New faculty
Elif Andac
Rupaleem Bhuyan
Bridget K. Biggs
James H. Brown
Keith Diaz Moore
Seguei Dolgopolskii
Kevan Edwards
Robert Fiorentino
Stephanie Fitzgerald
Ruben Flores
Mugur Geana
Omri Gillath
Javier Guzman
Tanya Hart
Michelle Heffner Hayes
P Scott Hefty
Mark Holter
Tami C. Lee Hughes
Bonnie Johnson
Tiffany Johnson
Johnny Kim
Neal Kingston
Meredith Kleykamp
Tracey LaPierre
Tien-Tsung Lee
Kelly Leroux
Megan McManus
Michael Moody
Robert Moyle
Ebenezer Obadare
Sanjay Pandey
David Perlmutter
Kristopher Preacher
Ann Rowland
Ingra Schellenberg
Koleman Strumpf
Cornelius van der Veen
Svetlana Vassileva-Karagyozova
Ketty Wong
Diana Wu
Elif Andac, assistant professor of sociology, completed her doctorate and her master's degree in sociology from the University of Washington. Her areas of research are in political and comparative-historical sociology, social theory and research methods; and she is particularly interested in state building processes, nationalism, ethnic and religious politics in the Balkans and the Middle East.
Rupaleem Bhuyan, assistant professor of social welfare, earned her master's degree in cultural anthropology from Northern Arizona University and her bachelor's degree in international studies and French studies from Emory University. Prior to joining the KU faculty, Bhuyan earned her doctorate in philosophy from the University of Washington and her dissertation focused on the impact of government policies against violence on immigrant women.
Bridget K. Biggs, assistant professor in the clinical child psychology program, completed a post doctorate fellowship at Stanford University where she focused on child and adolescent psychiatry and behavioral sciences. She holds a doctorate in clinical child psychology from KU and her master's from The Pennsylvania State University. Biggs has more than eight years of clinical experience.
James H. Brown, assistant professor of Germanic languages and literatures, comes to KU after earning his doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he also received his master's degree. His research interests include medieval German language and culture, as well as German dialectology.
Raghunath Chaudhari, distinguished professor of chemical and petroleum engineering, joins the KU faculty after serving as the deputy director of the homogenous catalysis division of the National Chemical Laboratory. Chaudhari has more than 30 years of experience in the chemical and engineering field and his research interests include multiphase reactors, chemical reaction engineering and kinetic modeling.
Andrew N.K. Chen, assistant professor of business, comes to KU from Arizona State University, where he was an assistant professor for the department of information systems in the W.P. Carey School of Business. Chen holds a doctorate in operations and information management from the University of Connecticut. His research interests include knowledge management, innovation adoption and electronic commerce.
Jay P. Chiders, assistant professor in communication studies, comes to KU from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was an assistant instructor. He received his doctorate in communication studies from the University of Texas at Austin as well, specializing in rhetoric and language and political communication.
David W. Clemmer, assistant director of athletic bands and director of KU Athletic Bands, comes to KU from Sam Houston State University where he taught music and was an assistant director of bands. He holds a master's of music from the University of Oklahoma.
Keith Diaz Moore, associate professor of architecture and urban design and chair of architecture, comes to KU from Washington State University in Spokane, where he was assistant professor of architecture and landscape architecture at the Interdisciplinary Design Institute. Moore holds a doctorate in architecture from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. He specializes in the area of environmental design for the elderly experiencing dementia.
Alesha E. Doan, assistant professor of political science, comes to KU from California Polytechnic University, where she was an associate professor of political science. Doan received her doctorate in political science from Texas A&M University, and her master's in political science from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Doan was also the director of the master of public policy program and the interim director for the women's studies program.
Serguei B. Dolgopolskii, assistant professor of religious studies, comes to KU from the University of California Berkeley, where he was a lecturer and researcher for the department of near eastern studies and the department of rhetoric. He received his doctorate in Jewish studies from the University of California Berkeley, and a doctorate in philosophical sciences from the Institute of Cultural Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow. His research interests include Talmudic and post-Talmudic thought and interpretation, Rabbinics and Jewish thought.
Kevan Edwards, assistant professor of philosophy, earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of Toronto, and recently completed his doctorate at Rutgers University. His areas of interest include philosophy of mind, language and cognitive science
Jin Feng, assistant professor of mathematics, holds a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin Madison. Before joining the KU faculty, Feng was a tenure track assistant professor for the department of mathematics and statistics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research interests include probability and analysis.
Robert Fiorentino, assistant professor of linguistics, comes to KU from the University of Maryland, where he earned his doctorate in linguistics. His research interests include psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics and morphology. English, Japanese and Chinese are his languages of research.
