Rosalyn S. Hobson, Ph.D.

2009 Honoree

Rosalyn Hobson’s research has taken her to dozens of countries to study science and technology. Collaborative research with students in South Africa focused on creating an automated speech-recognition program for different languages. Another study used demographic information to predict a person’s HIV status.

Hobson, associate dean for graduate studies and an associate professor of electrical engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, grew up in a Washington, D.C., household where there was a strong focus on math and science.

In elementary school, she built a radio that won an award. High school projects included constructing a model space station and building a hydroelectric dam to scale.

She entered the University of Virginia with intentions of becoming a physician.

However, a realization that she preferred electronics over chemistry lab steered her toward engineering, a field that is less intimidating than most people realize, she observes.

Even though she did not pursue her childhood dream of becoming a physician, she has enjoyed a satisfying career. She often has taken advantage of unique opportunities, believing that “opportunities are avenues by which you can fulfill your dreams.” Whether studying abroad for a year in Germany while in the eleventh grade, leading a volunteer organization, “Engineers for Education”, while a student at UVA, or starting a new engineering program at Virginia Commonwealth University, each of these experiences has enriched her life.

Hobson’s current research involves artificial neural networks and their application to control problems, intelligent systems, biological modeling and signal- processing issues. She also works with elementary, middle and high school students to spark their interest in science, math, engineering and technology.

Hobson, who received her bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Virginia, has received more than $1.5 million in research funding. She took a sabbatical from VCU and accepted a diplomacy fellowship at the U.S. Agency for International Development. During her tenure there, Hobson worked with the National Academy of Sciences and traveled around the world investigating ways science and technology can be used to improve the human condition in the world’s poorest countries.

Hobson is the recipient of numerous fellowships, honors and awards, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science Diplomacy Fellowship and the National Society of Black Engineers’ National Educator of the Year Award. She also was named Frontiers in Education New Faculty Fellow and a Stanford University New Century Teaching and Learning Scholar.