Geoffrey Abers, professor, earth and atmospheric sciences
College: Engineering
Academic focus:  Earthquake seismology, earth structure, material exchange between the earth’s surface and deep interior, and deformation at active plate boundaries; emphasis on deep roots of volcanoes and on fault systems generating great earthquakes.
Previous positions: Lamont Research Professor and associate director for Division of Seismology-Geology-Tectonophysics, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University; professor of earth sciences, Boston University; assistant professor of geosciences, University of Kansas
Academic background: Sc.B., geology-physics/mathematics, Brown University, (1983); Ph.D., geophysics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1989).
Last book read: “Telegraph Avenue” by Michael Chabon.
In his own time: “Hiking, exploring out doors, travel, playing guitar badly.”

Esra Akcan, associate professor, history of architecture and urban development program
College: Architecture, Art and Planning
Academic focus: History, theory, criticism of modern and contemporary architecture and urbanism.
Previous positions: Associate professor, 2013-14; assistant professor, 2007-13, both in art history, College of Architecture, Design and the Arts, University of Illinois at Chicago.
Academic background: B.Arch. and M.Arch, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Faculty of Architecture (1992); M.Phil. (2000), Ph.D. (2005), Columbia University, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.
Last book read: “From a Nation Torn: Decolonizing Art and Representation in France, 1945-1962” by Hannah Feldman.
In her own time: “I do not like to distinguish my own time from others as many diverse activities inform the work I do, but probably the most appropriate answer is: traveling the world, yoga and swimming.”

Rachel Aleks, assistant professor; labor relations, law and history
College: ILR School
Academic focus: Union renewal strategies, with a focus on union organizing and member involvement; professional worker representation; union administration and leadership.
Academic background: B.Com., international management and labor-management relations, McGill University (2007); MIRHR, University of Toronto (2010); Ph.D., industrial relations and human resources, University of Toronto (2014).
Last book read: “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair.
In her own time: “Discovering new restaurants; running outside; reading in beautiful places; attending the ballet/symphony.”

Erik Andersen, assistant professor, computer science
College: Computing and Information Science
Academic focus: Learning science, knowledge representations, automatic generation of educational content, educational video games, large-scale experimentation, human-computer interaction.
Academic background: B.S., computer science and linguistics, University of North Carolina (2007); Ph.D., computer science and engineering, University of Washington (2014).
Last book read: “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman.
In his own time: “League of Legends, Minecraft, learning languages, hiking.”

Rebecca J. Barthelmie, professor, mechanical and aerospace engineering
College: Engineering
Academic focus: Wind farm optimization.
Previous positions: Professor of atmospheric science and sustainability, Indiana University; also worked at Danish Technical University and Edinburgh University.
Academic background: Ph.D., wind energy, University of East Anglia.
Last book read: “Simon’s Cat: Feed Me” by Simon Tofield.
In her own time: “Just looking up in the dictionary what ‘own time’ means.”

David Alexander Bateman, assistant professor, government
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: American legislative institutions, particularly Congress; voting rights and representation; American political development; political parties.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral research associate, Center for the Study of Democratic Politics, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University.
Academic background: B.A. political science, Concordia University (2005); M.A. (2008) and Ph.D. (2013), both in political science, University of Pennsylvania.
Last book read: “The Cheese and the Worms: The Cosmos of a 16th-Century Miller” by Carlo Ginzburg.
In his own time: Etching, woodworking, writing and playing music.

Marco Battaglini, professor, economics
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Economic theory, political economy.
Previous positions: Professor, economics, 2007-14, assistant professor, 2000-07, both at Princeton University; visiting professor, Institute for Advanced Studies, Princeton, 2012-13; visiting professor, economics, Yale University, 2011-12; visiting professor, Kellogg School of Business, 2006-07; visiting assistant professor, economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2002-03.
Academic background: Laurea (bachelor’s degree), economics, Universita' Bocconi, Italy (1995); Ph.D., economics, Northwestern University (2000).
Last book read: “Isaiah Berlin: A Life” by Michael Ignatieff
In his own time: “It happens so rarely that I don’t remember.”

