California State University, Dominguez Hills welcomed 36 faculty members this fall semester. While some are familiar faces, many of them are new to campus. Join Dateline Dominguez in congratulating them on their new appointments!
College of Arts and Humanities
Keunyeong (Karina) Kim, Assistant Professor, Communications
Academic Background:
Ph.D., Mass Communications, Pennsylvania State University
M.S., Journalism and Mass Communications, Kansas State University
B.A., Economics and Business Administrations, Ajou University in South Korea
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Kim’s research interests center on the affective and cognitive processes underlying media creation and the influences these processes have on persuasion. Her research involves how moral emotion elevation guides viewers to behave in an altruistic way and how media creation (user-generated content) and media technology can either hinder or stimulate the positive outcomes that elevation promotes. She completed her dissertation on the effects of perceived authenticity of user-generated content on media effectiveness in comparison to company-sponsored content. In conjunction with her dissertation, she is currently working on the study that explores the influence of sponsorship placement on a viewer’s affective and cognitive responses to the sponsored media content.
Prior to CSUDH:
Graduate Instructor, Pennsylvania State University; Graduate Instructor, Kansas State University
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I am looking forward to working with students at CSUDH. I want to help my students to become lifelong learners, and to think critically about diverse social issues and being active members of communities.”
Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I did Taekwondo in my college years.”
Dr. Brian Jarrett, Professor, Negotiation, Conflict Resolution , and Peacebuilding
Andrea Johnson, Assistant Professor, History
Academic Background:
Ph.D., History, University of Missouri
M.A., History, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis
B.A., History and Psychology, CSU Bakersfield
Academic Focus:
Cold War era civil rights and farm labor; Gilded Age religion in California; and the history of education.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Johnson is currently working on a book comparing the tactics and images used by the California farm labor movement to those of the classical Civil Rights movement.
Prior to CSUDH:
Full-time Lecturer at Fresno State; Adjunct Professor at Fresno City College and Columbia College.
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I am looking forward to working with a department where I will have some flexibility and be able to make a contribution in a significant way.”
Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I started riding a road bike about a year and a half ago and have done two metric centuries. I am excited about being in an area where it is not 100 degrees four months of the year, and I can ride year around.”
Heather Kertyzia, Assistant Professor, Negotiation, Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding
Academic Background:
Ph.D., Peace Education, University of Otago, New Zealand
M.A., International Peace and Conflict Studies, European University Centre for Peace Studies, Austria
B.A., (Hons) Hispanic Studies & Peace Studies, McMaster University, Canada
Academic Focus:
Peace education; social justice; violence prevention; and conflict resolution in educational institutions
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Kertyzia is currently working on several publications related to the practice of peace education in secondary schools in Northern Nicaragua. Future plans include a participatory action research project working with schools in the CSUDH area to explore and develop peace education practice.
Prior to CSUDH:
She previously worked in formal and informal education in several countries, working in partnership with schools and universities on issues such as sexual health education, gender equity, as well as community-based development, multicultural education, and schools as institutions that can practice social justice.
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I am looking forward to learning from the diverse staff and students at CSUDH and working to develop partnerships with the local community to help conflict resolution and peacebuilding become a part of everyone’s vocabulary.”
Dr. Siskanna Naynaha, Associate Professor, English
Devon Tsuno, Assistant Professor, Art & Design
Academic Background:
M.F.A., Painting & Drawing, Claremont Graduate University
B.F.A., Painting & Drawing, CSULB
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Mr. Tsuno’s research interests center around painting, drawing, printmaking, and installation. His current projects are abstract paintings on canvas and handmade paper focus on the Los Angeles watershed and native vs. non-native vegetation in Southern California. Utilizing screen and risograph printing, his projects include artist books and site-specific installations addressing water use in Los Angeles.
