Union College welcomes 20 new faculty members and 3 new librarians this fall as part of the 2023-24 academic year. They are:
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES:
Melissa DeSiervo, assistant professor
Degrees: B.S. from Cornell University; M.S. from Humboldt State University; Ph.D. from Dartmouth College
Research/teaching interests: Population and community ecology; species interactions; density dependence; mosquito larval ecology and more
Ayon Ibrahim, assistant professor
Degrees: B.S. from Union College (Class of 2013); Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania
Research/teaching interests: Mechanisms underlying lipid-mediated cellular dysfunction and toxicity
CHEMISTRY:
Olivia Adly Attallah, visiting assistant professor
Degrees: B.S. from Ain Shams University; M.Sc. from Nile University; Ph.D. from Cairo University
Research/teaching interests: Development of tailored green technologies and novel analytical assays to mitigate against environmental pollution
CIVIL and ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING:
Carolyn Rodak, associate professor and chair
Degrees: B.S. from the University of Michigan; Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame
Research/teaching interests: Water quality in the Mohawk River; fluid dynamics; stormwater management
ELECTRICAL, COMPUTER AND BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING:
Moriom Momota, visiting instructor
Degrees: B.S. from Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology in Bangladesh; Ph.D. from Texas Tech University
Research/teaching interests: Flexible electronics, embedded systems, Internet of Things and artificial intelligence.
ENGLISH:
Erica Mena, visiting instructor
Degrees: B.A. from University of Massachusetts Boston; M.Phil from the University of Cambridge; MFA degrees from the University of Iowa and Brown University.
Research/teaching interests: poetry, book arts, literary translation.
Kaitlin Elissa Staudt, visiting assistant professor
Degrees: Bachelors from Wellesley College; Masters Degree from the University of Edinburgh; Ph.D. from the University of Oxford.
Research/teaching interests: World Literature; British Literature; English Composition and the Short Story
HISTORY:
Sohini Chattopadhyay, assistant professor
Degrees: BA from Calcutta University, Kolkata; Masters degrees from Jawaharlal Nehru University; Ph.D. from Columbia University
Research/teaching interests: Comparative studies in South Asia, Modern South Asia, Modern Middle East
Nicole de Silva, visiting assistant professor
Degrees: B.A. from the University of California at Riverside; M.A. and Ph.D. from U.C. Santa Barbara
Research/teaching interests: HIstory of the American People; History of U.S. Popular Culture in the 20th century; History of the Modern World
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING:
Jaron Kuppers, visiting assistant professor
Degrees: B.S. from Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Research/teaching interests: material science; statics; design of mechanical systems; bio-materials, natural fiber composites and more
MODERN LANGUAGES:
Martin Dawson, visiting assistant professor
Degrees: B.A. from the College of Charleston; Ph.D. from Duke University/UNC-Chapel Hill
Research/teaching interests: German Studies and language; Germany and the Environmental Imagination
MUSIC:
Eugene Jin Byun, visiting lecturer and director of musical performance
Degrees: Bachelors from Seoul National University; Masters degrees from Indiana University and Queens College; Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut
Research/teaching interests: Private voice lessons; opera workshops; conducting
PHILOSOPHY:
Daniel W. Brinkerhoff Young, visiting assistant professor
Degrees: B.A. from Cornell University; M.Phil. from the University of Oxford, Balliol College (Rhodes Scholar); Ph.D. from New York University
Research/teaching interests: Social and political philosophy, including philosophy of race, class, gender and anti-colonial thought
PHYSICS and ASTRONOMY:
Amin Abou Ibrahim, visiting assistant professor
Degrees: B.S from Lebanese University; Masters degrees from Beirut Arab University and Northeastern University. Ph.D. from Northeastern University
Research/teaching interests: Quantum field theory, introduction to the standard model and beyond
Jeremy W. Smith, visiting instructor
Degrees: B.S. from Union College (Class of 2014); Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut
Research/teaching interests: Particle accelerators; low energy nuclear reactions; exotic beam production
POLITICAL SCIENCE:
Salil Benegal, the Joseph B. Board Assistant Professor of Environmental Policy
Degrees: B.Sc. Illinois Institute of Technology; Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut
Research/teaching interests: Environmental politics, climate policy, energy transition, public opinion and political psychology
PSYCHOLOGY:
Cameron Kay, visiting assistant professor
Degrees: B.A. from the University of British Columbia; M.Sc. in psychology, M.A. in journalism and Ph.D. from the University of Oregon
Research/teaching interests: Psychological factors that underlie antisocial beliefs and behaviors; personality, social psychology, statistical methods and conspiracy theories;
SOCIOLOGY:
Adrienne Atterberry, visiting assistant professor
Degrees: B.S. and B.A. from University of Pittsburgh; Masters degrees in media studies and sociology from Syracuse University; Ph.D. from Syracuse University
Research/teaching interests: Sociology of education, international migration; qualitative research methods, social inequality and global mobility; racial and ethnic minorities
THEATER and DANCE:
Cheryl Black, visiting assistant professor
Degrees: B.A. from Charleston Southern University; M.A. from the University of South Carolina; Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park
Research interests: Women in theatre, African American theatre, US history and culture, and dramaturgy/adaptation.
VISUAL ARTS:
Allison Conley, lecturer
Degrees: B.A. from SUNY Stony Book, MFA from Colorado State University
Research/teaching interests: Printmaking; Relief Printmaking; Art Appreciation; Exploring the Creative Process
Rachel Stern, visiting assistant professor
Degrees: BFA from Rhode Island School of Design; MFA from Columbia University
Research/teaching interests: Photography and studio lighting
SCHAFFER LIBRARY:
Patrick Cassidy, systems and discovery librarian
Degrees: B.A. from Purdue University; Masters of Library Science from Kent State University
Interests and skills: Database management/development/monitoring; training facilitation
Kim Mitchell, systems associate librarian
Degrees: B.A. from Boston University; Master of Library Science from Simmons College
Interests and skills: Oversee technical services; collection development; library programming
Jenna Pitera, instruction librarian
Degrees: B.A. from SUNY New Paltz; Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Rhode Island
Interests and skills: Comprehensive literature searches; one-on-one research assistance; development of curricular materials for research methods