PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — As the 2019-20 academic year begins at Brown and more than 2,700 new undergraduate, graduate and medical students arrive on College Hill, the University also welcomes a group of 66 dynamic new educators and scholars to the faculty.
With research and teaching interests spanning climate change in the Arctic to China’s foreign policy to the aesthetics of 18th and 19th century music, Brown’s newest faculty members represent a wide range of expertise, backgrounds and viewpoints. The importance of that diversity is underscored in this 50th anniversary year of Brown’s Open Curriculum, said Provost Richard M. Locke.
“Our exceptional faculty, in partnership with our deeply curious and driven students, animate our campus and curriculum,” Locke said. “I’m extremely enthusiastic to welcome this new cohort of talented scholars from all over the world to Brown to renew and refresh our teaching and research, and to enhance the vibrant intellectual and educational community that distinguishes Brown.”
This year’s class of new faculty reflects strategic investments the University has made to attract the world’s sharpest minds to Brown, Locke said. The expansion of state-of-the-art research and performing arts facilities ensures that researchers and scholars are empowered to do their best work. Investments in the University library put vast stores of knowledge at scholars’ fingertips. And Brown’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, as articulated in a detailed University-wide action plan, helps assure that scholars from diverse backgrounds are in a place where they can thrive and the entire community can benefit.
“Great things happen when talented people from a wide array of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives come together,” Locke said. “I’m looking forward to witnessing the contributions that this extraordinary group of scholars offers, in collaboration with faculty, students and staff, to make a positive difference in our community and the world.”
The new professors, associate professors, assistant professors, lecturers and research and teaching faculty members will serve across the University’s academic departments, divisions and schools. The full listing, with links for more information about each faculty member, follows below. [Editor's Note: One additional name was added to the list post-publication, making for a total of 67 new faculty members.]
Humanities and Social Sciences
Nadje Al-Ali
Robert Family Professor of International Studies, Professor of Anthropology and Middle East Studies
Ivan Arreguin-Toft
Lecturer in International and Public Affairs
Oladotun Ayobade
Assistant Professor of Africana Studies
Craig Barton
Professor of the Practice of History of Art and Architecture, University Architect
Tina Campt
Owen Walker Professor of Humanities and Professor of Modern Culture and Media
Jonathan Collins
Assistant Professor of Education
Emily Dolan
Associate Professor of Music
Bradford Gibbs
Lecturer in Economics
Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve
Associate Professor of Sociology
Benjamin Hein
Assistant Professor of History
Sachiko Hiramatsu
Lecturer in East Asian Studies
Tyler Jost
Watson Institute Assistant Professor of China Studies, Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs and Political Science
Emily Kress
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Sarah Leibel
Senior Lecturer in Education
Myles Lennon
Dean's Assistant Professor of Environment and Society and Anthropology
Jinying Li
Assistant Professor of Modern Culture and Media
Karan Mahajan
Assistant Professor of Literary Arts
Teddy Mekonnen
Assistant Professor of Economics
Elizabeth Miller
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Alexander Poterack
Lecturer in Economics
Candace Rice
Assistant Professor of Classics and Archaeology and the Ancient World
Atsuko Suga Borgmann
Senior Lecturer in East Asian Studies
Crystal Thomas
Lecturer in Education
Rachel Wetts
Acacia Assistant Professor of Environment and Society and Sociology
Life and Physical Sciences
Yu-Wen Hsu
Lecturer in Mathematics
Malte Schwarzkopf
Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Ritambhara Singh
Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Laurence Smith
John Atwater and Diana L. Nelson University Professor of Environmental Studies
Victor Tsai
Associate Professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences
Bena Tshishiku
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Douglas Woos
Lecturer in Computer Science
Biology and Medicine
Ozkan Aydemir
Instructor in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (Research)
Jeffrey A. Bailey
Mencoff Family Associate Professor of Translational Research, Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Lalit Beura
Assistant Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Nathaniel Edgett Clark
Instructor in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry (Research)
Wafik S. El-Deiry
Mencoff Family University Professor of Medical Science and Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Matthew Fuxjager
Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Marissa Lynne Gray
Assistant Professor of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology (Research)
Haruki Higashimori
Instructor in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry (Research)
Yu-Wen Alvin Huang
GLF Translational Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry
Galina Karashchuk
Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (Research)
Christian Nixon
Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (Research)
Jamila H. Siamwala
Assistant Professor of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology (Research)
Jason Ritt
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience (Research)
Vivekanand Sharma
Instructor in Medical Science (Research)
Xiaobing Tian
Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (Research)
Gregorio Valdez
Associate Professor of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry
Jason G. Wood
Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry (Research)
Shengliang Zhang
Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (Research)
Lanlan Zhou
Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (Research)
Engineering
Jesse Ault
Assistant Professor of Engineering
Kimani Toussaint
Professor of Engineering
Roberto Zenit
Professor of Engineering
Public Health
Tanya Benitez
Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences (Research)
Michael Bernstein
Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Judson Brewer
Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Kimberly Chavanne
Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences (Research)
Melissa Clark
Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Diana Grigsby-Toussaint
Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Jaclyn Hughto
Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Tim Janssen
Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences (Research)
Julie Lima
Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice
Ellen McCreedy
Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice
Cara Murphy
Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Jeffrey Proulx
Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences (Research)
Tyler Wray
Edens Family Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences