Melissa Nobles facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Melissa Nobles
Nobles in 2024
7th Chancellor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Incumbent
Assumed office August 18, 2021
Preceded by	Cynthia Barnhart
9th Dean of the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
In office 2015–2021
Preceded by	Deborah Kay Fitzgerald
Succeeded by	Agustín Rayo
Personal details
Born	(1963-05-13) May 13, 1963 (age 62) New York City, New York, U.S.
Education	Brown University (BA) Yale University (MA, PhD)
Scientific career
Fields	Political science
Institutions	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Thesis	Responding with good sense: the politics of race and censuses in contemporary brazil (1995)
Doctoral advisor	James C. Scott

Melissa Nobles, born on May 13, 1963, is an American expert in political science. She currently serves as the 7th chancellor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). As chancellor, she is the main leader for student life at MIT. She started this important role in August 2021. She is also a professor of political science at MIT.

Before becoming chancellor, Nobles was the 9th dean of the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. She held this position from 2015 to 2021. Her work as a scholar focuses on how different groups of people are treated. She studies topics like racial politics, how people are grouped, and how to bring people together after conflicts.

Early Life and Education

Melissa Nobles was born on May 13, 1963, in Harlem, New York City. Her mother worked as a social worker, and her father was a police officer. Both of her parents grew up in the southern United States. They attended schools that were separated by race because of old laws.

Nobles spent most of her childhood in the Bronx. Her family moved to New Rochelle, New York, when she was in junior high school. During high school, she was very active. She was the president of her school's Black culture club. She also served as her class president.

Melissa Nobles went to Brown University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1985. Later, she continued her studies at Yale University. There, she earned a Master of Arts degree and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in political science in 1995. Her main advisor for her PhD was James C. Scott. Her PhD paper was about the politics of race in Brazil.

Career Highlights

Melissa Nobles with MIT Award Recipients in 2024.

After finishing her PhD, Melissa Nobles received special research positions. She worked at the Boston University Institute for Race and Social Division. She also had a fellowship at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute.

Nobles joined the faculty at MIT in 1999. She started as an associate professor of political science. She held special professorships, like the Cecil and Ida Green Career Development Professorship from 1997 to 2000. In 2010, she was named the Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor. From 2013 to 2015, Nobles led MIT's political science department. She also served as vice-president of the American Political Science Association from 2013 to 2014.

From 2015 to 2021, Nobles was the Kenan Sahin Dean of the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. On June 17, 2021, she was named MIT's 7th chancellor. She officially took on the chancellor's role on August 18, 2021. As chancellor, she helps guide student life and activities at MIT.