Date September 3, 2019
Media Contact

Brown welcomes talented group of 66 new faculty members

Hailing from a wide variety of disciplines and backgrounds, the scholars join the Brown community this year to guide student-centered learning and engage in high-impact research.

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

Photo of Nadje Al-Ali

Nadje Al-Ali
Robert Family Professor of International Studies, Professor of Anthropology and Middle East Studies

Photo of Ivan Arreguin-Toft

Ivan Arreguin-Toft
Lecturer in International and Public Affairs

Photo of Oladotun Ayobade

Oladotun Ayobade
Assistant Professor of Africana Studies

Photo of Craig Barton

Craig Barton
Professor of the Practice of History of Art and Architecture, University Architect

Photo of Tina Campt

Tina Campt
Owen Walker Professor of Humanities and Professor of Modern Culture and Media

Photo of Jonathan Collins

Jonathan Collins
Assistant Professor of Education

Photo of Emily Dolan

Emily Dolan
Associate Professor of Music

Photo of Bradford Gibbs

Bradford Gibbs
Lecturer in Economics

Photo of Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve

Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve
Associate Professor of Sociology

Photo of Benjamin Hein

Benjamin Hein
Assistant Professor of History

Photo of Sachiko Hiramatsu

Sachiko Hiramatsu
Lecturer in East Asian Studies

Photo of Tyler Jost

Tyler Jost
Watson Institute Assistant Professor of China Studies, Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs and Political Science

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Emily Kress
Assistant Professor of Philosophy

Photo of Sarah Leibel

Sarah Leibel
Senior Lecturer in Education

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Myles Lennon
Dean's Assistant Professor of Environment and Society and Anthropology

Photo of Jinying Li

Jinying Li
Assistant Professor of Modern Culture and Media

Photo of Karan Mahajan

Karan Mahajan
Assistant Professor of Literary Arts

Photo of Teddy Mekonnen

Teddy Mekonnen
Assistant Professor of Economics

Photo of Elizabeth Miller

Elizabeth Miller
Assistant Professor of Philosophy

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Alexander Poterack
Lecturer in Economics

Photo of Candace Rice

Candace Rice
Assistant Professor of Classics and Archaeology and the Ancient World

Photo of Atsuko Suga Borgmann

Atsuko Suga Borgmann
Senior Lecturer in East Asian Studies

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Crystal Thomas
Lecturer in Education

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Rachel Wetts
Acacia Assistant Professor of Environment and Society and Sociology

Life and Physical Sciences

Photo of Yu-Wen Hsu

Yu-Wen Hsu
Lecturer in Mathematics

Photo of Malte Schwarzkopf

Malte Schwarzkopf
Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Photo of Ritambhara Singh

Ritambhara Singh
Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Photo of Laurence Smith

Laurence Smith
John Atwater and Diana L. Nelson University Professor of Environmental Studies

Photo of Victor Tsai

Victor Tsai
Associate Professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences

Photo of Bena Tshishiku

Bena Tshishiku
Assistant Professor of Mathematics

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Douglas Woos
Lecturer in Computer Science

Biology and Medicine

Photo of Ozkan Aydemir

Ozkan Aydemir
Instructor in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (Research)

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Jeffrey A. Bailey
Mencoff Family Associate Professor of Translational Research, Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Photo of Lalit Beura

Lalit Beura
Assistant Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology

Photo of Nathaniel Edgett Clark

Nathaniel Edgett Clark
Instructor in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry (Research)

Photo of Wafik S. El-Deiry

Wafik S. El-Deiry
Mencoff Family University Professor of Medical Science and Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Photo of Matthew Fuxjager

Matthew Fuxjager
Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Photo of Marissa Lynne Gray

Marissa Lynne Gray
Assistant Professor of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology (Research)

Photo of Haruki Higashimori

Haruki Higashimori
Instructor in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry (Research)

Photo of Yu-Wen Alvin Huang

Yu-Wen Alvin Huang
GLF Translational Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry

Photo of Galina Karashchuk

Galina Karashchuk
Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (Research)

Photo of Christian Nixon

Christian Nixon
Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (Research)

Photo of Jamila H. Siamwala

Jamila H. Siamwala
Assistant Professor of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology (Research)

Photo fo Jason Ritt

Jason Ritt
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience (Research)

Photo of Vivekanand Sharma

Vivekanand Sharma
Instructor in Medical Science (Research)

Brown logo

Xiaobing Tian
Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (Research)

Photo of Gregorio Valdez

Gregorio Valdez
Associate Professor of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry

Photo of Jason G. Wood

Jason G. Wood
Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry (Research)

Photo of Shengliang Zhang

Shengliang Zhang
Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (Research)

Photo of Lanlan Zhou

Lanlan Zhou
Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (Research)

Engineering

Photo of Jesse Ault

Jesse Ault
Assistant Professor of Engineering

Photo of Kimani Toussaint

Kimani Toussaint
Professor of Engineering

Photo of Roberto Zenit

Roberto Zenit
Professor of Engineering

Public Health

Photo of Tanya Benitez

Tanya Benitez
Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences (Research)

Photo of Michael Bernstein

Michael Bernstein
Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences

Photo of Judson Brewer

Judson Brewer
Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences

Photo of Kimberly Chavanne

Kimberly Chavanne
Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences (Research)

Photo of Melissa Clark

Melissa Clark
Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Photo of Diana Grigsby-Toussaint

Diana Grigsby-Toussaint
Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences

Photo of Jaclyn Hughto

Jaclyn Hughto
Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences

Photo of Tim Janssen

Tim Janssen
Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences (Research)

Photo of Julie Lima

Julie Lima
Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice

Photo of Ellen McCreedy

Ellen McCreedy
Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice

Photo of Cara Murphy

Cara Murphy
Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences

Photo of Jeffrey Proulx

Jeffrey Proulx
Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences (Research)

Photo of Tyler Wray

Tyler Wray
Edens Family Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences