA administrator James Webb played in the Lavender Scare of the 1950s and 1960s, after a number of scientists and journalists had raised concerns about the naming of NASA's new space telescope after him. Contrary to the claims of Webb's critics, Oluseyi found there was no evidence that Webb was implicated.[26] His finding was later confirmed by a full report carried out by NASA itself.[27]

Oluseyi appears as a commentator and scientific authority on Science Channel television shows including How the Universe Works, Outrageous Acts of Science, Curiosity, NASA's Unexplained Files, Space's Deepest Secrets, and Strip the Cosmos.[28] He also appeared as a 'bakineering' (baking and engineering) judge on Netflix's Baking Impossible.[29][30] He appeared on the National Geographic Channel show Evacuate Earth.[31] Oluseyi appeared in the ABC special Truth and Lies: Hubris on the High Seas, which examined the Titan submersible implosion.[32]

He contributed science articles to the news media, including The Washington Post.[33] He lent his voice and scientific expertise to the award-winning science education video game ExoTrex: A Space Science Adventure Game in collaboration with Dig-It! Games.[34]

He co-authored the children's popular science book Discovery Spaceopedia: The Complete Guide to Everything Space.[35]

Family

Oluseyi met his wife, Jessica, at Tougaloo College. They have a daughter. Oluseyi has a son from an earlier relationship. [36]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Maya (October 11, 2016). "Astrophysicist and HBCU grad Hakeem Oluseyi is making waves". Andscape. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  2. ^ Oluseyi, Hakeem (October 5, 2012). "Rise of a gangsta nerd: Fellows Friday with Hakeem Oluseyi". TED Blog. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  3. ^ Venkatraman, Vijaysree (June 9, 2021). "Quantum Life review: One man's journey from the streets to the stars". New Scientist. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  4. ^ Hakeem Oluseyi. "Maybe y'all didn't notice that today's my birthday. C'mon! A guy only turns 23 once (each year)!". No. 841355890632605697.
  5. ^ Oluseyi, Hakeem & Horwitz, Joshua (2021-06-15). A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars. Random House Publishing Group. p. 8. ISBN 978-1-9848-1910-9.
  6. ^ Ellis, Rashad (28 September 2022). "Astrophysicist and HBCU grad Hakeem Oluseyi is making waves". Andscape. ESPN. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  7. ^ "Faculty and Staff Profiles". fit.edu. Florida Institute of Technology. Archived 1 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  8. ^ Oluseyi, Hakeem & Horwitz, Joshua (15 June 2021). A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars. Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-1984819093.
  9. ^ "Hakeem Oluseyi". LinkedIn.com. Hakeem Oluseyi.
  10. ^ "George Mason University: Astrophysicist Hakeem Oluseyi Named Visiting Robinson Professor". Patch.com. August 26, 2021.
  11. ^ "How Naming the James Webb Telescope Turned Into a Fight Over Homophobia". The New York Times. December 19, 2022.
  12. ^ "ASP welcomes Hakeem Oluseyi as Chief Executive Officer". astrosociety.org. 2024-10-17. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
  13. ^ Walker, Arthur (February 1, 1994). "Astronomical observations with normal incidence multilayer optics III: Selection of multilayer bandpasses". Multilayer and Grazing Incidence X-Ray/EUV Optics II. Vol. 2011. Hoover, Richard B. (ed.). p. 450. Bibcode:1994SPIE.2011..450W. doi:10.1117/12.167216. S2CID 122946720
  14. ^ Walker, Arthur (November 11, 1994). "Astronomical observations with normal incidence multilayer optics IV: Selection of spectral lines". Advances in Multilayer and Grazing Incidence X-Ray/EUV/FUV Optics. Vol. 2279. Hoover, Richard B. & Walker, Jr., Arthur B. C. (eds.). p. 343. Bibcode:1994SPIE.2279..343W. doi:10.1117/12.193153. S2CID 119856407