Prior to CSUDH:
Adjunct Instructor at Cypress College, Cerritos College, the University of La Verne, East Los Angeles College, and the California State Summer School for the Arts. He has also been a Gallery Director at Cypress College, and the Founder/Director of the Concrete Walls Projects, a community outreach art and educational project. He also served on the Cedar Sinai Medical Center Art Advisory Board, and was an Artist in Residence in 2014 at Stichting Kaus Australis in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Interesting/fun fact about him:
“Globe Skateboards is releasing a series of skateboards with my art based on the Los
Angeles River in stores worldwide in spring 2016.
College of Business Administration and Public Policy
Yann Abdourazakou, Associate Professor, Management and Marketing.
Academic Background:
Ph.D., MBA, University of Rouen (France)
B.A., University of La Reunion (France)
Academic Focus:
Technology-based marketing communications for tweens; sports media marketing.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Abdourazakou’s interests include sport advertising and 3D technology and the relative impact of 3D sports games on advertising effectiveness from an eye-tracker’s perspective. Understanding the effects of 3D versus 2D experiences on advertising effectiveness, viewers’ attention and brand recall in televised sports games.
Prior to CSUDH:
Assistant Professor at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York; Associate Professor at University of Lille, France.
What he is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I’m excited to join CSUDH and the College of Business Administration and Public Policy in order to contribute to the success of the sports entertainment curriculum and various projects in the area of sport business.”
Interesting/fun fact about him:
“Every winter I plan a bicycle trip of 250+ miles with friends. I’ve biked throughout Florida and Texas the past couple years. In 2016, I will bike from San Francisco down to Los Angeles and/or San Diego.”
Chi-Wen Chen, Assistant Professor, Information Systems & Operations Management
Academic Background:
Ph.D., Information Systems, City University of New York
M.B.A., Management Science, National Chiao Tung University
B.A., Marketing, National Chung Hsing University
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Chen’s research interests are on the intersections of behavior, information and technologies. The research focus is to explore a deeper understanding of user behavior in the field of information systems. His research projects have been at an individual user level from both a software and hardware perspective, using quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Specifically he has conducted research in the following areas: e-commerce; multiple personal IT device use (the combined use of smartphones, tablets, laptop computers and/or desktop computers to complete a task); the impact of information system features on users’ perceptions and behavior, and social media. He is currently conducting three studies that center on multiple personal IT device use, and on students that focuses on social media.
Prior to CSUDH:
Adjunct Lecturer of Information Systems, City University of New York.
Jian-yu “Fisher” Ke, Assistant Professor, Information Systems & Operations Management
Academic Background:
Ph.D., Supply Chain Management, University of Maryland, College Park
Academic Focus:
Supply chain management, global logistics, and empirical operations management research.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Ke is currently working on research projects related to multinational operating flexibility and manufacturer’s re-shoring decision. His dissertation paper, which is about aligning supply chain transportation strategy with industry characteristics, will be published by the International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management in fall 2015.
Prior to CSUDH:
Assistant Professor at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Interesting/fun fact about him:
“I have been married for 12 years and have two lovely daughters, Dora (10 years old) and Sophie (7 years old). When I am not working, I enjoy writing and traveling. My family and I have visited several national parks in the U.S. and Canada, and have driven more than 10,000 miles on family trips in the past five years.”
Fynnwin Prager, Assistant Professor, Public Administration
Academic Background:
Ph.D., and M.P.P. (Master of Public Policy), Policy, Planning, and Development,USC Price School of Public Policy
B.Sc., International Relations, London School of Economics
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Prager most recently worked on numerous projects with the Department of Homeland Security, including an evaluation of the Customs and Border Protection’s trade facilitation program based in Long Beach, as well as an assessment of the economic impacts of changes in wait times at U.S. international airports. He is “particularly excited” about a project that provides decision makers with a quick-turnaround tool to compare the economic consequences of multiple threat scenarios, ranging from terrorist attacks to natural disasters and hazardous accidents.
