DELVE INTO AFRICAN WEALTH
DON'T MISS A BEAT
Subscribe now
Skip to content

Meet John Dabiri, the Nigerian-born genius with $3 million shares in Nvidia

Nigerian-American scientist John Dabiri holds $3 million in Nvidia stock and brings bioengineering insights to the AI chip giant’s board.

Meet John Dabiri, the Nigerian-born genius with $3 million shares in Nvidia
John Dabiri, Nvidia board member and Caltech professor

Table of Contents


Key Points

  • John Dabiri owns over $3 million in Nvidia stock, reflecting his role on the board of the $4.2 trillion chip giant.
  • Dabiri is a Caltech professor and former Stanford leader, known for pioneering bio-inspired fluid dynamics research.
  • He serves on Nvidia’s board and compensation committee, bringing scientific insight to one of AI’s most powerful companies.

At first glance, John Dabiri might seem like the kind of brilliant academic quietly shaping young minds from behind a podium. But there’s more to this 45-year-old Nigerian-American aeronautics engineer than meets the eye. Behind the calm and humble presence is a career that’s anything but typical, and a fortune that puts him in rare company.

Dabiri owns more than $3 million worth of shares in Nvidia, the $4.2 trillion chipmaker at the center of the artificial intelligence boom. It’s a striking position for someone better known for studying jellyfish than designing semiconductors.

Nigerian heritage shapes engineering path

Born in 1980 in Toledo, Ohio, Dabiri was raised in a home where curiosity and discipline weren’t just encouraged—they were part of the daily rhythm. His parents had moved to the U.S. from Nigeria five years earlier, determined to build a better life while staying true to the values they carried with them.

His father, a mechanical engineer, also taught math at a local community college. His mother ran a software development business at a time when few women, let alone African immigrants, occupied that space. Dinner conversations often revolved around code and calculations, planting early seeds of fascination in their son.

By the time he graduated high school in 1997, Dabiri had already distinguished himself as a top student. That fall, he enrolled at Princeton University to study mechanical and aerospace engineering. He graduated summa cum laude in 2001. It wasn’t just academic success that marked his time there, it was a deepening sense of purpose.

Dabiri turns curiosity into discovery

A summer research stint at Caltech opened up an unexpected interest: fluid dynamics inspired by jellyfish. For most, that might have seemed like a quirky detour. For Dabiri, it was a window into solving real-world problems like energy efficiency and propulsion.

At just 25, Dabiri returned to Caltech, not as a student, but as a faculty member in aeronautics and bioengineering. He quickly made history. By age 29, he had earned tenure. At 30, he became a full professor, one of the youngest in Caltech’s history.

Over the next few years, he took on leadership roles, including chairing the Faculty Board and serving as Dean of Undergraduate Students. In 2015, he moved to Stanford, where he continued bridging science and society through roles that included leading the Catalyst for Collaborative Solutions, an interdisciplinary hub for tackling complex global issues.

Over the years, his work has drawn widespread recognition. He’s a recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” Grant, the National Science Foundation’s Waterman Award, and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. In 2023, he received the National Medal of Science—the highest U.S. honor in his field.

From Caltech to corporate governance

Today, he runs the Dabiri Lab and serves as the Centennial Chair Professor at Caltech, with appointments in the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories (GALCIT) and Mechanical Engineering.  His research spans fluid mechanics, renewable energy, environmental systems, and bio-inspired engineering—areas that speak to the future of sustainable innovation.

What surprises many people, however, is his growing presence in corporate boardrooms. Since July 2020, Dabiri has served as a board member at Nvidia, the Silicon Valley powerhouse behind some of the most advanced chips used in AI.

His background in systems thinking and scientific modeling brings a unique perspective to the company’s leadership. As a director, he is part of Nvidia’s compensation committee and plays a strategic role at a time when the company is one of the most valuable in the world.

Dabiri’s Nvidia stake tops $3 million

Although his stake in Nvidia is small—just 18,418 shares, or about 0.000075 percent of the company—it’s worth over $3.1 million. That investment says as much about Nvidia’s sharp rise as it does about Dabiri’s well-timed involvement. As a member of the board of directors, he earns more than $300,000 a year—a figure that could rise as the chipmaker continues to push the boundaries of AI and high-performance computing.

But Dabiri’s impact goes far beyond Silicon Valley. He also sits on the board of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, where he helps shape philanthropic work focused on science and the environment. Despite his many roles, he carves out time for mentorship, teaching, and research—commitments that speak to his belief that nurturing future innovators is just as meaningful as guiding billion-dollar enterprises.

Latest