Lehigh Welcomes New Faculty for the 2022-23 Academic Year

Armando Anzellini, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences

What are your research interests?

My research interests lie at the intersection of the physical sciences and the social sciences. In my research I apply tools and techniques from the physical sciences such as analytical chemistry, biogeochemistry, and finite element analysis, to answer questions about human health and society in the ancient past. In particular, I explore the ways that social and economic inequality are incorporated into the skeleton and how we can explore questions of social inequality in the past with this understanding.

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

I will be teaching Human Evolution and Prehistory (ANTH 012) in the fall. I will also be bringing students into my lab to collaborate in my current research.

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

Ph.D., University of Tennessee-Knoxville; M.A., University of Central Florida; B.A., University of Central Florida

What was your previous institution?

Middle Tennessee State University

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

What I enjoy most about teaching is the spark that I see in students as concepts begin to click. When that happens, students often end up teaching me a new perspective or a new way of approaching a subject. I'm energized when students can creatively tackle questions in class.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

The students at Lehigh are incredibly motivated and outstanding, a cut above the rest. Additionally, the camaraderie between the faculty members is amazing to see, and that truly makes a workplace special.

Shimon Attie, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art, Architecture and Design and Horger Artist in Residence, College of Arts and Sciences

What are your research interests?

Visual and Media Art, including art photography, immersive video and mixed meditation Installations, site-specific installations, public projects, social practice, community-based and socially engaged artworks.

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

The Art of Sites and Communities

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

MFA, San Francisco State University; MA, Antioch University; BA, UC Berkeley

What was your previous institution?

Stony Brook University

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

The opportunity to inspire and support the next generation of artists

Carrie Ballenger, Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre, College of Arts and Sciences

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

Basic Scene Painting and Stage Props and Decor

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

MFA Theater Scene Design from University of Memphis; BFA Theater Production from Ithaca College

What was your previous institution?

McCarter Theater Center, Princeton, N.J.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

Engaging students in the arts

Why did you choose Lehigh?

I have enjoyed the students and colleagues while I was an adjunct professor.

Lee Bauknight, Teaching Assistant Professor of English, College of Arts and Sciences

What are your research interests?

Writing studies, rhetoric, information literacy, professional writing, creative writing

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

English 1, English 2, English 11

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (Fiction), The University of South Carolina; Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, The University of South Carolina

What was your previous institution?

Penn State Berks

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

Working with students to help them find their voices and their confidence as writers

Why did you choose Lehigh?

Lehigh seems serious about preparing students not just to find jobs, but to find their place as committed, ethical and compassionate members of their communities.

Whitney Blocher McTigue, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science

What are your research interests?

Using polymeric biomimicry to solve real-world problems, particularly in the area of medicine

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

I will be teaching Material and Energy Balances of Chemical Processes.

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

I have a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University, a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and completed a post doc at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I love seeing students use engineering tools to think outside the box to solve real-world problems and being a part of their journey.

Sarah Borowski, Assistant Professor of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences

What are your research interests?

My research focuses on close friendships during adolescence. In particular, much of my work considers intimate disclosure between friends. Although disclosure is typically considered to be a positive context in which friends may provide support and receive validation, this seemingly positive context for development can also have negative effects on adjustment, depending on the behaviors adolescents are engaging in during their interactions. For example, friends may discuss problems in an excessive and negatively focused way that contributes to their poorer emotional adjustment (e.g., depressive symptoms). Primarily focusing on the context of friendship disclosure, my research aims to identify emotional, behavioral, and physiological processes within adolescent friendship interactions that have broader implications for their adjustment and well-being.

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

In my first year, I will be teaching a graduate course and an upper-level undergraduate course focused on social development within the context of peer relations during childhood and adolescence. The course covers how peer relations (e.g., friends, romantic partners, popularity) contribute to various aspects of children's and adolescents' social development (e.g., identity development, psychopathology and mental health, social competence). In the future, I will also be teaching undergraduate courses on human development (adolescence to late adulthood) and research methods.

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

I received my MA in Experimental Psychology from the College of William & Mary and my Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Missouri.

What was your previous institution?

