Scientist in the A.M., ‘Snack’ in the P.M.

Bioengineering PhD student Leroy Arthur was at a Dallas restaurant with friends when he received what seemed like a random message through his Instagram account, which shows a video of him skydiving and photos of him fashion modeling and spending time with friends and family.

The message was, in fact, a legitimate invitation to join “The Bachelor” franchise. The long-running dating reality TV series that airs on ABC is watched by millions of people around the world and has expanded to include podcasts, a website, live tours and more. Contestants receive a rose each week as a sign they still have a chance to get engaged after a few of weeks of knowing a stranger.

“I’m big on why not,” said Arthur, whose Twitter bio includes the moniker “snack,” slang for an attractive person. “I have an adventurous side to me, and I wasn’t prepared to wonder what would have been.”

So after a year in the Jonsson School Ultrasound Imaging and Therapy Laboratory of Dr. Kenneth Hoyt, associate professor of bioengineering who also has a faculty appointment at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Arthur packed a suitcase for California, where he entered quarantine, was sequestered and then competed for up to two months to get engaged to Michelle Young, runner-up on season 25 of “The Bachelor” and lead of season 18 of “The Bachelorette.”

Competing included writing and publicly reciting poetry to Young, clobbering a fellow suitor with a giant teddy bear while wearing a silk pajama short set, then traveling to Young’s home state of Minnesota. Arthur donned gear of the Vikings — the historical Scandinavians, not the football team — and did activities such as yell war cries, throw tree stumps, eat fermented fish and a blend of cow brains, tongue and cheek and arm wrestle.

His connection with Young was strong enough to make it to the final 10 guys before he did not receive a rose.

In a franchise known almost as much for its villain edit — those who cause the most drama tend to get more airtime — as for its love story, Arthur earned a reputation among contestants and viewers as a good person and a fashionable dresser.

“I will always feel like I have a lot to bring to the table; however, the storytelling is not about me, it’s about Michelle,” said Arthur, who as an undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earned a regional National Society of Black Engineers award for top poster presentation.

Arthur said that one of the toughest parts of filming was being disconnected from his family, but that his relationship with God allowed him to be himself on TV and helped with the transition back to his normal life.

“It was tough for my family to not know where in the world I was,” Arthur said. “But my mom, dad and older sister, now that things have transitioned, we laugh about it.”

Aside from finding a spouse, some previous contestants have used the fame they gained from the show to build careers as social media influencers, models or actors. Arthur said that his career is in the lab. He is researching how to add ultrasound to existing techniques and tools to earlier diagnosis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Is he still looking for love?

“I am still single. I love love and the idea of it,” he said. “School is a priority, so building a connection while maintaining a successful work/life balance is essential for my next relationship.”

And with enough time, Arthur will have earned his PhD, meaning if he decides to compete in a future Bachelor Nation show, he would have the much-coveted title of “Dr.,” arguably making him even more of a “snack.”

On Arthur’s Twitter account, he refers to himself as a “snack,” which means an attractive person.

Arthur can be seen on season 18 of “The Bachelorette,” episodes one through five.

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