  15. ^ Kankelborg, Charles (June 20, 1995). "Calibration of multilayer mirrors for the Multi-Spectral Solar Telescope Array II". X-Ray and Extreme Ultraviolet Optics. Vol. 2515. Hoover (ed.). pp. 436–444. doi:10.1117/12.212609. S2CID 122012916. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  16. ^ Plummer, James (June 20, 1995). "Design and performance of thin foil XUV filters for the Multi-Spectral Solar Telescope Array II". X-Ray and Extreme Ultraviolet Optics. Vol. 2515. pp. 565–575. doi:10.1117/12.212623. S2CID 121896732. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  17. ^ Oluseyi, Hakeem (October 21, 2005). "Advanced broadband imager for EUV and FUV studies with exquisite precision". Sensors, Systems, and Next-Generation Satellites IX. Vol. 5978. p. 387. Bibcode:2005SPIE.5978..387O. doi:10.1117/12.646707. S2CID 122251142
  18. ^ Nikzad, Shouleh (December 18, 2000). "Ultrastable and uniform EUV and UV detectors". Instrumentation for UV/EUV Astronomy and Solar Missions. Vol. 4139. Fineschi, Silvano; Korendyke, Clarence M.; Siegmund, Oswald H. W.; Woodgate, Bruce E. (eds.). p. 250. Bibcode:2000SPIE.4139..250N. doi:10.1117/12.410541. S2CID 111005411
  19. ^ Oluseyi, Hakeem (November 4, 2004). "Characterization and deployment of large-format fully depleted back-illuminated p-channel CCDS for precision astronomy". Sensors, Systems, and Next-Generation Satellites VIII. Vol. 5570. p. 515. Bibcode:2004SPIE.5570..515O. doi:10.1117/12.566976. S2CID 121428999
  20. ^ Oluseyi, Hakeem (June 7, 2004). "LBNL four-side buttable CCD package development". Sensors and Camera Systems for Scientific, Industrial, and Digital Photography Applications V. Vol. 5301. p. 87. Bibcode:2004SPIE.5301...87O. doi:10.1117/12.531954. S2CID 137323221
  21. ^ Oluseyi, Hakeem (August 5, 2003). "Method and apparatus employing optical emission spectroscopy to detect a fault in process conditions of a semiconductor processing system". uspto.gov. US Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved 24 December 2016.[dead link]
  22. ^ Oluseyi, Hakeem (October 14, 2003). "Monitoring of film characteristics during plasma-based semi-conductor processing using optical emission spectroscopy". uspto.gov. US Patent and Trademark Office.[dead link]
  23. ^ Oluseyi, Hakeem (August 23, 2005). "High selectivity and residue free process for metal on thin dielectric gate etch application". uspto.gov. US Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved 24 December 2016.[dead link]
  24. ^ Oluseyi, Hakeem (September 13, 2005). "System, method and medium for modeling, monitoring and/or controlling plasma based semiconductor manufacturing processes". uspto.gov. US Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved 24 December 2016.[dead link]
  25. ^ Chesny, David (June 29, 2015). "The Magnetic Reconnection Rocket: Advanced Ion Propulsion Inspired by Solar Particle Acceleration". 100 Year Starship 2014 Public Symposium Conference Proceedings. ISBN 978-0990384014.
  26. ^ "Was NASA's historic leader James Webb a bigot?". medium.com. Medium. 25 December 2022.
  27. ^ "NASA Shares James Webb History Report". nasa.gov. NASA. 18 November 2022.
  28. ^ "Hakeem Oluseyi". IMDb.com. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  29. ^ "Baking Impossible Judges: Andrew Smyth, Joanne Chang & Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi!". Blurred Reality. 7 October 2021.
  30. ^ "Baking Impossible". Netflix web site. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  31. ^ "Evacuate Earth". Plex. 2 December 2012.
  32. ^ Anderson, John (6 February 2024), "'Fatal Dive to the Titanic: Truth and Lies' Review: Hubris on the High Seas", retrieved February 10, 2024
  33. ^ Oluseyi, Hakeem (19 June 2021). "Intelligent life probably exists on distant planets — even if we can't make contact, astrophysicist says". The Washington Post. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  34. ^ "Ready for a Scientific Space Adventure?". Dig-It! Games. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
  35. ^ Discovery Spaceopedia: The Complete Guide to Everything Space. Discovery Channel. 13 October 2015. ISBN 978-1618934079.
  36. ^ Oluseyi, Hakeem (2021). A quantum life : my unlikely journey from the street to the stars. New York: Ballantine Books. pp. 202, 279, 343. ISBN 978-1-9848-1910-9. OCLC 1256670197