Welcome new CAS faculty
Meet many of the newest members of CAS faculty whose disciplinary expertise—from epistemology to fine arts to criminal law—enriches and expands the Arts and Sciences community at WSU. And watch for more faculty bios to be added in coming months.
Scott Blasco
Research and teaching interests: Interactive and collaborative electronic intermedia arts, especially live electronic sound art; time and non-repeating patterns in music; minimalism and post-minimalism in music; creativity and spirituality
Previous post: Washington State University
Education and training: DMA, University of Missouri-Kansas City; MA, Fuller Theological Seminary; MM, Western Michigan University; BA, Calvin College.
Honors and achievements: Queen of Heaven for piano and electronics, 2012; collaborative commission from UMKC Friends of the Library for intermedia installation,Reliquary, with Paul Rudy; Kansas City Symphony Orchestra reading of composition We Shall Be Changed
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my wife, Tracy, and our two boys, Jack (2) and Nick (1 mo); tinkering and building things; reading theology and popular science; assorted computer geekery; and sporadic gardening.
Brian Clowers
Research and teaching interests: New mechanisms for gas phase ion characterization using ion mobility spectrometry (IMS), mass spectrometry (MS) and optical fragmentation techniques. These hybrid analytical methods address a range of chemical problems including rapid characterization of isomeric systems
Previous post: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Education and training: PhD, Chemistry, WSU; BS Chemistry, University of Nevada, Reno
Honors and achievements: “Hadamard transform ion mobility spectrometry,” with W.F. Siems, H.H. Hill, and S.M. Massick, Analytical Chemistry, 2006; Microbial Forensics, 2nd Edition, Chapter 26; patent: Ion funnel ion trap and process, 2010
Outside of work, I enjoy my connection with the Sierra Nevada Range, spending free time in the mountains, and patiently awaiting the day when my son can join in the adventures.
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry
Omar Cornejo
Research and teaching interests: Evolutionary history of organisms (especially microorganisms) and how selection, mutation, and recombination shape genomic variation
Previous post: Stanford University
Education and training: PhD, Emory University; MS, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas, Caracas, Venezuela; BS, Universidad Simon Bolivar, Caracas
Honors and achievements: Emory Division Scholar Fellow, 2004-09; Orden Jose Felix Ribas en Tercera Clase, Area Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnologica (Venezuela); “Evolutionary and population genomics of the cavity causing bacteria Streptococcus mutans,”Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2013, with Tristan Lefébure, et al.; “The genome sequence of the most cultivated cacao type and its use in the mapping of oligogenic traits: pod color as an example,” Genome Biology, 2013, with J.C. Motamayor, et al.
Outside of work, I enjoy reading a good book (Umberto Eco and Clarice Lispector, to mention a few), rock climbing, jogging, biking, a good hike, and music of all genres.
Assistant Professor
School of Biological Sciences
Hongbo Dong
Research and teaching interests: Mathematical optimization, especially theory/algorithms for nonconvex optimization; modeling real-world problems, such as in sustainable agriculture. In my classroom, I try to help students to find their own passion.
Previous post: Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Education and training: PhD, University of Iowa; BS, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Honors and achievements: Student participant, Oberwolfach Seminar, 2010; Givens Associate Fellowship, Argonne National Laboratory, 2011; papers in top optimization journals, such as Mathematical Programming and SIAM Journal on Optimization
Outside of work, I enjoy traveling and hiking.
Assistant Professor
Department of Mathematics
Joyce Ehrlinger
Research and teaching interests: Processes that underlie accuracy and error in self and social judgments; how self beliefs and judgments shape one’s approach to learning in particular
Previous post: Florida State University
Education and training: Postdoctoral Study under Dr. Carol Dweck, Stanford University; PhD, Social Psychology, Cornell University
Honors and achievements: Nomination to Society for Experimental Social Psychology; PI on $1.6M Institute for Education Sciences grant to examine how self beliefs shape engagement and success in learning; publications in top psychology journals
Outside of work, I enjoy being in and photographing the outdoors. It’s been very fun to start to explore the Palouse and surrounding regions!
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
Alexander “Alex” Fremier
Research and teaching interests: Abiotic and community drivers of species distributions, and conversely, how species alter physical process; mechanism-based applications to improve ecosystem management
Previous post: University of Idaho
Education and training: PhD, Ecology, University of California, Davis; MS, Ecology and Mathematics, UC, Davis; BS, Ecology and Mathematics, Principia College
Honors and achievements: “Understanding spatial-temporal lags in ecosystem services to improve incentive mechanisms and governance,” with F. DeClerck, et al., BioScience, 2013
Outside of work, I enjoy running, skiing, travel.
Michael Goldsby
Research and teaching interests: Philosophy of science, especially biology and ecology; epistemology, with use of models in predicting and explaining phenomena; and environmental ethics and policy
Previous post: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Education and training: PhD and MA, Philosophy, University of Wisconsin-Madison; BA, Philosophy and English, Florida State University
Honors and achievements: Publications forthcoming inPhilosophy of Science and Biology and Philosophy; Berent Enc and Capstone PhD teaching awards, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Outside of work, I enjoy hiking, camping, kayaking, exploring a new place, frisbee-based sports, etc., in warm weather, and board games, good movies/television, and home-brewing when it’s cold.
