The following is a list of notable African-American women who have made contributions to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

An excerpt from a 1998 issue of Black Issues in Higher Education by Juliane Malveaux reads: "There are other reasons to be concerned about the paucity of African-American women in science, especially as scientific occupations are among the most pivotal and highly compensated in the occupational spectrum. Yet, both leaks in the pipeline and gender stereotyping contribute to the under-representation of African-American women in the sciences.

There are organizations that offer scholarships in STEM in the hopes of attracting more women and minority candidates, like Ralph W. Turner Foundation and UNCF STEM Scholarships for undergraduate education, however many students remain unaware of their availability. The US National Science Foundation also makes efforts to support women in STEM.

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Image Name Field(s) Dates Notes Kandis Leslie Abdul-Aziz chemical engineer and environmental engineer Developer of technologies that turn agricultural waste into a filtration system for water Rediet Abebe computer scientist 1991– First female computer scientist to be appointed to the Harvard Society of Fellows Lilia Ann Abron chemical engineering and environmental engineering 1945– First African-American woman to earn a PhD in chemical engineering Stephanie G. Adams engineer and academic administrator Dean of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Texas at Dallas since 2019 Lucile Adams-Campbell epidemiology 1953– First African-American woman to receive a PhD in epidemiology in the United States. Serves as the Professor of Oncology at Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and associate director for Minority Health at the Georgetown University Medical Center. Javaune Adams-Gaston psychologist and academic administrator President of Norfolk State University since 2019. Paris Adkins-Jackson epidemiology Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Sociomedical Sciences in the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York. Modupe Akinola organizational scholar and social psychologist 1974– Researches the science of stress, creativity, and how to maximize human potential in diverse organizations. Jacqueline Akinpelu applied mathematician, operations researcher 1953– Research manager at the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University, and developed a pipeline for students from Morgan State University to mentor them into careers in STEM fields. Delores P. Aldridge sociologist 1941– First African-American woman faculty member of Emory University and founding director of the first African-American and African-Studies degree-granting program in the South. Claudia Alexander geophysics, planetary science 1959–2015 Project manager for NASA's Galileo mission and Rosetta mission Beverly Anderson mathematician 1943– Emeritus professor at the University of the District of Columbia, and in the 1990s, worked at the National Academy of Sciences as Director of Minority Programs for the Mathematical Sciences Education Board Cheryl Anderson epidemiologist Professor at and founding Dean of the University of California San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science Giovonnae Anderson electrical engineering First African-American women to earn a PhD in electrical engineering at the University of California, Davis (1979): Giovonnae Anderson Gloria Long Anderson chemistry 1938– Pioneer of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, known for work with fluorine-19 and solid rocket propellants Ayana Holloway Arce physicist and professor Associate professor of Duke University who works on particle physics, using data from the Large Hadron Collider to understand phenomena beyond the Standard Model Treena Livingston Arinzeh biomedical engineering 1970– Researcher of adult stem-cell therapy Ludmilla Aristilde engineer Professor at Northwestern University whose research considers environmental biochemistry and bioengineering Elayne Arrington mathematician and engineer 1940– First African-American woman to graduate with a bachelor's degree from the School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh Valerie Ashby chemist Chemist and university professor currently serving as president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Estella Atekwana Biogeophysics; tectonphysics 1961– In August 2021 began tenure as dean of the largest college of the University of California, Davis: UC Davis College of Letters and Science Balanda Atis cosmetic science Cosmetic chemist at L'Oréal USA who expanded range of cosmetics available for people of color Donna Auguste businesswoman, computer scientist 1958– Senior engineering manager for the Newton personal digital assistant (PDA) Wanda Austin aerospace engineering 1954– Former president and CEO of The Aerospace Corporation