University of Missouri

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I enjoy creating assignments or having class discussions in which students can make personal connections to material presented in class. Students come to class with their own professional/educational goals and interests as well as their own lived experiences that are shaped by their unique backgrounds. Because I teach courses related to human development, there are many opportunities for students to reflect on their own development or provide insights through the lens of their own developmental history. As a result, each time I teach, students breathe new life into previously taught material.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

I was drawn to Lehigh's strong track record of high-quality research as well as its commitment to teaching. I was especially impressed by the available resources and support for mentoring undergraduate researchers. One of the most rewarding aspects of my program of research to date has been the opportunities to mentor undergraduate researchers who are able to pursue independent lines of inquiry using data from my projects. I look forward to continuing to mentor undergraduate researchers at Lehigh and to becoming a part of Lehigh's community.

Shang-Huan Chiu, C.-C. Hsiung Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences

What are your research interests?

My research interests focus on Mathematical Modeling and applying high performance computing to study the phenomena from the interdisciplinary areas such as mathematical physics, biology and geophysics.

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

I obtained my Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Houston under the supervision of Dr. Tsorng-Whay Pan in summer 2017. After I graduated, I was a postdoctoral fellow/ Postdoctoral Research Associate since 2017. In 2017, I was at the University of Houston collaborating with Dr. Tsorng-Whay Pan and Dr. Roland Glowinski. In 2018, I joined Dr. Bryan Quaife’s research group in the Scientific Computing Department at Florida State University. After FSU, I was in the Mathematical Sciences Department at New Jersey Institute of Technology. In 2021, I was working with Dr. Burak Aksoylu at Texas A&M University–San Antonio.

What was your previous institution?

I worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences at Texas A&M San Antonio.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

For teaching, I enjoy the moment that students have and the smiles on their faces because they understand the topic totally.

LaToya Council, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Africana Studies, College of Arts and Sciences

What are your research interests?

My research interests include social inequality, race, gender, work, family and well-being.

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

I am teaching SOC 397/AAS 397-Sociology of Black Families.

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

I hold a BA degree in Sociology from Spelman College, a MA degree in Sociology from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and a Ph.D. in Sociology and Gender and Sexuality Studies from the University of Southern California.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

What I enjoy most about teaching is an opportunity to get to know my students and learn from them as much as they learn from me. A great aspect about teaching is the conversations about the readings, and the ability to connect them to our personal intersecting identities, as well as broader narratives about the world. This can help students feel empowered, and that they have what it takes to make a social impact.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

I chose Lehigh because I felt that the fit between the university and my personal career goals was solid. During my visit, I enjoyed getting to know faculty, staff and students affiliated with Sociology & Anthropology, the Africana Studies Program and various other programs throughout the campus. There were many points of compatibility between research, teaching and service, that I knew Lehigh was the right place for me. I am looking forward to growing as a scholar activist at Lehigh, and making a positive impact within the community.

Meredith Cummings, Teaching Assistant Professor of Journalism and Communication, College of Arts and Sciences

What are your research interests?

Data journalism, scholastic media, women and gender studies within journalism

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

Data journalism, Writing for the Media, Visual Communication

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

B.A. English and M.A. in journalism from The University of Alabama

What was your previous institution?

The University of Alabama

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I love that, every year, I get to meet students who chose to be in my classroom, full of enthusiasm and possibility. I love learning from my students and watching them have those light-bulb moments.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

I chose Lehigh for the outstanding work faculty do to enrich the lives of students, not only in the classroom but personally as well. Above all, I chose Lehigh for the people I have met who are kind, generous and without pretense.

Rochelle Frounfelker, Assistant Professor of Community and Population Health, College of Health

What are your research interests?

I am a social epidemiologist that studies the social determinants of mental health among marginalized populations. My most recent work has focused on the mental health of war-affected populations, specifically refugees in Canada and the United States.

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

This fall I will be teaching Qualitative Methods in Health Research.

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

I have my Masters in Public Health (MPH) and Masters of Science in Social Work (MSSW) from Columbia University in New York City. I obtained my doctorate in science (ScD) in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. I completed a postdoc in cultural psychiatry at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec.

What was your previous institution?

I completed my postdoctoral work at McGill University this past spring.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I enjoy learning from my students and being inspired by students who want to promote the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

I was excited about the opportunities at the new College of Health, and being able to contribute to the growth of the College and developing collaborations with amazing colleagues throughout Lehigh University.

Mariah C. Hoskins, Visiting Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences

What are your research interests?

My research interests focus on seismology, and in particular, using seismology to understand subduction zone dynamics.

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

I will be teaching Planet Earth (EES 021), Natural Hazards (EES 027) and Volcanoes (EES 015).

