Name: Joseph T. Bonivel Jr., Ph.D.
Profession: Senior Research Engineer
Age: 32
One Word That Describes You: Hyperactive
Joseph T. Bonivel Jr., Ph.D., is a man of distinction and a wealth of knowledge who tests the limits of physical science. A military brat to two parents who served, Bonivel’s life was geared toward academic overachievement since birth. Given the task of keeping his grades tip-top (“An ‘A’ was the only acceptable grade to bring home.”)—the 32-year- tribologist and senior research engineer at United Technologies Research Center uses his hyperactivity to old obliterate all things electronics.
“I was intrigued by car antennas, but did not have any readily available for inspection,” he shares with BE Modern Man exclusively. “I devised an ‘antenna catcher’ by utilizing fishing wire attached to street signs on either side of the street that could be raised or lowered using a crank depending on the height of the car passing.” A tinkerer at heart Bonivel is not surprised that his current profession is one based on where he must destroy things and then figure out their “failure mechanisms.” For the uninitiated, tribology is the science of interacting surfaces in relative motion or the study of friction, wear, lubrication, and the design of bearings.
A holder of both Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Biomechanical Engineering from the University of South Carolina-Columbia, and a doctorate in Mechanical and Materials Engineering Science from the University of South Florida, Bonivel has taken education to a higher level and exceeded expectations. When asked specifically what he believes are key tenets to success that black men carry, he diagnosed the situation very interestingly. “Black men are targeted. We inherently have a target on our back which draws attention to our very being,” he says. “Successful black men have learned to turn the target into a badge of honor and utilize it to shine.” As one of the four Senior Engineers at the UTRC, Bonivel has created his own target of excelling at the research center through R&D.
Throughout Bonivel’s extensive professional career, he has authored two patent applications for “novel slurry development for chemical mechanical planarization,” as well as “several modeling papers within the same tribosystem sub group.” If it sounds complicated, that’s because it is… but it is not an obstacle. Black people have a natural proclivity to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)—as it is one of our founding principles of education dating back a millennia. Although names such as Keven Stonewall or Esther Okade arent’t highlighted as often as other names in the mainstream, Bonivel believes that we can break through the static of mainstream monotony by making an impact. “One of the largest hurdles for our black youth stems from lack of mentorship in the careers outside of sports and entertainment,” he says. “Without mentors, I can unequivocally say that I would not be the man I am today.”
Read more about Joseph’s path to success on the next page…
A respected member of the ManyMentors nonprofit, Bonivel, alongside other respected leaders in the community, encourage others to be “inspired and supported” in their
pursuit of becoming the next STEM leader and eventually make an in-road to the workforce. Since being added to its board of directors, he has helped more than 5,000 students in Connecticut alone through workshops, one-on-one mentoring, and general outreach. “I truly believe that successful people never reach their goals along, and mentors are the bridge to greatness.” As a staunch believer in higher education, Bonivel, an INROADS alumni, a NSF fellowship recipient, and Alford Sloan Ph.D. scholar, says, “It’s proven that people can be successful without going to college, but it has been my experience that college adds a culture diversity to one’s life that cannot be that easily attained anywhere else.” Knowing that African and African American men and women must “work twice as hard for half the credit,” Bonivel believes even through that strategy we can shift the perception through hard work and dedication.Currently, Joseph’s main responsibility with UTRC is to develop, identify, and implement test protocols to evaluate the mechanical performance of novel advanced materials, components, and structures. So, it’s safe to say that he knows a thing or three about technology. To that, the senior research engineer has some wise words: “We have to be mindful of what we put on the Internet to be broadcast to the masses,” he says. “Facebook, Instagram, and other social media posts are now data-mined by potential recruiters, corporations, and federal agencies in order to build a profile of a potential candidate, employee, or client. I always advise to have a separate and private social media account for these aforementioned reasons.”
Stonewall and Okade were featured in their respective homeland publications, but it didn’t trickle down to some globally recognized hashtag celebrating their respective accomplishment. Bonivel responds, “we are not championed as often because people do feel threatened by successful black men, women, and other minorities,” Bonivel tells BE Modern Man. “It is easy to highlight the things we do wrong because it breaks us down and leads to things like the imposter syndrome—where you don’t feel like you actually belong. Luckily, the newer generation does not necessarily adhere to these thoughts and their social stances on black men are constantly changing.”
This American Association for the Advancement of Science winner is also an avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and track enthusiast. His skill set and discipline honed from a family who only encouraged as much, if not more, from their child—Bonivel mastered his professional attributes through joining the Toastmasters International. “A world leader in communication and leadership development, this was a group where you had the ability to practice effective communication techniques,” he says. “The ability to eloquently articulate points to peer, management, and those outside of your scientific circle had uniquely positioned me for success.”
Seeing his own impact in society as one that “deems the imposter syndrome a fallacy,” Bonivel exemplifies that our normal is extraordinary by continuously championing our resiliency and strength. “We’ve been tested, tried, and triumphed; we’ve been enslaved, subjected to Jim Crow, stereotyped, and systematically exterminated — and we still have risen to heights that no one can take from us,” he says expressively. “If I can utilize my talents or my networks to help another person become successful, I leverage that to the best of my abilities.”
A self-professed “semi-sneakerhead,” Bonivel knows that sparking interest in a young mind is all that is needed to change his or her life’s direction. As a BE Modern Man, he believes that the distinction is a call to action. “The BE Modern Man has an expertise that spans a significant number of different subject areas and can find himself equally comfortable in the hood as he is in the boardroom of a Fortune 500 company,” he says. “A BE Modern Man must be a pillar for the under-privileged communities that we come from and represent—a quintessential bridge builder. We must transform the norm for our communities internally while externally highlighting those successes to the majority in order to lessen the socio-economic gap between the two sides.”
Joseph T. Bonivel, Ph.D., a man who exemplifies excellence and execution, earned his reputation through higher education and community service. From his work with the ManyMentors program to his AAAS Science and Technology Fellowship with the U.S. government, he represents the brains and the brawn that the black community has in spades.
We at Black Enterprise salute you, Joseph T. Bonivel, Ph.D.! Your mission of providing mentorship and utter cool to young black minds frames us in an enthusiastic light, and is meant to be celebrated and appreciated.
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