Stephanie Fitzgerald, assistant professor of English, holds a doctorate from Claremont Graduate University. She completed her master's degree in American Indian studies at the University of California Los Angeles and her bachelor's degree in liberal studies at Antioch University. Prior to her arrival at KU, Fitzgerald was a lecturer at San Diego State University. Her research interests include American Indian literature, cultural studies and American Indian women writers.
Ruben Flores, assistant professor for the American Studies program, comes to KU from the University of California Berkeley, where he received his doctorate and master's in history. Flores received his bachelor's at Princeton University. His research and teaching interests include Latino migration, the comparative histories of Mexico and the United States between 1850-1950, and the development of the social sciences.
Laird Forrest, assistant professor for pharmaceutical chemistry, comes to KU from the University of Wisconsin Madison, where he was a postdoctoral researcher in the School of Pharmacy. Forrest holds a doctorate in chemical and biomolecular engineering from the University of Illinois. His recent research has been in the nanoencapsulation of antitumor agents.
Mugur Valentin Geana, assistant professor of strategic communication for the school of journalism, holds a doctorate from the University of Missouri and a Ph.D. from the Institute of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest, Romania. He was an instructor for the Missouri School of Journalism. His interests are health communication campaigns and mass communication theory.
Omri Gillath, assistant professor of psychology, earned his bachelor's degree from Haifa University and his master's and doctorate from Bar-Ilan University. Most recently he has held a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California-Davis. His research interests include personality and social psychology, the attachment theory and prosocial motivation and behavior.
Dawn Marie Guernsey, professor of art and chairperson of the fine arts department, comes to KU from Washington University in St. Louis, where she taught drawing, painting and printmaking since 1985. Guernsey holds a master of fine arts in painting from Southern Illinois University and has had numerous one-woman shows and exhibitions nationwide. She is a recent Pollock-Krasner award-winner.
Javier Guzman, assistant professor of chemical and petroleum engineering, holds a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of California Davis. He has been an assistant professor at KU since Fall 2006. Prior to that appointment he was a postdoctoral research associate at the Institute of Chemical Technology in Spain. His research interests include nanotechnology, catalysis, kinetics and reaction engineering.
Majid Hannoum, assistant professor of anthropology and AAAS, comes to KU from Simon's Rock College, Bard, Mass. He holds a doctorate in near eastern studies and anthropology from Princeton University. Hannoum also holds a doctorate in Arabic and comparative literature from the University of Sorbonne III, Paris. Some areas of research interest are cultural identity, religion and politics and political modernity.
Tanya Hart, assistant professor for the American Studies Program and women's studies, comes to KU from the University of New Hampshire, where she was a visiting lecturer in the history department. Hart holds a doctorate in history from Yale University, and a master's in history from UCLA. Her research interests are in African-American studies and women's studies.
Lorraine J. Haricombe, librarian III and dean of university libraries, comes to KU from Bowling Green State University where she was the dean of university libraries. Haricombe holds a doctorate from the University of Illinois in library and information science as well as her master's.
Michelle Heffner Hayes, associate professor of music and dance, joins KU after seven years as the executive director of cultural affairs at Miami Dade College. She has more than 15 years of experience as a performing arts administrator, and has taught, performed, and served on numerous national and international funding panels as well. Heffner Hayes holds a doctorate in dance history and theory from the University of California-Riverside. She is a graduate of the dance program at KU.
P. Scott Hefty, assistant professor of molecular biosciences, joins KU from the University of California Berkeley, where he was a post-doctorate fellow. Hefty's project focused on mechanisms of gene regulation in chlamydia. He received his doctorate and master's in microbiology and immunology from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. His research interest is concentrated on microbial pathogenesis.
Mark C. Holter, associate professor of social welfare, earned his doctorate and master's degrees from Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. He comes to KU from the University of Michigan, where he was an assistant professor in the School of Social Work. His professional areas of interest include community integration and recovery for adults with serious mental illnesses, focusing especially on consumer-run and supported education programs.
Jun (Luke) Huan, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science, holds his doctorate in computer science at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where he was a research assistant and taught introduction to programming courses. Huan earned his master's degree at Oklahoma State University. His research interests include graph database mining in structural bioinformatics.
Tami C. Lee Hughes, assistant professor of music and dance, comes to KU from Ann Arbor, Mich., where she was a violin instructor at various institutions. She holds a doctorate and master's of musical arts in violin performance from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
Robert Hurst, assistant professor of theatre and film, holds a master's of fine arts from the University of Iowa. He comes to KU after teaching film courses at Grand Valley State University. His teaching interests include film sound, narratology and digital cinema.
Bonnie J. Johnson, assistant professor of architecture and urban design, was an instructor for the graduate program in urban planning at KU and city planner for eight years. She holds a doctorate in political science from KU. Johnson also holds a master's in urban planning as well as a master's in political science from KU. Her research interests include civic bureaucracy, land use policy, and representation.