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

I earned a BS in Geology from Brigham Young University and a PhD in Seismology from Lehigh University. I also worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Lehigh after completing my PhD.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I love helping students understand and master difficult concepts and seeing their excitement when they “get it.”

Why did you choose Lehigh?

I appreciated the warm, supportive department culture at Lehigh as a graduate student and am excited to contribute to that culture now as a professor.

Insung Hwang, Visiting Assistant Professor of Decision and Technology Analytics (DATA), College of Business

What are your research interests?

My research focus is about the future of work. Specifically, I am studying how automation and other IT software and tools transform the various natures of work using machine learning and econometric methods.

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

I am going to teach Predictive Analytics, Database Management and Business Analytics

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

I got a Ph.D. degree in Information Systems at McGill University in Canada, and a master's degree in Applied Statistics at Yonsei University in South Korea.

What was your previous institution?

I was a Ph.D. student at McGill University before I joined Lehigh University.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I am really happy to see when my students are enjoying learning new things.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

The bright students and excellent faculty were the biggest reason why I chose Lehigh.

Kate Jackson, Assistant Professor of Community and Population Health, College of Health

What are your research interests?

Environmental Justice, Urban Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, Critical Race, Policy, Equity

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

Community Health

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

Ph.D., MS (Public Affairs): Rutgers University Camden; MSS, MSLP (Social Work/Law and Social Policy): Bryn Mawr College; BA (Sociology): Eastern University

What was your previous institution?

Rutgers University

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

Building active community in and out of the classroom! My interdisciplinary training in sociology, law, policy, public affairs and community development allows me to connect community, students and research in exciting ways! I teach so that everyone feels welcome as they are, safe to speak, inspired to question, humbled to listen, and prepared to take action in the world. Three main convictions guide my teaching: 1) community is sacred, 2) students are empowered, and 3) knowledge requires action.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

I was immediately drawn to Lehigh and the College of Health because of the commitment to excellence that engages students and community in health innovation and justice! I share this commitment, and I am passionate about policies and interventions that engage and center community for equity. The opportunity to join in the research and community building that I am deeply and personally committed to with the brilliant students and faculty at Lehigh is truly an honor!

Sun Tae Kim, Teaching Assistant Professor of Decision and Technology Analytics (DATA), College of Business

What are your research interests?

My research interests include Online Review Systems, Theory of Effective Use, Business Intelligence, and Analytics.

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

I will be teaching BIS44 Business Analytics I and BIS415 Capstone Project in the upcoming academic year.

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

I hold a Ph.D. Business Administration, Louisiana State University; M.S. Statistics, Tulane University; and B.S. Statistics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

What was your previous institution?

I was in Louisiana State University before joining Lehigh.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I thoroughly enjoy getting to know different students and empowering them with knowledge to succeed in their individual career goals.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

I was very impressed by the academic enthusiasm of the student body and the faculty. The College of Business is full of opportunities and great people to work with!

Shan Li, Assistant Professor of Community and Population Health, College of Health, and Assistant Professor of Education and Human Services, College of Education

What are your research interests?

My research centers on advanced learning technologies, learning analytics, Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED) and health professions education (HPE). My overarching research goal is to understand and enhance HPE by: (1) designing intelligent learning and training systems for classroom and real-world applications; (2) examining students’ learning process in the dimensions of behavior, cognition, metacognition, emotion and motivation; and (3) using the state-of-the-art computational techniques (e.g., educational data mining and machine learning) to reveal performance differences among learners.

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

I will be teaching 'Introduction to learning analytics' in the Fall 2022 semester.

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

Ph.D. from McGill University

What was your previous institution?

Prior to my current appointment, I was a graduate student at McGill University

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

It is a rewarding experience to see students succeed in their careers and lives. I believe that the goal of teaching is to provide students the multiple possibilities of living a meaningful life. It is wonderful to think of how my work could have a positive impact on others. Meanwhile, I see the feedback from students as an opportunity for learning and professional development.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

The most important reason is that I believe Lehigh University is an ideal environment for my career development. I learned from different people that Lehigh University has a very supportive and collaborative culture, which will allow me to transition well to be a faculty member and grow to be a national leader in my area of research. Moreover, Lehigh Valley is a great place to live.

Mengxiao Liu, Assistant Professor of Economics, College of Business

What are your research interests?