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Image Name Field(s) Dates Notes Aziza Baccouche physicist and science filmmaker 1972–2021 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Mass Media Science and Engineering fellow at CNN and founder and CEO of media company Aziza Productions Erica Baker software engineer 1980– Chief Technology Officer for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Janet Emerson Bashen entrepreneur, business consultant, and software inventor 1957– First African-American woman to earn a web-based software patent June Bacon-Bercey meteorology 1928–2019 Believed to be the first African-American woman to gain a degree in meteorology and known to be the first African-American woman to be a televised meteorologist. Erica Baker software engineer Engineer and engineering manager in the San Francisco Bay Area, known for her outspoken support of diversity and inclusion. Alice Augusta Ball chemistry 1892–1916 First woman and African-American to receive a master's degree from the University of Hawaiʻi Martha Banks clinical psychologist 1951– Expert on issues involving women, race, trauma, disability, religion, and their intersectionality. Banks is a research neuropsychologist and computer programmer at ABackans DCP Inc. Nina Banks economist Associate professor of economics at Bucknell University and former president of the National Economic Association (NEA) Gilda Barabino biomedical engineer and chemical engineer 1956– Professor of biomedical and chemical engineering, Barabino served as the second president of Olin College of Engineering from 2020 to 2025 Patricia Bath ophthalmologist, inventor 1942–2019 Pioneered laser surgery to remove cataracts Scarlett Bellamy mathematician Chair and Professor of Biostatistics at Boston University School of Public Health Regina Benjamin physician 1956– 18th Surgeon General of the United States (2009–2013) Emma Benn biostatistician Associate professor in the Department of Population Health Science, affiliated with the Center for Biostatistics and the associate dean of faculty well-being and development, and the founding director of the Center for Scientific Diversity at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Adia Benton anthropologist 1977– Associate professor of anthropology and African Studies at Northwestern University Angela Benton internet entrepreneur 1981– Founder of NewME, Streamlytics, and Black Web 2.0 Joanne Berger-Sweeney neuroscientist 1958– First woman and the first African American to lead Trinity College (Connecticut) Marie Bernard physician and researcher Previously, NIH senior geriatrician, overseeing research focused on aging and Alzheimer's disease Carlotta Berry electrical engineer, professor, roboticist Professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and textbook author Matilene Berryman oceanographer, lawyer 1920–2003 Professor of marine science at the University of the District of Columbia and textbook author Sarah Boone inventor 1832–1904 Second African-American woman to attain a U.S. patent Katie Booth biomedical chemist and civil rights activist 1907–2006 Worked in the Department of Pharmacology at the Chicago Medical School (part of Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science), specializing in preventative health measures, children's health, prenatal care, and treatments for sickle cell anemia Maudelle Bousfield educator 1885–1971 First African-American woman to graduate from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (graduated with honors in three years with degrees in astronomy and mathematics) Aisha Bowe aerospace engineer and STEM advocate 1986– Founder and CEO of STEMBoard, a technology company, and LINGO, an educational tech company featuring tutorials and online resources featuring NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace. Jasmine Bowers computer scientist In 2020 the first African-American woman to earn a PhD in computer science from the University of Florida. Sylvia D. Trimble Bozeman mathematician 1947– Researcher of functional analysis and image processing, member of Obama's Presidential Committee on the National Medal of Science, founder of Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education Lillian K. Bradley mathematician and mathematics educator 1921–1995 First African-American woman to earn a doctorate in any subject (mathematics education) at the University of Texas at AustinKhalia Braswell computer scientist2014–present Computer scientist, educator, and technologist. Founder and Former Executive Director of INTech Camp for Girls Carolyn Brooks microbiologist 1946– Researcher in immunology, nutrition, and crop productivity Meredith Broussard data journalism professor Researcher focused on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in journalism Beth A. Brown astrophysicist 1969–2008 NASA astrophysicist with a research focus on X-ray observations of elliptical galaxies and black holes. She earned a PhD in Astronomy from the University of Michigan in 1998, becoming the first African-American woman to do so. Deborah Washington Brown computer scientist and speech recognition 1952–2020 First African-American woman to earn a doctorate in computer science (then a part of their applied math program) at Harvard University Dorothy Lavinia Brown surgeon 1919–2004 First African-American female appointed to a general surgery residency in the racially segregated South. Jeannette Brown organic medicinal chemist, historian, and author 1934– First African-American woman to achieve a master's degree from the University of Minnesota in organic chemistry Quincy K. Brown computer scientist Director of Engagement and Research at AnitaB.org, a global nonprofit organization whose primary aim is to recruit, retain, and advance women in technology. Senior Fellow at Federation of American Scientists. Formerly Senior Policy Advisor in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Marjorie Lee Browne mathematician 1914–1979 Third African-American woman to receive a PhD in mathematics Amanda Bryant-Friedrich chemist Dean of the graduate school and a professor in the college of pharmacy and health sciences at Wayne State University Kimberly Bryant electrical engineer 1967– Founder of Black Girls Code Joy Buolamwini computer scientist 1989– Founder of Algorithmic Justice League; Rhodes Scholar, Fulbright fellow, Stamps Scholar, Astronaut Scholar and Anita Borg Institute scholar Ursula Burns engineer, CEO 1958– CEO of Xerox; first Black woman to be a CEO of a Fortune 500 company and the first woman to succeed another as head of a Fortune 500 company Angle Bush CEO CEO Black Women In Artificial Intelligence; Founded by Angle Bush in August 2020 Black Women In AI™ is a professional membership organization dedicated to the vision of Educating, Engaging, Embracing and Empowering Black Women In the Artificial Intelligence sector. With members on 5 continents BWIAI™ is providng access and opportunity to a global community.

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