Dr. Henderson, originally from Kinston, NC, began his higher education pursuits at Morehouse College and North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University where he earned degrees in both Chemistry and Chemical Engineering as a part of the Atlanta University Center’s Dual Degree in Engineering Program. While in college he was a Ronald E. McNair Scholar which afforded him the opportunity to intern at NASA Langley. He also earned distinction as a Phi Beta Kappa member and an American Chemical Society Scholar. Dr. Henderson completed his PhD in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign under the mentorship of Dr. Paul Kenis in 2010 and served as a lecturer in the department from 2010-2016.
Dr. Henderson has dedicated his career to increasing the number of students who are in the pipeline to pursue STEM careers. In 2013, he co-founded, along with Rick Greer, the St. Elmo Brady STEM Academy, named after Dr. St. Elmo Brady the first African American to earn a PhD in Chemistry. Currently, Henderson is a part of the William A. Brookshire Dept. of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at University of Houston and he was recently appointed by the Dean of the College as the Director of the Program for Mastery in Engineering Studies, a program aimed at increasing engineering student achievement, engagement, and graduation rates. His research interests are in engineering student success, especially among Black males. He was most recently recognized by INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine as an Inspiring STEM Leader and by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (LAS) Outstanding Young Alumni Award.