Francesco Bianchi, assistant professor, economics
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Monetary economics, Bayesian Econometrics, asset pricing.
Previous positions: Visiting assistant professor, economics, University of Pennsylvania, 2013-14; assistant professor, economics, Duke University, 2009-12; visiting scholar, economics, Northwestern University, 2012; visiting assistant professor, economics, University of California, Los Angeles,  2012.
Academic background: B.A, economics and statistics, Bocconi University (2003); M.A. (2007), Ph.D. (2009), both in economics, Princeton University.
Last book read: “Phantom” by Jo Nesbo.
In his own time: “Spending time with my family, going for a run, or relaxing watching movies or reading a book.”

Vanessa K. Bohns, assistant professor, organizational behavior
College: ILR School
Academic focus: Social influence, in particular, the extent to which people recognize the influence they have over others across a variety of situations; also, prosocial and unethical behavior, moral emotions and interpersonal relations.
Previous positions: Assistant professor, management sciences, University of Waterloo, Canada 2011-14; postdoctoral fellow, Rotman School of Management (Organizational Behavior group), University of Toronto, 2008-11.
Academic background: B.A., psychology, Brown University (2000); M.A., social psychology, Columbia University (2005); M.Phil., social psychology, Columbia University (2007); Ph.D. social psychology, Columbia University (2008).
Last book read: “An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth” by Chris Hadfield.
In her own time: Running, yoga, exploring new restaurants.

Julieta Caunedo, assistant professor of economics, the Laurits R. Christensen Sesquicentennial Faculty Fellow
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Macroeconomics, firm dynamics, productivity.
Previous positions: Research analyst, Federal Reserve of St. Louis, 2010-12; research assistant, International Monetary Fund, 2007-08; research fellow, InterAmerican Development Bank, 2006-07.
Academic background: B.Sc., economics, Universidad Torcuato DiTella (2005); Ph.D., economics, Washington University in St. Louis (2014).
Last book read: “Player Piano” by Kurt Vonnegut.
In her own time: Travel, play the piano, running, tennis, cooking, wine.

Soon Hon Cheong, assistant professor of reproductive medicine
College: Veterinary Medicine
Academic Focus: Reproductive health, assisted reproductive technologies and physiology.
Previous positions: Theriogenology resident, 2006-08; ambulatory and production medicine resident, 2004-06; ambulatory and production medicine intern, 2003-04, all at Cornell.
Academic background: D.V.M., Universiti Putra Malaysia (2003); Ph.D. (2012), in comparative biomedical sciences, Cornell.
Last book read: “Memoirs of a Geisha” by Arthur Golden.
In his own time: Family time, birding.

Ben Cosgrove, assistant professor of biomedical engineering
College: Engineering
Academic focus: Signal transduction biology in adult stem cells; computational systems biology of signaling networks; cell communication in regenerative tissues; stem cell dysfunction in aging; engineering stem cell therapies for degenerative diseases.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral fellow, Stanford University School of Medicine, 2009-14.
Academic background: B.Bm.E., biomedical engineering, University of Minnesota (2003); Ph.D., bioengineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2009).
Last book read: “The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer” by Siddhartha Mukherjee.
In his own time: “Exploring farmers’ markets and coffee shops with my wife and kids.”

Charles Danko, assistant professor, Baker Institute for Animal Health
College: Veterinary Medicine
Academic focus: How gene expression patterns are encoded in metazoan DNA sequence, and how these patterns contribute to evolution, development and disease.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral researcher, Cornell, 2009-14.
Academic background: B.S., biomedical engineering, Johns Hopkins University (2003); and Ph.D., pharmacology, SUNY Upstate Medical University (2009).
Last book read: “A Clash of Kings” by George R.R. Martin.
In his own time: “Playing with my daughter, hiking, working on my house.”

Naminata Diabate, assistant professor, comparative literature
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Contemporary African, African-American, Caribbean and Afro-Hispanic literary and cultural studies, body and performance theory, film studies, queer theory, postcolonial critique, race studies.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral associate, comparative literature, Cornell, 2012-14.
Academic background: Bachelor’s, economics, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, Argentina (2005); M.A. (2006) and Ph.D. (2011), both in comparative literature, University of Texas at Austin.         
Last book read: “Le Souverain moderne: Le Corps du Pouvoir en Afrique Centrale” by Joseph Tonda and “Wizard of the Crow” by Ngugi wa Thiong'o.
In her own time: Jogging, decorating, and refining her golfing skills.

