Dr. Sossina M. Haile
(1966 – )
Scientist, Professor
Born in Ethiopia, Haile’s family fled the country in the ’70s after a military coup. They settled in Minnesota, and Haile went on to earn academic degrees in materials science and engineering. She received a BS and PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an MS from the University of California, Berkeley.
Haile’s work in sustainable energy was recognized early on, with a National Young Investigator Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and a Fulbright Fellowship, among other honors.
In the late ’90s, while at Caltech she had an idea that might dramatically improve fuel cells, the clean technology that converts chemical energy to electricity to power cars, buses and power plants.
In 2008 Dr. Sossina was awarded an American Competitiveness and Innovation Fellowship from the National Science Foundation in recognition of “her timely and transformative research in the energy field and her dedication to inclusive mentoring, education and outreach across many levels,” the 2010 Chemical Pioneers Award of the Chemical Heritage Foundation, and the 2012 International Prize in Ceramics. Dr. Sossina was named by Newsweek magazine in its 2007 end-of-the-year issue as one of twelve people to watch in 2008.
Now Dr. Sossina Haile is working to bring sustainable technologies to the developing world, to places like Ethiopia, through both her own research and the work coming out of the Joint Undertaking for an African Materials Institute (JUAMI), which Haile leads.
Motivational Quote:
There’s nothing better than being able to combine an intellectually exciting topic with the knowledge that it will be beneficial.
5 Success Lessons
to learn from Dr. Sossina M. Haile
- Always follow your passion.
- Don’t be constrained by what others think of you.
- You don’t have to use a conventional path.
- Focus on the most important problems in my field.
- Be thorough in all of your work.
Sources addis.ms.northwestern.edu thehistorymakers.org
