Samesha Barnes Ivey, Ph.D.

Director of the McNair Scholars Program

Dr. Samesha Barnes Ivey serves as the director of the McNair Scholars Program and the Thrive Center. A native of Augusta, GA, she earned bachelor’s degrees from Clark Atlanta University and Georgia Tech through the Dual-Degree Engineering Program. Post-graduation, she worked as an R&D engineer in the Inkjet Media Division of Hewlett-Packard in San Diego, CA where she sensed that something was missing from her career. She was motivated to return to school and continued her education at the University of Florida.

After earning her doctorate, she completed a post-doc with the NSF South East Alliance for Graduate Education & the Professoriate (SEAGEP) where she helped to prepare STEM PhD students for academic careers and led study abroad trips to Chile, China, and Brazil as part of the Science & Engineering in a Global Context initiative.  She is dedicated to the holistic success of students, ensuring that they don’t just survive, but thrive as they pursue their educational goals. To her, this work is not a job – it’s a ministry that aligns her skills with a deep passion for motivating, mentoring, training, and teaching.

Education

Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering - University of Florida

M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering - University of Florida

B.S. in Chemical Engineering - Georgia Institute of Technology

B.S. in Chemistry - Clark Atlanta University