Julia L. Finkelstein, assistant professor of epidemiology and nutrition; the Follett Sesquicentennial Faculty Fellow
College: Human Ecology
Academic focus: Design and conduct of randomized trials and cohort studies in resource-limited settings; role of vitamins B12, iron and folate in the etiology of anemia and adverse pregnancy outcomes; applications of epidemiological and GIS methods to improve surveillance and public health, with active research projects in India and Latin America.
Previous positions: Research scientist, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell, 2011-14; faculty fellow, Center for Geographic Analysis, Harvard University, 2011-14; clinical research coordinator, Harvard School of Public Health.
Academic background:B.S., psychology and humanistic studies, McGill University (2002); MPH, public health, Brown University (2005); M.S., epidemiology (2010), and Ph.D., nutritional epidemiology (2011), both at Harvard University.
Last book read: “Love in the Time of Cholera” by Gabriel García Márquez.
In her own time:Music, photography, yoga, exploring Ithaca.

Chiara Formichi, assistant professor, Asian studies
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: History of Islam in Indonesia; inter-Asian connections (Islam); political Islam, secularism and modernity; sectarianism, orthodoxy and religious pluralism; Shi’ism in Southeast Asia.
Previous positions: Associate director, Southeast Asia Research Centre, 2013-14, and assistant professor in history and religion, Asian and international studies, 2011-14, both at City University of Hong Kong; postdoctoral fellow, religion and globalization, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, 2009-11.
Academic background: B.A., Arabic language and Islamic studies, University of Rome “La Sapienza,” Italy (2004); M.A., Southeast Asian studies (2005); Ph.D., history of Southeast Asia (2009), both at School of Oriental and African Studies, London.
Last book read: “Il Birraio di Preston” by Andrea Camilleri and “The Modern Spirit of Asia: The Spiritual and the Secular in China and India” by Peter van der Veer.
In her own time: “Traveling in Asia (even though it often turns into work!), exploring Ithaca and surroundings, hiking, attending concerts.”

Brett P. Fors, assistant professor, chemistry and chemical biology
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Polymer synthesis; organic chemistry; catalysis.
Previous positions: Elings Fellow in Experimental Science, California NanoSystems Institute and Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2011-14.
Academic background: B.Sc. chemistry, Montana State University (2006); Ph.D. organic chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2011).
Last book read: “There’s a Wocket in My Pocket” by Dr. Seuss.
In his own time: “Spending time with my family.”

Jill Frank, associate professor, government
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: History of political thought, ancient Greek political theory, democratic theory, classics in contemporary perspectives.
Previous positions: Associate professor, 2005-14, assistant professor, 1999-2005, both in political science, University of South Carolina; assistant professor, government, Harvard University, 1995-99.
Academic background: B.A., philosophy, McGill University (1983); B.C.L, LL.B, Law, McGill University (1987); Ph.D., jurisprudence and social policy, University of California, Berkeley (1992).
Last book read: “The Story of a New Name” by Elena Ferrante.
In her own time: Looking at art, reading, hiking, food.

Paul Friedland, professor, history
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Early modern and revolutionary France.
Previous positions: Affiliate, Center for European Studies, Harvard University, 2010-14; fellow, Shelby Cullom Davis Center for Historical Studies, Princeton University, 2011-12; associate professor, 2004-09, and assistant professor, 1998-2004, both in history, Bowdoin College.
Academic background: B.A., history and Russian studies, Brown University, (1984); M.A., history, University of Chicago, (1988); Ph.D., history, University of California, Berkeley (1995).
Last book read: “Trading Places: Colonization and Slavery in 18th-Century French Culture” by Madeleine Dobie and “City of Thieves” by David Benioff.
In his own time: “Trying to convince my Bernese mountain dog to fetch. Watching WWII movies with my kids.”

Lawrence Glickman, professor, history
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: U.S. cultural history, the history of consumer society, labor history.
Previous positions: Assistant professor, 1992-98; associate professor, 1998-2006; professor, 2006-10; Carolina Trustee Professor of History, 2010-14, all in Department of History, University of South Carolina.
Academic background: A.B., history, Princeton University (1985); M.A., history (1988) and Ph.D., American history (1992), both at University of California, Berkeley.
Last book read: “The New Deal: A Modern History,” by Michael Hiltzik.
In his own time: Distance running, playing tennis, coaching soccer, watching movies.