Tiffany A. Johnson, assistant professor of speech, language and hearing, comes to KU from the Boys Town National Research Hospital. Johnson was a postdoctoral fellow there, researching normal and impaired cochlear function. Johnson holds a doctorate in speech and hearing science and a master's degree in audiology, both from the University of Iowa, and a bachelor's degree from Creighton University.
Johnny S. Kim, assistant professor of social welfare, earned his doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin in social work. He received his master's degree in social work from Boston College. His research and teaching interests include social work practice with Asian Americans, school social work, and quantitative research methods.
Neal Kingston, associate professor of psychology and research in education, comes to KU from CTB McGraw-Hill, where he was vice president of research and general manager. Kingston holds a doctorate in educational measurement from Teachers College, Columbia University in New York, and has developed several computer-based assessment systems both for state educational testing programs and companies such as AT&T.
Meredith Kleykamp, assistant professor of sociology, comes to KU from Princeton University, where she is finishing her doctorate in sociology with a concentration in population studies. Her research and teaching interests include social demography, social stratification and inequality and military sociology and policy.
Mary Ellen Kondrat, dean and professor for the School of Social Welfare, comes to KU from Louisiana State University School of Social Work where she was a professor and dean. She holds a doctorate in education from the University of Wisconsin Madison.
Tracey A. LaPierre, assistant professor and assistant scientist in the sociology and gerontology departments, comes to KU from Duke University, where she received her doctorate in sociology. Her research and teaching interests include medical sociology, quantitative methods and gerontology/aging.
Tien-Tsung Lee, associate professor of journalism, holds a doctorate and bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon. Lee completed a master's degree from the University of Minnesota. Lee comes to KU from Washington State University and taught several advertising and strategic communications courses. Lee has also taught courses at Hawaii Pacific University and the University of Oregon.
Kelly LeRoux, assistant professor of public administration, comes to KU from Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich., where she earned her doctorate in political science. She holds a master's in public administration from Wayne State University as well. Her research interests include voluntary forms of regionalism, urban administration and local government.
Carl J. Leuschen, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science, holds a doctorate from KU. He completed his bachelor's as well as his master's degree at KU. Prior to joining the faculty, Leuschen worked at Johns Hopkins University in the applied physics department.
Alison Luoma, assistant professor of art, comes to KU from the School of Visual Arts at Pennsylvania State University, where she was an instructor. Luoma holds a master of fine arts in sculpture from Pennsylvania State University. Her research interests as a sculptor and metalsmith include the role of art objects in contemporary society and the relationship between desire and objects in our culture.
Megan B. McManus, assistant professor of art, earned her master of fine arts at California State University. Before joining the KU faculty, McManus was an instructor of record at the drawing workshop at Whittier College, Whittier, Calif., and an assistant to the art department graduate advisor at California State University.
Michael J. Moody, assistant professor of public administration, comes to KU from the University of Kentucky, where he holds a doctorate in public administration from the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration. His research interests include public finance and budgeting.
Robert G. Moyle, assistant professor for the ecology and evolutionary biology department and assistant curator in the KU Natural History Museum, comes to KU from the American Museum of Natural History, New York City, where he was the molecular lab manager for the department of ornithology. Moyle holds a doctorate in biology from Louisiana State University and a master's in zoology from the University of Rhode Island. He has foreign field experience in countries such as Malaysia, Ghana and South Africa.
Stuart John Macdonald, assistant professor of EEB and molecular biosciences, comes to KU from the University of California Irvine, where he occupied a postdoctoral research position in the department of ecology and evolution. Macdonald received his doctorate in the department of zoology at the University of Oxford, England. His research interests are in molecular evolutionary genetics of phenotypic variation and the species Drosophilia.
Belinda S. McSwain, assistant professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, comes to KU from the University of California-Davis, where she is completing her postdoctoral research. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame and has worked on research projects in Munich, Rome and New York.
Ebenezer Obadare, assistant professor of sociology, comes to KU from the London School of Economics and Political Science where he was a visiting research fellow at the department of social policy, and from where he holds a doctorate in social policy. Before joining academia, Obadare was an award-winning reporter for TEMPO newsmagazine. His research interests at large are African governance and development.
Ed O'Donnell, assistant professor of business, comes to KU from Arizona State University, where he was an assistant professor at the W.P. Carey School of Business. O'Donnell holds a doctorate from the University of North Texas and is a C.P.A. His research examines the cognitive processes that influence decisions made with accounting information.
Sanjay K. Pandey, assistant professor of public administration, comes to KU from Rutgers University, where he has been an assistant professor for the department of public policy and administration since 2000. He holds a doctorate in social science from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. His research and teaching interests are in public management and health policy.
