Decolonize Black History Month

Day 08: Willie Hobbs Moore

Dr. Willie Hobbs Moore was the first Black woman in the United States to earn a PhD in Physics. She finished her degree in 1972 at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. This was Moore’s third degree from Michigan, having earned both her bachelor’s (1958) and master’s (1961) from the school. Her research was in vibrational analysis of secondary chlorides. After obtaining her doctorate she worked as a professor at the University of Michigan for a few years before entering the corporate world. She worked as an engineer at companies such as Datamax Corporation and Sensor Dynamics Inc. Eventually Moore became an executive at Ford Motor Company, where she worked to innovate their production techniques.

Moore was born on May 23, 1934 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In 1991 she was named one of Ebony Magazine’s 100 Most Promising Black Women in Corporate America. Her research has been published in journals such as the Journal of Applied Physics and the Journal of Molecular Spectroscopy. When not working or researching, Moore tutored local students, volunteered at her church, and served as chairwoman of the Juanita D. Woods Scholarship Fund.

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