Denise Green, assistant professor, fiber science and apparel design
College: Human Ecology
Academic focus:Apparel design, anthropology, museum studies and video production. Using ethnography in combination with archival and museum-based research methods to explore cultural aspects of style, fashion and dress. In most of the research, documentary film production is used as a way to share findings with the broader public.
Previous positions: Graduate research assistant, Ethnographic Film Unit, Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, 2009-14; patternmaker, ORRA Active, 2010-12; teaching assistant, textiles, University of California Davis, 2007-09.
Academic background: B.S., fiber science and apparel design, Cornell (2007); M.S., textiles, University of California, Davis (2009); Ph.D., anthropology, University of British Columbia (2014).
Last book read: “Native Art of the Northwest Coast: A History of Changing Ideas,” edited by Charlotte Townsend-Gault, Jennifer Kramer and Ki-ke-in.
In her own time: “I practice yoga at the Ithaca branch of Bikram’s Yoga College of India. I also enjoy skiing, mountain biking, trail running and other outdoor activities.”

Chun Han, assistant professor, Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academic focus: The molecular and cellular mechanisms of dendrite morphogenesis, with a focus on the role of cell-cell interactions in the development, maintenance and degeneration of neuronal dendrites using Drosophila sensory neurons as a model system.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral fellow, University of California, San Francisco, 2006-13.
Academic background: B.S., cell biology and genetics, Peking University (1999); Ph.D., molecular and developmental biology, University of Cincinnati (2006).
Last book read: “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell.
In his own time: “Photography and enjoying the natural beauty of Ithaca.”

Thomas Hartman, assistant professor, physics
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Theoretical high energy physics
Previous positions: Research associate, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2013-14; member, School of Natural Sciences, Institute for Advanced Study, 2010-13.
Academic background: A.B., physics, Princeton University (2004); Ph.D., physics, Harvard University (2010).
Last book read: “The Philosophical Detective” by Bruce Hartman.
In my own time/when not working: “Family time!”

Anna R. Haskins, assistant professor, sociology
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Social stratification and inequality; sociology of education; race and ethnicity; mass incarceration.
Previous positions: Provost’s postdoctoral research scientist, Columbia Population Research Center, School of Social Work, Columbia University, 2013-14.
Academic background: B.A., education, University of Michigan (2003); M.S. (2009) and Ph.D. (2013), both in sociology, University of Wisconsin.
Last book read: “On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City” by Alice Goffman.
In her own time: Cooking, entertaining and enjoying the outdoors.

Kei Hayashi, associate professor, orthopedic surgery
College: Veterinary Medicine
Academic focus: Veterinary orthopedic surgery, application of regenerative medicine, total joint replacement, arthroscopy, comparative osteoarthritis research and sports medicine.
Previous positions: Associate/assistant professor of surgery, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, 2005-12; assistant professor, orthopedic surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, 2003-05; resident, small animal surgery, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin (1993-94).
Academic background: B.S., D.V.M, veterinary medical science, University of Tokyo (1993); M.S., veterinary science, University of Wisconsin (1994), Ph.D., veterinary medical science, University of Tokyo (1997), Ph.D., comparative biomedical sciences, University of Wisconsin (1997).
Last book read: “Golgo 13” by Takao Saito.
In his own time: “Walking my dog, and watching Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers.

Christopher Huckfeldt, assistant professor, economics
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Macroeconomics, labor economics.
Previous positions: Research associate, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 2006-08.
Academic background: B.A., economics, Princeton University (2006); Ph.D., economics, New York University (2014).
Last book read: “Coming into the Country” by John McPhee.
In his own time: “Spending time with my wife, running, reading.

Kelly Hume, assistant professor, oncology, Department of Clinical Sciences; adjunct assistant professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences
College: Veterinary Medicine
Academic focus: Understanding how DNA damage response and repair pathways modulate tumor suppression and chemosensitivity, with the ultimate goal of determining how the genetics of a given tumor can be used to best manipulate therapeutic combinations.
Previous positions: Instructor, 2010-12, clinical fellow, 2008-10, both at Department of Clinical Sciences, Cornell; resident, medical oncology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 2005-08; specialty intern, oncology, 2004-05, and rotating intern, small animal medicine and surgery, 2003-04, both at College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia.
Academic background: B.S., international agriculture and natural resources (major-animal sciences), University of Wisconsin-Madison (1999); D.V.M., Auburn University (2003).
Last book read: “Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East” by Scott Anderson
In her own time: Spending time with dogs and cats, exploring Adirondacks.