Prior to CSUDH:
Postdoctoral research associate at CREATE, USC’s Homeland Security Center.
What he is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“Working with CSUDH’s inspiring and diverse faculty, staff, and student body, as well as contributing to the university’s efforts to promote social justice and educational and economic opportunities in South Bay and Los Angeles communities.”
Interesting/fun fact about him:
“My friends and I started a rock band when I was 11, which ran for 10 years. We just played a reunion gig earlier this month.”
Sari Silvanto, Assistant Professor, Management and Marketing
Academic Background:
Ph.D., Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, United Kingdom (UK)
M.Sc., Aston Business School, Aston University, UK
B.B.A., School of Business, Aalto University, Finland
Academic Focus:
International marketing and branding
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Silvanto’s research interests are in international marketing and branding. Her current work examines how branding strategies are applied in promoting cities, regions and countries to attract tourists, investors, trade and skilled professionals. Since 2009, Dr. Silvanto has published a number of articles, including her most recent article “An Empirical Study of Nation Branding for Attracting Internationally Mobile Skilled Professionals” which was published in Career Development International. Her article, “A Contextual, Theoretical and Empirical Analysis of the Uses of University Degrees as Symbolic Capital in Self-Initiated Expatriation,” is forthcoming in the European Journal of International Management.
Prior to CSUDH:
Full-time Lecturer in marketing at the University of California, Riverside.
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I look forward to sharing my passion for marketing with my students.”
Interesting/fun fact about her:
“Over the last decade, I have taught at business schools in the US, Spain and the UK. I originally came from Finland and have been living in California since 2008.”
College of Education
Saili S. Kulkarni, Assistant Professor, Special Education
Academic Background:
Ph.D., M.S., Special Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison
B.A. Psychology, Boston University
Teaching Credential, Moderate/Severe Special Education, San Francisco State
Academic Focus:
Special education teacher education; intersections of race and ability; special education teacher beliefs; and special education teacher retention. She is also interested in preparation and pre-service supports for special education teacher candidates, as well as international student teaching programs.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Kulkarni recently completed and published a qualitative study about pre-service teachers who completed part of their student teaching requirement in rural East Africa and their reflections regarding how they felt the experience prepared them and shifted their beliefs.
Prior to CSUDH:
Kulkarni served as the program coordinator for the Multicultural Graduate Network while in graduate school at the University of Wisconsin, which supported the recruitment and retention of students of color on the campus through networking, professional development, and community building activities. She also worked as an adjunct faculty member at University of Wisconsin, Whitewater supporting middle and final year special education teacher candidates. She currently does national scoring and consulting work for the edTPA assessment alongside the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning and Equity (SCALE). Prior to graduate school, Kulkarni worked as a special education teacher in Oakland, California, supporting elementary school-age students in fully inclusive classrooms.
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I am really looking forward to working with a diverse group of students and building efforts to prepare and certify more special education teachers of color. I am also looking forward to working to prepare special education teachers to work in large, urban school districts, which is where my own passion lies. Finally I look forward to working with so many amazingly talented individuals within the College of Education.”
Interesting/fun fact about her:
“Last year I was inducted into the Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society. I finished my dissertation in May with the support of the UW-Madison Arvil S. Barr Teacher Education fellowship, which is awarded to one final-year doctoral student each year. In my spare time I enjoy singing, Latin style ballroom dancing, cooking, and traveling the world.”
Angela Macias, Assistant Professor, Liberal Studies
Academic Background:
Ed.D., Leadership for Educational Justice, University of Redlands
M.S., Education, California Baptist University
B.A., English, California Baptist University
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Macias’ primary interests have been student engagement and teaching professional development. She has completed research on “funds of knowledge,” which was published LEARNing Landscapes, and has co-authored a book on student engagement called “Who We Are and How We Learn: Educational Engagement and Justice for Diverse Learners.” She is also interested in teacher preparation and mentoring through creative professional development, and created a series of free conferences called “Teachers Helping Teachers” that provided local educators a forum to discuss educational issues and attain free professional development from colleagues in their area. She is currently writing about the effects of these events based on the experience of participants, and is developing research concerning college and career readiness of foster youth and community mentoring for transitioning and emancipated foster youth.