Global supply chains, property rights, innovation, firm productivity

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

International trade, Statistical Methods, Economics Development in China

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

Ph.D. in Economics, University of Toronto

What was your previous institution?

Syracuse University

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

Intellectual enlightenment that I bring to the students.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

Student brilliance and research excellence

Liangbing Luo, C.-C. Hsiung Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences

What are your research interests?

Probability, analysis and geometry

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

Ph.D. from University of Connecticut; BS from Wuhan University

What was your previous institution?

University of Connecticut

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

Communication with students

Russell McIntire, Associate Professor of Community and Population Health, College of Health

What are your research interests?

My research interests include healthy parks, gardening and greening interventions, mental health and cancer outcomes

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

In the fall, I will teach EPI 304 Methods in Epidemiology 1

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

I received my Ph.D. (Health Behavior) and Master of Public Health from Indiana University School of Public Health – Bloomington

What was your previous institution?

My previous institution was Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

The thing I enjoy most about teaching is working with bright and motivated students.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

I chose Lehigh for many reasons, but one important factor was the university's commitment to the surrounding community. I also love the beauty of the campus and the Lehigh Valley.

Joseph A. Menicucci Jr., Associate Chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science

What are your research interests?

Engineering Pedagogy

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

I am currently assigned to teach Chemical Engineering Laboratory I and II at Lehigh University, though I expect to teach many different courses in my career here.

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

I earned my B.S., M.S., Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Montana State University.

What was your previous institution?

I most recently was employed at Montana State University, but previously taught at Manhattan College and was one of the five faculty members in the College of Engineering at Nazarbayev University, a western-style university located in the capital of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan, when it opened.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I believe that teaching at a university is such an amazing experience because the students have made an active choice to be there. They also have the knowledge, maturity and motivation to assume responsibility for their education. This allows us to focus more on facilitating learning rather than just lecturing at students.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

I first applied for a position at Lehigh University just after completion of my Ph.D. 12 years ago! I knew then (and know now) that the faculty in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, and at Lehigh University provide a world-class education for their students while also making groundbreaking contributions in research and contributing positively to their communities.

Lehigh's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion was also a significant contributing factor to my choice to join the Lehigh faculty. My meeting with Dr. Henri Odi and Dr. Marci Levine during my on-site interview left me quite impressed by the dynamic and forward-thinking approach to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion on campus.

Finally, I am very lucky to join a vibrant department with faculty and staff who are not only talented, but also kind and empathetic. I am quite grateful for the support I've received from everyone here, but especially the staff of the department - Stephanie Smith, Jamie Lenhart, Margie Barry, Paul Bader and Mike Myers.

Kayleigh O'Keeffe, Teaching Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences

What are your research interests?

My research background is in the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases. Multicellular organisms are often host to a diverse community of mutualistic, commensal and parasitic microbes, referred to collectively as the microbiome. I have been interested in how interactions among parasites and the other microbes within a host impact how diseases progress and spread. More recently, I have also investigated how the evolutionary histories of disease systems are impacted by environmental features. My work has focused on systems including fungal parasites of plants and parasites transmitted by ticks.

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

This fall, I will be teaching the lecture and lab of Integrative and Comparative Biology, one of the core classes for biology majors. In future semesters, I'm excited to teach classes like disease ecology and evolution and scientific writing.

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

I received my bachelor of arts in biology from Amherst College and my Ph.D. in biology from UNC-Chapel Hill. After I completed my Ph.D., I was a postdoc in the biology department at the University of Pennsylvania, where I investigated the population dynamics and evolutionary history of the black-legged tick, which transmits the parasite that causes Lyme Disease.

What was your previous institution?

University of Pennsylvania

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I most enjoy the moments when I can see that a student's curiosity has been piqued. I believe that a biology educational experience should enable students to see themselves as scientists, and scientists spend their days asking questions, designing experiments to investigate those questions and communicating their results. When a student asks a question that extends on course content or is able to synthesize different pieces of course content clearly and creatively, they are acting as scientists, and I am always excited to see it!

Why did you choose Lehigh?

As an institution that values and invests in innovative undergraduate teaching and a broad array of active research programs, Lehigh presented an ideal environment to continue to teach, mentor, and engage and collaborate with undergraduates, work with innovative and supportive faculty members, and continue my career as an educator.

Joseph A. Pacheco, Assistant Professor of Community and Population Health, College of Health

What are your research interests?