Samuel Hurcombe, clinical associate professor, equine emergency and critical care, Department of Clinical Sciences
College: Veterinary Medicine
Academic focus: Equine emergency surgery and critical care medicine, with a clinical and research focus on disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Clinical mentorship and education of graduate veterinarians in internship positions as well as referring equine veterinarians.
Previous positions: Assistant professor, equine clinical, emergency and critical care, The Ohio State University, 2010-14.
Academic background: B.S., veterinary biology, (2001); B.V.M.S. (2003), both at Murdoch University, Australia; M.S., The Ohio State University (2008).
Last book read: “Me Talk Pretty One Day” by David Sedaris.
In his own time: Running, yoga, discovering New York City, travel, outdoor activities, classical music.

Byoung-Hyoun Hwang, assistant professor, finance, Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academic focus: How investors behave and how market frictions sometimes allow market prices to deviate from their corresponding fundamental values.
Previous positions: Assistant professor, finance, Purdue University, 2009-14.
Academic background: B.S., finance and international studies, University of Reutlingen, Germany (2004); Ph.D., finance, Emory University (2009).
Last book read: “The Size of Nations” by Alberto Alesina and Enrico Spolaore.
In his own time: “Enjoying spending time with my fiancé.”

Jennifer Ifft, assistant professor, agribusiness and farm management, Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academic focus: Agribusiness and farm management, with an emphasis on critical issues facing the farm sector and farm policy. Research has considered the impact of government policies on farmland markets. Current work examines how crop insurance affects access to credit and the impact of groundwater management institutions on cropland values.
Previous positions: Economist, U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, 2011-14; junior professional associate, World Bank East Asia and Pacific Rural Development and Natural Resources Sector Unit, 2003-05.
Academic background: B.S., international, resource and consumer economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2002); M.Phil., land economy, University of Cambridge (2003); Ph.D., agricultural and resource economics, University of California, Berkeley (2011).
Last book read: “Expecting Better” by Emily Oster.
In her own time: “Getting to know Ithaca and the Finger Lakes region, preparing for the birth of my birth of my first child in October.”

Lisa Kaltenegger, associate professor, astronomy
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Characterization of extrasolar planets, search for the signature of life on other worlds.
Previous positions: Research associate, Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 2010-14; research group leader "Super-Earths and Life," Star and Planet Formation Department, Max Planck Institute, Germany, 2010-14; lecturer, astronomy, Heidelberg University, Germany, 2010-14; lecturer, astronomy, Harvard University, 2008-14; research associate, astronomy, Harvard, 2009-10; postdoctoral fellow, Harvard Smithsonian, 2005-09; consultant, AURORA Technology, Netherlands, 2003-04; engineer, Department of Future Projects, ESA/ESTEC, Netherlands, 2001-02.
Academic background: M.Sci., astrophysics, Karl Franzens University, Austria (1999); M.Eng., biophysics and application of physics in medicine, University of Technology, Austria (2001); Ph.D., astrophysics, Karl Franzens University, Austria (2005).
Last book read: “They Divided the Sky” by Christa Wolf and “Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon.
In her own time: “Playing with my daughter, coffee with friends, movies, salsa, reading, exploring the worlds.”

Soo Kim, assistant professor of marketing
College: Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management
Academic focus: Symbolic consumption, consumption as compensation for self-threats, self-perception, boredom, consumer search for meaning in consumption, and cause marketing.
Previous positions: Teaching assistant for the MBA Program and the Executive MBA Program at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 2010-12; teaching assistant, communication, Cornell, 2007-09.
Academic background: B.A., psychology with minor in advertising and public relations, Ewha Woman’s University of South Korea, (2007); M.S., communication; Cornell (2009); Ph.D., marketing; Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University (2014).
Last book read: “The Happiness Hypothesis” by Jonathan Haidt.
In her own time: “Watching shark documentaries, flipping through interior design magazines, online shopping and watching the Walking Dead.”

Athena Kirk, assistant professor, classics
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Greek literature.
Previous positions: Assistant professor, Classical studies, Indiana University, 2013-14; Mellon Junior Faculty Fellow, Classics, Washington and Lee University, 2012-13; visiting lecturer, Classical studies, Wellesley College, 2011-12.
Academic background: A.B., Classics, Harvard College (2003); M.A. (2005) and Ph.D. (2011), both in Classics, University of California, Berkeley.
Last book read: “At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past” by A. Roger Ekirch.
In her own time: Cooking, music, ambling.

