Claudia Rankins

Dr. Claudia Rankins is a senior research associate for PRISSEM Academic Services, LLC, where she conducts faculty development and research development consulting activities, specifically aimed towards faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) pursuing National Science Foundation (NSF) funding in STEM and STEM education fields.

Dr. Rankins retired from the National Science Foundation where she served as a Program Director in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources. She directed the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program and the HBCU Excellence in Research program. Prior to this post, Dr. Rankins served at Hampton University for 22 years in a number of capacities, including endowed university professor, chair of the department of physics, assistant dean for research, and dean of the School of Science. She is also a proud HBCU graduate, having obtained masters and PhD degrees in Physics from Hampton University.

Dr. Rankins is an advocate for STEM education and research at HBCUs. Her current research interests center around the history of STEM at these institutions. Her research in theoretical particle physics focused on the development of a model to describe distribution amplitudes and form factors of pseudoscalar mesons. Dr. Rankins is the co-founder of the Society of STEM Women of Color, Inc.