My research interests include working with Indigenous populations in the Americas to help reduce the health burden of tobacco use and improve indoor air quality.

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

For my first semester I will be teaching POPH 403: Biological Basis of Population Health: Concepts and Methods.

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

I have obtained my BS in Pre-professional Zoology from Northwest Missouri State University, MPH with a concentration in Environmental Health from the University of Kansas Medical Center, and Ph.D. in Health Policy and Management from the University of Kansas Medical Center.

What was your previous institution?

My previous institution was the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

The thing I enjoy most about teaching is seeing the students grow as they bring their prior knowledge and experiences to the classroom.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

Choosing Lehigh goes beyond being part of a distinguished private research university; the community is what attracted me the most. The students, staff, and faculty are very welcoming and supportive. I feel honored to be joining this institution.

Zilong Pan, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Learning and Technology, College of Education

What are your research interests?

My research focuses on developing and customizing emerging educational technologies and innovative methodological approaches in educational practices and studies in STEAM disciplines. The emerging educational technologies include AR/VR/MR, adaptive learning systems and virtual learning environments. The innovative methodological approaches include learning analytics incorporated pedagogical approaches, data-informed decision-making, problem-based learning and game-based learning.

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

I will be teaching Design Thinking in the coming Fall semester.

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

I have an M.A. in Middle School Education with teaching certificates in Science and Social Studies, an M.Ed. in Quantitative Research Methods, and a Ph.D. in Learning Technologies.

What was your previous institution?

The University of Texas at Austin

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I enjoy the different perspectives my students could bring to my classroom, and I believe education is a reciprocal process that we are teaching and learning at the same time.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

Lehigh is a prestigious university that endorses diverse, interdisciplinary and collaborative culture, which is crucial for an educational researcher like me.

Antigoni Papadimitriou, Assistant Teaching Professor of Management, College of Business

What are your research interests?

My research interests include responsible management education, university engaged research, organizational leadership, quality management, organizational change, entrepreneurship, community and economic development. My research also includes student learning and assessment as well as mixed methods

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

I am teaching Strategic Management in a Global Environment and Organizational Behavior at the College of Business.

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

I have a Ph.D. from The University of Twente, in the Netherlands, and I also was a senior researcher in a postdoctoral project at the University of Oslo (Norway). I also received a B.A. from Aristotle University, Greece; and a master's from Baruch College/CUNY in New York.

What was your previous institution?

I taught management and leadership courses at the Farmer School of Business, Miami University in Ohio; and at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. I taught leadership courses for Western Kentucky University, and also served as a visiting professor at Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management in Vietnam (MBA Quality Management), where I taught the course Performance Evaluation.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

Education is the central tenet of my life. Throughout the history of my family I have seen evidence of education changing a person’s world and by extension that of his or her descendants. That is the driving force behind my career in higher education. I view my position as involving more than being only a teacher; it is about helping students find their own passion. I am committed to actions that continuously demonstrate a strong interest and commitment to enhance human dignity and to improve the quality of life for all individuals (nationally and globally). I believe that being a researcher does not mean just being successful in research. One should excel also in her/his interactions with the society and the students, in her/his role to lead the academic society and in responsibilities to transform the society. I encourage students to become forward-thinking about what knowledge, skills, and literacies might be required to adeptly respond to complex 21st-Century national and global challenges and to cultivate ethical business leaders and managers to ensure a successful global future.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

I chose Lehigh because of its excellent reputation as a high quality university. I knew about the quality of the teaching and research environment at Lehigh. I also became more familiar with the College of Business and the colleagues during the hiring process. Lehigh’s welcoming community suggested that I would be in an ideal place to continue my passion as a teacher and researcher. Moreover, Lehigh’s students are smart- high selective, curious, engaging and hard-working.

Jacqueline Fischer Prestoy, Visiting Assistant Professor, Faculty Coordinator for the Rauch Center for Business Communication, College of Business

What are your research interests?

My research interests revolve around improving workplace interactions. I specifically am interested in studying knowledge workers and how our workplace behavior and communication can affect both an organization's overall atmosphere and its ability to retain high-value employees.

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

Business Communication I and Business Communication II

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

Villanova University, M.B.A.; West Chester University, M.A.; East Stroudsburg University, B.A.

What was your previous institution?