Other current projects include her dissertation: “Funds of Knowledge of Working Class Latino Students and Effects on Student Engagement,” and the book “Who We Are and How We Learn: Educational Engagement and Justice for Diverse Learners,” which will be published this fall.
Prior to CSUDH:
Visiting assistant professor, University of Redlands; adjunct Instructor, Crafton Hills College; and adjunct Instructor, University of Redlands. She has worked as a public school educator for more than 10 years and has been a professional development trainer for over five years.
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I am excited to join the amazing academic community of distinguished faculty members at CSUDH. I look forward to helping students develop and refine their passion for learning, and prepare for rewarding careers as classroom teachers.”
Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I am a huge L.A. Kings fan and I look forward to being in the L.A. area to catch more games!”
Dr. Elexia Reyes McGovern, Assistant Professor, Teacher Education
Academic Background:
Ph.D., Education – Urban Schooling, UCLA
M.A.T., Secondary Education in Social Studies/History, Tufts University,
B.A., International Relations, Tufts University
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Reyes McGovern’s research interests focus on developing and supporting critical literacy practices with “home-grown” teachers of color. Her dissertation work centers around Chicana teachers who see their own K-12 teaching as political, moral, or spiritual work. Her research interests also include young people in their high school experiences through Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR). As an extension of YPAR, Dr. Reyes McGovern is also involved in several different organizations that are working to promote Ethnic Studies in K – 12 schools.
Prior to CSUDH:
Humanities teacher at Media Communications Technology High School, Boston Public Schools; English language arts teacher at Alain LeRoy Locke High School–a Green Dot School; lecturer in the Teacher Education Program, UCLA; lecturer in the Women and Ethnic Studies Department, Cal Poly Pomona.
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I am very excited to be part of the CSUDH community. CSUDH has a rich history and legacy in Los Angeles. I am honored to call a school that was built for the people my home.”
Interesting/fun fact about her:
“The day before the New Faculty Orientation, my family and I were hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains and we ran into a large bear! I was so terrified that we would be mauled by the bear, and I would never make it to the first day of school. Lucky for us, all the bear wanted was our hotdog buns.”
Jennifer Stacy, Assistant Professor, Liberal Studies
Academic Background:
Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln
M.S., Universidad de Monterrey
B.S., Bowling Green State University
Academic Focus:
Sociocultural literacies; family literacy; family-school partnerships; English language learning; social contexts of education; qualitative research methodologies.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Stacy recently completed her dissertation, titled “Partnerships through Adult Education: Re-Conceptualizing Family Literacy in the New Latino Diaspora.” She is working on several publications from her dissertation to be submitted to academic journals. In the spring, she had a review chapter published in Hamann, Wortham, and Murillo’s book “Revisiting Education in the New Latino Diaspora,” which focuses on the implementation of education policies. She is currently seeking opportunities to learn about and become involved with family literacy initiatives in Southern California.
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I am looking forward to learning alongside the students at CSUDH and contributing to the transformative educational experiences that this university fosters.”
Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I love traveling and practicing yoga.”
