May 9, 2023

We are pleased to announce that Darrell Omo-Lamai, materials science and engineering '23, has been selected as a 2023 Knight-Hennessy Scholar. Darrell is the first student from Drexel to receive this highly selective award. Each year the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program selects up to 100 high-achieving students from around the world with demonstrated leadership and civic commitment to receive full funding to pursue a wide-ranging graduate education at Stanford, with the goal of developing a new generation of global leaders. The 2023 cohort of 85 includes students from 29 countries who will pursue degrees in 38 graduate degree programs across all seven of Stanford’s graduate schools. We're thrilled that Darrell's hard work, achievements, and potential have been recognized in this way!

He says, “It is an incredible honor to be recognized as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar. Reflecting on the award fills me with immense gratitude for the many who have supported me on my yearslong journey towards it. It is my hope that as a complement to my graduate degree, KHS will embolden me to pursue innovative science with potentially profound implications on environmental sustainability and human welfare.”

Darrell Omo-Lamai, from Lagos, Nigeria, will be pursuing a PhD in materials science and engineering at Stanford School of Engineering. He will graduate from Drexel University with honors and a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree in the field of materials. He views his work through a civic engagement lens, hoping to use material breakthroughs to advance the renewable energy infrastructure of less affluent countries. Through academic, professional, and volunteer opportunities, Darrell has worked to develop novel materials for low-cost electrochemical energy storage devices, improve the performance of green stormwater infrastructure in the Philadelphia area, and increase water access in an Ecuadorian community. At Drexel, he was a Drexel Global Scholar, a Students Tackling Advanced Research (STAR) Scholar, an Aspire Scholar, a SuperNova Undergraduate Research Fellow, and the recipient of the College of Engineering’s 2023 Outstanding BS/MS Student Award.

Special thanks to Darrell's mock interview committee, who helped prepare him for his finalist interviews:

John Fry, President of Drexel University
Paula Marantz Cohen, Dean of the Pennoni Honors College and Distinguished Professor of English
Steve Weber, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Curriculum and Education and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Christopher Weyant, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Affairs and Teaching Professor of Materials Science & Engineering
Meg Guliford, Assistant Professor of Politics

Thank you as well to UREP Ambassadors Matthew Soesanto, Anh Nguyen Quach, and Kaylee Wilson, who participated in a mock group interview with Darrell in preparation for his finalist interviews.

Knight-Hennessy Scholars is the largest fully endowed scholars program in the world. The program is designed to build a multidisciplinary community of Stanford graduate students dedicated to finding creative solutions to the world's greatest challenges. The Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program supports up to three years of graduate education at Stanford, including tuition, fees, and a generous personal stipend, plus leadership development and mentorship opportunities.

If you are interested in this fellowship, please visit the Knight-Hennessy Scholars website or email fellowships@drexel.edu to learn more.