Rowan University, Villanova University

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I enjoy connecting with students throughout all stages of their academic career. I get to help mentor and guide students through some of the many stages that will form their professional identity.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

Lehigh is an institution that values both high-level research and a high-quality, hands-on classroom experience. My students are passionate and hardworking, and my colleagues are dedicated to their disciplines.

Florencia San Martín, Assistant Professor of Art History, College of Arts and Sciences

What are your research interests?

Latin American and Latinx art; contemporary art; Chilean contemporary art; history of photography; hemispheric art history; decolonial methodologies; gender studies

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

Latin American art, contemporary art, and art history foundations

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

PhD in Art History, Rutgers University

What was your previous institution?

California State University, San Bernardino

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

Witnessing how my students learn about critical art history and connect the discipline to issues regarding society, politics, ethics, and care.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

Because Lehigh is a research university that supports faculty scholarship and teaching. Also, its proximity to New York, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. is ideal for my research on contemporary art in the Americas.

Marie Schenk, Assistant Professor of Political Science, College of Arts and Sciences

What are your research interests?

My research primarily focuses on how online communication shapes citizens’ political identities. In this work, I examine communities on Twitter and other social media platforms with research methods that draw on political science and data science, such as machine learning and original surveys.

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

At Lehigh, I teach courses on research design, quantitative methods, and American politics.

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

From Brown University, I hold a PhD in political science, MA in political science, and MSc in Data Science. My undergraduate degree is from Smith College.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

There's no better feeling than looking out at your students and seeing their faces light up with sudden understanding. If it's the tenth (or more) time I've said something, so much the better—it was all worth it!

Why did you choose Lehigh?

As an institution, Lehigh is committed to supporting its faculty and its students. It is an ideal place to grow as a scholar.

Jong Cheol Shin, Assistant Professor of Community and Population Health, College of Health

What are your research interests?

My research interests lie at the intersection of population level environment exposure and human behaviors – particularly sleep and physical activity, using advanced research methods such as health Technologies, Epidemiology, and Health Geography.

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

POPH 001: Introduction to Population Health

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

Brown University School of Public Health, Postdoctoral Research Associate; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Ph.D. in Community Health; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, M.S. in Applied Statistics; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, M.S. in Kinesiology; Kyung Hee University, B.S. in Sports Medicine; Kyung Hee University, B.S. in Physics

What was your previous institution?

Brown University School of Public Health

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I am enjoying having continuous interaction with my students and learning a lot of new ideas and insights coming up from their life experiences. I also like when my students get excited about learning and take any benefits from the interaction.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

I was fascinated by the following things: Inspiring college mission and strategic plan; friendly and passionate colleagues; supportive research/teaching environment. Especially, the vision and mission of Lehigh align with the things that I pursue. Also, I want to contribute to cultivating the dynamic academic environment and intellectual community at Lehigh.

Jiayuan Wang, Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences

What are your research interests?

My research area is in combinatorics, a branch of mathematics that is often about counting objects and finding relations between objects.

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

In Fall 2022, I am teaching two sessions of Calculus 1.

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

I received my Ph.D. in mathematics from George Washington University in Spring 2022.

What was your previous institution?

My previous institution was George Washington University.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I love that at the end of every semester, students are more confident, with sharper problem-solving skills. Witnessing students overcome their fear or anxiety about math and eventually flourish in class brings me an infinite amount of joy.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

I came to Lehigh for the excellent faculty, inquisitive students and breathtaking campus.

Juan Zheng, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Learning and Technology, College of Education

What are your research interests?

I have pursued an interdisciplinary research program with the long-term vision of designing technology-rich learning environments for diverse learners regardless their ethnics, location, and learning style. My research touches upon theme of technology-rich learning environment design, self-regulated learning (SRL), learning analytics and STEM education.

What classes are you teaching at Lehigh?

TLT458 Introduction to Multimedia Programming and Development

What degrees do you hold and where did you earn them? (Please include postdocs if applicable.)

I obtained my master's degree from Beijing Normal University. I received my doctoral degree at McGill University.

What was your previous institution?

McGill University

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

I like the accomplishments of leading my students towards being an expert in a topic, an inspiring presenter and a good collaborator in my class.

Why did you choose Lehigh?

Lehigh University is recognized among the nation’s premier research universities. It will be a great host university for me to continue my research in STEM education and technology-rich learning environments. Lehigh University values the wellness of both students and faculties. I am also impressed by Lehigh‘s commitment to EDI [equality, diversity and inclusion], which is a value that I share.