College of Health, Human Services and Nursing
Adriana Aldana, Assistant Professor, Social Work
Academic Background:
Ph.D., Joint Program in Social Work & Psychology, University of Michigan
M.S., Developmental Psychology, University of Michigan
M.S.W., Social Work, Social Policy & Evaluation, University of Michigan
B.A., Chicano Studies & Psychology, California State University, Northridge
Academic Focus:
The effects of social justice education on adolescent sociopolitical development, and its implications for community capacity building. This work has enabled Dr. Aldana to identify the processes that promote young people’s ability to think critically about their social identity, systems of privilege and oppression, and inclusive tactics for social action. As a practitioner, she has organized social justice workshops, managed a community-based youth dialogue program, and developed program curricula for multicultural training of K-12 educators and youth.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Aldana’s research includes projects on youth civic engagement, social justice pedagogy, racialization, and using participatory action research (PAR) methods. Her forthcoming publications include a conceptual article “School racial-ethnic socialization: Learning about race and Ethnicity among African American Students” (The Urban Review, September 2015), which was co-authored with Christy Byrd; and the PAR study “Dialogic Pedagogy for Youth Participatory Action Research: Facilitation of an Intergroup Empowerment Program” (Social Work with Groups, in press), which was co-authored with Katie Richards-Schuster and Barry Checkoway.
Prior to CSUDH:
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of California, Irvine
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“As a former (CSUN) Matador, I am delighted to join the Toro community. I am most excited about working with students and helping them to think more critically about their roles as citizens in a diverse democratic society. I am also thrilled to build new collaborations with CSUDH students and faculty to build upon the university’s social justice mission.”
Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I have an adorable mini-schnauzer, Magdalena ‘Nena’ Khalo,’ who loves belly-rubs, cuddling on the couch, slurping water, and snacking on apples.”
Meagan Clark, Instructor, Orthotics and Prosthetics
Academic Background:
Currently working toward Doctorate in Education, George Fox University
Graduate Certificate in Orthotics, CSUDH
M.A. Addiction Counseling, University of South Dakota
B.S. Human Development and Family Studies, Texas Tech University
Academic Focus:
Psychosocial adaptation to disability, addiction studies, upper extremity prosthetics and orthotics, spinal orthotics, and cranial remolding helmets.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Clark is currently working with the Amputee Coalition to create psychosocial curriculum specific to limb loss that can serve as a foundation for orthotic and prosthetic programs in the United States.
Prior to CSUDH:
Assistant Director of Clinical Education in Orthotics and Prosthetics, Loma Linda University; internship in addiction counseling at the South Dakota Board of Addiction and Prevention Professionals; and an orthotic and prosthetic clinician in Orange, California.
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“Working with CSUDH’s inspiring and diverse faculty, staff, and student body, as well as contributing to the university’s efforts to promote social justice and educational and economic opportunities in the South Bay and Los Angeles communities.”
Hannah Nguyen, Assistant Professor, Human Services
Academic Background:
Ph.D., M.S.W., University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
B.A., University of California, Irvine
Academic Focus:
Behavioral health disparities; sociocultural context of immigrant health; the delivery of culturally relevant health and human services; community-based learning, and qualitative research methods.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Nguyen’s research engages the voices and lived experiences of consumers and communities to inform culturally relevant mental health services for immigrant families. She is also interested in examining mental health within cultural, migration, and socioeconomic contexts. Her current work explores how culture shapes the beliefs about mental illness and the help-seeking practices of Vietnamese American families.
Prior to CSUDH:
She completed her post-doctorate degree in psychology at UCLA with a focus on culture and adolescent mental health and implementation research in school-based settings.
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH:
“I look forward to joining a diverse community of students and faculty, and trying new food in Carson and the surrounding area.”
Dr. Terri Ares, Assistant Professor, Nursing
Dr. Linda C. Goldman, Assistant Professor, Nursing
Dr. Brian Leonard Ruhe, Assistant Professor, Orthotics and Prosthetics
Ms. Nicole Vazquez, Lecturer, Social Work
College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences
Amlan Chatterjee, Assistant Professor, Computer Science
Academic Background:
Ph.D., Computer Science, University of Oklahoma
M.S., Computer Science, State University of New York at Buffalo
B.Tech. (Bachelor of Technology), Computer Science & Engineering, West Bengal University of Technology, India
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Chatterjee’s research interests are primarily in the areas of high-performance computing and big-data, with potential collaborative work across multiple disciplines. His current projects involve analyzing large graphs, specifically online social networks, using commodity multi-core hardware such as graphics processing units (GPU). He is also exploring the structure of networks and addressing their dynamic nature by offsetting the memory limitations on GPUs using graph compression techniques.