Zachariah “Zach” Heiden
Research and teaching interests: Using inorganic chemistry to solve problems and address human challenges involving energy, the environment, and biology
Previous post: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Education and training: PhD, Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign; BS, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Honors and achievements: Ontario Postdoctoral Fellowship; Theron Standish Piper Award; John C. Bailar Graduate Fellowship
Outside of work, I enjoy golfing, hiking, camping, and making wine.
Craig Hemmens
Research and teaching interests: Criminal law and procedure, courts, corrections
Previous post: Missouri State University
Education and training: PhD, Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University; JD, North Carolina Central University School of Law; BA, American History, University of North Carolina
Honors and achievements: President, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, 2012-13; editor, Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 2002-05; “A Community Under Siege: Bruce Springsteen and Social Justice,”Journal of the Institute of Justice and International Studies, 2009
Outside of work, I enjoy listening to the music of Bruce Springsteen, officiating high school basketball, and running.
Joanna Kelley
Research and teaching interests: Evolutionary genomics and adaptation to extreme environments; how populations diverge and adapt to environments
Previous post: Stanford University
Education and training: Postdoctoral research, Genetics, Stanford University; postdoctoral research, Human Genetics, University of Chicago; PhD, Genome Sciences, University of Washington; BA, Mathematics and Biology, Brown University
Honors and achievements: 2012 L’Oreal/AAAS USA Fellowship for Women in Science; 2012 Kavli Fellow in the Frontiers in Science Program, Solo, Indonesia; 2008 National Science Foundation International Graduate Training, Antarctic Biology; 1-month training, McMurdo Station, Antarctica
Outside of work, I enjoy sailing, hiking, and cooking.
Raoul Liévanos
Research and teaching interests: Environmental and urban sociology, sociology of race and ethnic relations, organizations and institutions, social movements, political sociology, historical-comparative sociology, qualitative methods, and geographic information systems and spatial pattern analysis.
Previous post: University of California, Davis
Education and training: PhD and MA in Sociology and graduate certificate in air quality and health, University of California, Davis; BA, Sociology, California State University, Fresno
Honors and achievements: “Certainty, Fairness, and Balance: State Resonance and Environmental Justic Policy Implementation,” Sociological Forum, 2012; Honorable Mention, 2012 Ford Foundation Dissertation Competition; “Science, Ethics, and Justice” NSF Workshop Fellow, 2011
Outside of work, I enjoy cooking, running, hiking, swimming, and downtime with my partner, Amy, and our cats, family, and friends.
Sheng-Chi Liu
Research and teaching interests: Number theory, automorphic forms and representation theory, with an emphasis on L-functions and their applications
Previous post: Texas A&M University
Education and training: PhD, Mathematics, The Ohio State University
Honors and achievements: “Subconvexity and Equidistribution of Heegner Points in the Level Aspect,” with Riad Masri and Matt Young, Compositio Mathematica, 2013; “Growth and Nonvanishing of Restricted Siegel Modular Forms Arising as Saito-Kurokawa Lifts,” with Matt Young, American Journal of Mathematics, 2013; “Determination of GL(3) Cusp Forms by Central Values of GL(3) \Times GL(2) L-Functions,”International Mathematics Research Notices, 2010
Assistant Professor
Department of Mathematics
Christian Mailhiot
Research and teaching interests: Theoretical and computational condensed matter physics and materials science, ab initio many-body calculations of materials, atomic and electronic structure of materials, electronic structure theory and optical properties of semiconductor superlattices and synthetically modulated quantum-confined structures, semiconductor physics, surface and interface science, static and dynamic pressure-induced phase transformations, ab initio and quantum molecular dynamics, and quantum many-body simulations of materials
Previous post: Department of Energy, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA
Education and training: PhD and MS, Applied Physics, California Institute of Technology; BEng, Engineering Physics, École Polytechnique de Montréal, Canada
Honors and achievements: Fellow, American Physical Society, Division of Materials Physics, 2003; member, National Academies Panel on Materials Science and Engineering, Army Research Laboratory, 2013-15; leader, World Materials Research Institutes Forum, Research on Materials Simulation Working Group, Jan. 2011
Outside of work, I enjoy music and playing the guitar.
Teresa Miró
Research and teaching interests: Exploring, through an interdisciplinary approach, the binary oppositions (private-public, rational-emotional) present in dominant ways of thinking, finding a balance between the personal and the universal, the individual action and its relationship to the whole
Previous post: Mesa Community College
Education and training: MFA, Intermedia Program, Herberger Institute for Design and The Arts, Arizona State University; BFA, Image Arts, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain; Advanced Specialist Certification in Artistic Photography, Fine Arts School No. 10. Madrid
Honors and achievements: Squire Sanders & Dempsey Scholarship 2011-12; The Bus Project, Seminar Lecture, University of California, Irvine 2011; artist residency and Installation, Espai Jove Boca Nord, Barcelona City Hall, Spain, 2011
Charles “Chuck” Moore
Research and teaching interests: Harmonic analysis, differential equations, and probability theory in mathematics
Previous post: Kansas State University
Education and training: PhD, University of California, Los Angeles; BA, Washington University in St. Louis
Honors and achievements: Monograph co-author,Probabilistic Behavior of Harmonic Functions; co-organizer, NSF-supported conference series “The Prairie Analysis Seminar”; teaching awards at both undergraduate and graduate levels
Outside of work, I enjoy swimming, bicycling, and travel.