David D. Perlmutter, professor of journalism, holds a doctorate from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Perlmutter will also serve as associate dean for graduate students in the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Prior to joining the KU faculty, he taught communication courses for 11 years at Louisiana State University and has written four books.
Forrest David Pierce, assistant professor of music and dance, comes to KU from Lewis and Clark College, Portland, Ore., where he was an assistant professor of music and the artistic director of the Friends of Rain Contemporary Ensemble. Pierce holds a doctorate of music composition from Indiana University and a master of arts in music from the University of Minnesota. Among his research and teaching interests are composition and counterpoint.
Kristopher J. Preacher, assistant professor of psychology, earned his doctorate in psychology from Ohio State University and his master's degree from The College of William and Mary. Before joining the KU faculty, Preacher held a postdoctoral fellowship in the quantitative psychology program as search coordinator at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research interests include analysis of longitudinal and correlational data.
Ann W. Rowland, assistant professor of English, earned her bachelor's and doctorate degrees in English from Yale University. She received her master's degree from Oxford University and has been an assistant professor of English at Harvard University for the last seven years. Her research and teaching interests include eighteenth and nineteenth-century British literature, Romanticism, gender and postcolonial theory, and literature and nationalism.
Ingra Schellenberg, assistant professor of philosophy, holds doctorate and master's degrees in philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Winnipeg. Her teaching areas of interest include ethics, bioethics and philosophy of medicine.
Margaret S. Schomaker, assistant professor for the school of business, comes to KU from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota where she received her doctorate in strategy and international management. She received her master's in linguistics there as well. Schomaker's research interests include international strategy, knowledge transfer and mergers and acquisitions.
Steven D. Schrock, assistant professor of engineering, earned his doctorate in civil engineering from Texas A&M University and received his master's in civil engineering from Iowa State University. Schrock's research interests include work zone safety, traffic law enforcement, traffic control devices and traffic flow theories.
Jeremy Shellhorn, assistant professor of design, holds a master's in graphic design from North Carolina State University. He comes to KU from Herron School of Art and Design at Indiana University, where he was an assistant professor of visual communication.
Joseph Edward Steinmetz, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and professor of psychology and molecular bioscience, comes to KU from Indiana University, where he was a distinguished professor of psychology, neural science, cognitive science and executive associate dean of arts and sciences. He received his doctorate in physiological psychology at The Ohio University and was a postdoctoral fellow and research associate at Stanford University. His major research interest has been in studying how the mammalian brain encodes learning and memory processes.
Koleman S. Strumpf, Koch Professor of Business Economics, comes to KU from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was an associate professor of economics. Strumpf holds a doctorate in economics from M.I.T. His research interests include applied microeconomics, public economics and political economics.
Amanda "Mandy" Swygart-Hobaugh, social science librarian, holds a doctor of philosophy and master's degree in science from Purdue University, as well as a master of library science and bachelor's degree from Indiana University. She comes to KU from Cornell College, and her research interests include campus learning centers and the academic experience, gender/women's studies librarianship and disciplinary/ methodological/gender influences on scholarly communication.
C.J. van der Veen, associate professor of geography, comes to KU from the Byrd Polar Research Center at The Ohio State University where he was a research scientist and a visiting professor for the department of geological services. He holds a doctorate in physics from the State University of Utrecht, in the Netherlands. He is the editor of Polar Geography, and has had numerous glacial geological field experiences in locations such as West Antarctica and Greenland.
Svetlana Vassileva-Karagyozova, assistant professor of Slavic languages and literature, joins KU from Southern Illinois University, where she was an instructor of the Polish language, as well as a teaching assistant for the foundations of bilingual education. She holds a doctorate in Slavic studies from Sofia University in Bulgaria, and a master's in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). Her research interests include Slavic Literary Baroque and the 20th century Polish and Czech prose.
Gennady Verkhivker, professor of pharmaceutical chemistry, comes to KU from the University of California San Diego, where he was an adjunct professor in the department of pharmacology, as well as an associate research fellow for Pfizer global research and development. Verkhivker holds a doctorate in physical chemistry from the Institute of Physical Chemistry, Russian National Academy of Sciences, Moscow.
Ketty Wong, assistant professor of music and dance, comes to KU from the University of Texas at Austin where Wong is a doctoral candidate in ethnomusicology. Wong holds a master's in ethnomusicology from the University of Texas at Austin and a master's of fine arts in musicology from the Conservatory Chaikovsky in Moscow.
Diana Wu, assistant professor for the school of business, comes to KU from the Smeal College of Business at the Pennsylvania State University, where she was a doctoral candidate in supply chain and information systems with operations research. Her research interests include supply chain management, decision making and support and experimental economics.
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