Prior to CSUDH:
Information Systems Division, Walmart Stores, Inc., Bentonville, Arkansas
What he is looking forward to at CSUDH:
“Connecting with the students and encouraging undergraduate research by high lighting real-world computer science applications.”
Ximena C. Cid, Assistant Professor, Physics
Academic Background:
Ph.D., Physics, University of Texas at Arlington
M.S., Physics, University of Texas at Arlington
B.A., Astrophysics, UC Berkeley
Academic Focus:
Physics education research: How does visual/spatial cognition impact the learning process for abstract areas in physics and space sciences?
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Cid is currently analyzing data on 3D simulations created with GlowScript (java script based). These simulations allow students to easily rotate and zoom in and out of magnetic fields generated from current carrying wires.
Prior to CSUDH:
Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Washington in the Physics Education Group.
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I am excited about working with the diverse student population that make up the CSUDH community.”
Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I paid for my first year of undergrad by playing in an all-female mariachi group in Northern California.”
Karin E. Kram, Assistant Professor, Biology
Academic Background:
Ph.D., Columbia University
B.A., Bard College
Academic Focus:
The ultimate goal of Dr. Kram’s work is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying evolution in bacteria. Escherichia coli can grow in the laboratory for years without the addition of nutrients, during which time there is strong selection for mutation and changes in gene expression that enable the bacterial cells to survive and reproduce. By looking at the types of changes that occur over time, she hopes to identify genes and pathways that are important for adaptation and evolution.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Kram is currently using whole-genome sequencing and RNA-sequencing to look at genetic and expression changes in evolved E. coli cultures.
Prior to CSUDH:
Postdoctoral Researcher at USC; Adjunct Instructor at Glendale Community College
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I’m looking forward to teaching at an interesting and diverse institution, and to incorporating my research into the laboratory classes at CSUDH.”
Interesting/fun fact about her:
“Some weekends you can find be as a volunteer docent at the LA Zoo.”
Kelin Li, Assistant Professor, Sociology
Academic Background:
Ph.D., M.S., Sociology, University of Utah
B.A. English, Beijing Normal University
Academic Focus:
Medical sociology; social demography; social epidemiology; urban sociology; racial/ethnic minorities; and quantitative methods.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Li is currently working on projects examining how neighborhood racial/ethnic contexts are related to individual health in the U.S. Specifically, he is analyzing population health survey data linked to community profiles from the Census to see how residential segregation and minority/immigrant concentration would impact individual health behavior and risk factors. Li is also collaborating with colleagues in studying the well-being of rural left-behind children separated from their parents in China.
Prior to CSUDH:
Visiting Assistant Professor, Sacramento State University.
What he is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“A very diverse community and the great opportunities to engage students in research projects.”
Interesting/fun fact about him:
“I hated math in high school and never thought I would be a statistics teacher.”
Cassondra Lochard, Developmental Mathematics Coordinator
Academic Background:
M.A., Mathematics, UCLA
B.S., Mathematics, CSULB
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Ms.Lochard’s research interests lie primarily in mathematics teacher education. Her dissertation study involved an investigation of instructor modeling practice in mathematics courses for practicing teachers. This explores how explicit discussion about mathematics teaching and implicit modeling of instruction supports teachers’ noticing of the instruction they experience, and how engaging in facets of the teaching profession that take place outside of the classroom can foster the enculturation of teachers into a professional learning community of mathematics teachers. Lochard’s current interests lie in undergraduate mathematics education, specifically in what ways computer learning platforms, the internet, and other multimedia electronic resources can support teaching and learning.