Professor and Chair
Department of Mathematics
Donna Potts
Research and teaching interests: Irish studies, postcolonial studies, women’s studies, literature and the environment, trauma theory; Irish literature, world literature, African literature, poetry, history of the English language, and Old English
Previous post: Kansas State University
Education and training: PhD, University of Missouri
Honors and achievements: Fulbright Senior Lecturing Award; Contemporary Irish Poetry and the Pastoral Tradition, 2011; Waking Dreams, 2012
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my children and our cat, reading, swimming, running, bicycle riding, gardening, and travel.
Professor
Department of English
Aaron Roussell
Research and teaching interests: Conceptions of race, class, and social danger, specifically with respect to community policing, disorder, and drug law; problems of method
Previous post: University of California, Irvine
Education and training: PhD, Criminology, Law & Society, University of California, Irvine; M.A., Sociology, University of Wyoming; B.A., Sociology and Music, College of William & Mary
Honors and achievements: “Defining ‘policeability’: Cooperation, control, and resistance in South Los Angeles community police meetings, with L.D. Gascón,Social Problems (accepted); “Micro- and macro-environment population and the consequences for crime rates,” with J.R. Hipp, Social Forces (accepted); “The forensic identification of marijuana: Suspicion, moral danger, and the creation of non-psychoactive THC,”Albany Law Journal of Science and Technology, 2012
Outside of work, I enjoy running, swimming, and biking.
Brian Sharpless
Research and teaching interests: Anxiety, sleep paralysis, and psychodynamic therapy and constructs, as well as professional issues (e.g., psychologists’ competence and assessment) and the intersections of philosophy with clinical psychology
Previous post: Pennsylvania State University
Education and training: Post-doctoral research fellow, Center for Psychotherapy Research, University of Pennsylvania; PhD and MS, Clinical Psychology + MA and BA, Philosophy + BA, Psychology, Pennsylvania State University
Honors and achievements: Book proposal accepted by Oxford University Press; television interview (sleep paralysis) for National Geographic; “Predictors of Program Performance on the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP),” with J Barber, Professional Psychology: Research and Practice
Outside of work, I enjoy playing and designing electric guitars.
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
Director
Psychology Clinic
Mary Stohr
Research and teaching interests: Corrections, administration, and management of criminal justice organizations, gender issues, environmental crime, and policy analysis
Previous post: Missouri State University
Education and training: PhD, Political Science, Washington State University
Honors and achievements: The American prison: Imagining a different future, with Francis Cullen and Cheryl Lero Jonson, 2014; Corrections: A Text Reader, 2nd edition, with Anthony Walsh and Craig Hemmens; Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Founders Award, 2009
Outside of work, I enjoy reading, hiking, spending time with my daughter, husband, cat and other family members and friends; also serving as Executive Director of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.
Erin Thornton
Research and teaching interests: Environmental archaeology, zooarchaeology, human osteology, stable isotope analysis, Maya archaeology, Andean archaeology, paleodiet, animal management and domestication, trade and exchange, past human-environment interactions and impacts
Previous post: Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario
Education and training: PhD and MA, University of Florida; BA, Carleton College
Honors and achievements: NSF Archaeology Grant (2012-14); “Earliest Mexican Turkeys in the Maya Region: Implications for Pre-Hispanic Animal Trade and the timing of Turkey Domestication,” PLoS ONE, 2012; “Reconstructing Ancient Maya Animal Trade through Strontium Isotope Analysis,” Journal of Archaeological Science, 2011
Outside of work, I enjoy hiking, biking, camping, bird-watching, and spending time with my husband and 3-year-old son.
Xueying Wang
Research and teaching interests: Mathematical biology, including mathematical analysis of stochastic dynamics; mathematical modeling, analysis, and statistical methodology applied to sciences
Previous post: Texas A&M University
Education and training: PhD, Mathematics, The Ohio State University
Honors and achievements: “Analysis of the Trojan Y-Chromosome Eradication Strategy for an Invasive Species,” with J. Walton, et al., to appear in Journal of Mathematical Biology; “A Stochastic Model for Transmission, Extinction and Outbreak of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 in Cattle as Affected by Ambient Temperature and Pathogen Cleaning Practices,” with R. Gautam, et al., to appear in Journal of Mathematical Biology; “On Immunotherapies and Cancer Vaccination Protocols: A Mathematical modeling approach,” with B. Joshi, et al., Journal of Theoretical Biology
Outside of work, I enjoy traveling.
Assistant Professor
Department of Mathematics