University of Baltimore

Math was always Donald Martin’s favorite subject in school. In fact, while in elementary school, his father taught him math he didn’t see in school until a few years later and that built his confidence. While at the University of Baltimore, Martin’s graduate adviser, Benjamin Kedem, convinced Martin to quit his full-time job on campus and become his research assistant, which helped Martin focus on his studies. Subsequently, he became one of four African Americans in the US to earn a PhD in mathematics in 1990. Since then, Martin, an associate professor at North Carolina State University, has received several research grants and the College of Sciences Faculty Diversity Professional Development Award.