Prior to CSUDH:
Mathematics Lecturer and the Mathematics Single-Subject Credential Adviser at San Diego State University (SDSU).
Gretel H. Vera Rosas, Assistant Professor, Sociology
Academic Background:
Ph.D., M.A., American Studies and Ethnicity, University of Southern California (USC)
B.A., Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz
Academic Focus:
Working at the intersections of visual sociology, gender, ethnic studies, and race. Her work involves illegality, maternity, and displacement in the Americas using a feminist and de-colonial framework. She specifically focuses on political and cultural representations of mothers who exist outside the boundaries of legality.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Rosas’ academic interests include feminist and queer studies, Latino/Latin American studies, critical race theory, visual studies, migration, and critical security studies. She is currently working on an article that interrogates the limits and opportunities offered by film and visual art to critically think about the social worlds destroyed and produced by the drug wars across the Hemisphere.
Prior to CSUDH:
Lecturer in Central American Studies at California State University, Northridge; Adjunct Professor in Critical Studies at the California Institute of the Arts.
Kristen Stagg Rovira, Assistant Professor, Mathematics
Academic Background:
Ph.D., Mathematics, North Carolina State University
M.S., Mathematics, California State University, Long Beach (CSULB)
B.S., Mathematics, University of California, Santa Barbara
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Rovira’s research is in pure mathematics with a focus on finite dimensional Lie and Leibniz algebras. She is currently writing two journal articles: “Frattini Properties and Nilpotency in Leibniz Algebras” and “n-Maximal Leibniz Algebras.”
Prior to CSUDH:
Assistant Professor, University of Texas of Tyler; Lecturer, CSULB and Saddleback College
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH:
“I am excited to join CSUDH. I am looking forward to working with a diverse campus community and broadening my research area to include math education.”
Patrick C. Still, Assistant Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Academic Background:
Postdoctoral Research, University of California, Santa Cruz
Ph.D., Medicinal Chemistry, Ohio State University
B.S., Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University
Academic Focus:
Natural products chemistry, a field of study that intersects organic chemistry and analytical chemistry. Research in his Still Laboratory involves the isolation, spectroscopic structure elucidation, and biological testing of natural products from tropical rainforest plants. Broader research interests in the Still Laboratory include dietary supplement standardization, ethnomedicine, and statistical to analyze problems in natural products chemistry.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
The Still Laboratory is in the process of procuring plant extracts from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Active Repository Program. These extracts were prepared from plants originating in tropical regions of the world and show activity in the 60-cell line panel. Our laboratory is also engaged in a collaboration with Ohio State University’s College of Pharmacy in an NIH Program Project grant to explore Vietnamese tropical rainforest plants for novel chemistry.
Prior to CSUDH:
Postdoctoral Fellow, UC Santa Cruz
What he is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“Getting students excited about plants and their outstanding potential as sources of clinically used drugs. Mentoring in the Male Success Alliance and working to improve the number of Ph.D. chemistry graduates from underrepresented minorities.”
Dana Sylvan, Assistant Professor, Mathematics
Academic Background:
Postdoctorate, Statistics, University of Chicago
Ph.D., Mathematical Statistics, EPFL, Switzerland
M.A., Mathematics, University of Bucharest, Romania
Academic Focus:
Mathematical modeling and statistical inference for space-time processes with complex structures; quantiles; nonparametrics; biomathematics; applications in medicine, public health, environment, education, engineering, sports.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Sylvan is currently collaborating on a multidisciplinary project at NYU’s Langone School of Medicine on the impact of the food environment on child BMI, and is also working with mathematicians at University “Politehnica” Bucharest on developing new methodology for estimating quantiles and assessing their variability under non-stationary space-time dependence.
Prior to CSUDH:
Tenured associate professor at Hunter College of the City University of New York.
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I’m looking forward to starting new cross-disciplinary collaborations, and attracting and involving CSUDH students in relevant projects with real-life applications of probability theory and statistics.”
Arumugam Thangavel, Assistant Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry
Academic Background:
Ph.D. Organic Chemistry, Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, Missouri
M.Sc., Chemical Sciences, Pondicherry University, India
B.Sc. Chemistry, Pondicherry University, India
Academic Focus:
Organic chemistry
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Thangavel’s research interests are in supramolecular molecular chemistry, aerobic oxidation and molecular switches. Specifically, his interests focus on enantiodiscrimination by supramolecular interactions, higher Fullerenes extraction by using host-guest chemistry, and stimuli responsive supramolecular systems.
Prior to CSUDH:
Postdoctoral fellow at Emory University, Atlanta; Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Kathryn E. Theiss, Assistant Professor, Biology
Academic Background:
Ph.D. Ecology & Evolutionary Department, University of Connecticut
B.A. Biology and French, Willamette University in Salem, Oregon
Academic Focus:
Plant conservation, pollination, and evolution.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Theiss studies how reproduction influences plant species’ ability to evolve in a changing climate using molecular genetic techniques and fieldwork. She is currently completing research regarding how botanists define species in plants using an integrative taxonomic approach.
Prior to CSUDH:
Postdoctoral scholar at Willamette University
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“I’m looking forward to inspiring students to look at plants differently.”
Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I’ve spent a lot of time in Madagascar.”
Liudong Zuo, Assistant Professor, Computer Science
Academic Background:
Ph.D., Computer Science, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
B.E., Information Security, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Academic Focus:
Computer networks, algorithm design and application, big-data transfer.
Research Interests/Current Projects:
Dr. Zuo’s current research emphasizes big-data transfer with guaranteed performance by using bandwidth reservation service in dedicated high-performance networks.
Prior to CSUDH:
Post-doctoral Research Associate at CREATE, USC’s Homeland Security Center.
What he is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“To motivate students to learn, help them realize their full potential, and inspire them to strive for greatness.”
Antonia Boadi, Assistant Professor, Physics
Academic Background:
Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, USC
M.S., Electrical Engineering, USC
M.S., Computer Engineering, USC
B.S., Double Major: Computer Science and Mathematics, CSUDH
Academic Focus:
Design of radioisotope identification instrumentation for port security applications; application of underwater autonomous vehicles for surveillance applications; wireless communications; GIS-based policy analytics; statistical methods in counterterrorism; defense and homeland security risk modeling; model-based systems engineering; cyber-vulnerabilities in the defense acquisition supply chain
Research Interests/Current Projects:
As director of the CSUDH Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence, Dr. Boadi oversees a research team whose research examines “wicked” problems in homeland security and defense applications. She recently received a second federal award from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to develop a framework for quantifying the risks associated with using terrestrial and underwater drones in nuclear energy applications.
Prior to CSUDH:
Dr. Boadi previously taught in the CSUDH Computer Science Department. She served as a research associate at The RAND Corporation and at the NASA Glenn Research Center. Prior to those appointments, she worked as an engineer at The Aerospace Corporation and at Northrop Grumman.
What she is looking forward to at CSUDH?
“As a product of CSUDH, I look forward to providing my students and research assistants unparalleled opportunities. Although I am admittedly biased, I believe that CSUDH students are among the most talented in the region. Many are first-generation college students who are undaunted by resource shortfalls, an attribute that makes them adept at problem-solving. They develop out-of-the-box solutions to insidious problems.”
Interesting/fun fact about her:
“I am a lifelong nerd, learner. I am completing the final stage of a second doctorate in Public Policy (emphasis Homeland Security and Counterterrorism). I founded the puberty-to-Ph.D. STEM gender initiative named PROWESS (Partnership of Women Excelling as Scientists and Scholars). PROWESS was established in 2000 with funding from the Verizon Foundation.”
Dr. David Dixon, Professor, Political Science