Ross Knepper, assistant professor, computer science
College: Computing and Information Science
Academic focus: Advanced factory automation and automated assembly, enabling autonomous robots to function safely and comprehensibly alongside humans in environments structured for people.
Previous positions: Research scientist and postdoctoral associate, Distributed Robotics Lab, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013-14 and 2011-13, respectively; software engineer, National Robotics Engineering Center, Carnegie Mellon University, 2004-06; systems software engineer, Hewlett-Packard, 2000-03.
Academic background: B.S. computer science, (1999); M.S., robotics (2007); Ph.D. robotics (2011), all at Carnegie Mellon University.
Last book read: “Einstein’s Clocks and Poincare's Maps: Empires of Time” by Peter Galison.
In his own time: “Traveling the world, bicycling, hiking, camping, observing nature, Euro-style gaming.”

Clarence Lee, assistant professor of marketing
College: Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management
Academic focus: Digital marketing strategy, entrepreneurial marketing, interactive media, econometric models and statistical machine learning.
Previous positions: Research assistant, developed website morphing technology, MIT Center for Digital Business, 2006-08.
Academic background: S.B. and M.Eng., both in electrical engineering and computer science; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2008); Ph.D., business administration, marketing; Harvard Business School (2014).
Last book read: “Steve Jobs,” Walter Isaacson.
In his own time: “Running, kayaking and Game of Thrones marathons with my wife.”

Adam Seth Litwin, associate professor of industrial and labor relations, Department of Labor Relations, Law and History
College: ILR School
Academic focus: Technological change and the structure of work; employment relations mediators of the impact of technological change on workers, firms, and society; labor relations in the healthcare sector.
Previous positions: Assistant professor of management, Carey Business School, Johns Hopkins University, 2008-2014; joint appointment, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 2012-2014.
Academic background: B.S. in economics, public policy and management, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (1998); B.A., American history, School of Arts and Science, University of Pennsylvania (1998); M.Sc., industrial relations, London School of Economics (1999); Ph.D., Institute for Work and Employment Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2008).
Last book read: “The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America” by George Packer.
In his own time: “Chasing after my toddler and my mutt, banging the drums, and bringing good cheer.”

Greg Londe, assistant professor, English
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Twentieth and 21-century Anglophone literature; poetry and poetics; Irish studies; global print culture.
Previous positions: Assistant professor/Faculty Fellow of Irish Studies, New York University, 2011-14.
Academic background: B.A., English literature and American culture studies (2003) and M.A. (2005), English, both at Washington University in St. Louis; Ph.D., English, Princeton University (2011).
Last book read: “Kepler” by John Banville, “The Feel Trio” by Fred Moten, “Cosmopolitics” by Isabelle Stengers.
In his own time: “Hiking in inappropriate footwear, being in or around water, finding the perfect driving songs, inhaling seasons of television, visiting new cities, reading poems, learning Bosnian.”

Jay Lu, assistant professor, economics
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Economic theory, decision theory, finance
Previous positions: Investment banking analyst, Credit Suisse, 2006-08.
Academic background: B.A., biology, mathematics, economics, Cornell (2006); M.A. (2010) and Ph.D. (2014), both in economics, Princeton University.
Last book read: “Ever Since Darwin” by Stephen Jay Gould.
In his own time: Traveling, classic cinema, shooting pool, running, biking (downhill only).

Jason Manning, associate professor, mathematics
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Geometric group theory and low-dimensional topology.
Previous positions: Associate professor, 2011-14, and assistant professor, 2006-11, both in mathematics, University at Buffalo; Taussky-Todd/NSF postdoctoral fellow, mathematics, California Institute of Technology, 2003-06.
Academic background: B.S., mathematics, B.A., Plan II, both University of Texas, Austin (1996); Ph.D., mathematics, University of California, Santa Barbara (2003).
Last book read: “Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman” by Haruki Murakami.
In his own time: Brewing, baking, walking/running in the woods.

Julia Markovits, associate professor, philosophy
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Philosophy, especially moral philosophy.
Previous positions: Associate professor, 2013-14, and assistant professor, 2009-13, both in philosophy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; junior fellow, Harvard Society of Fellows, Harvard University, 2006-09.
Academic background: B.A., philosophy, Yale University (2001); B.Phil. (2003) and D.Phil. (2006), both in philosophy, University of Oxford.
Last book read: “American Short Fiction, Issue 57,” a triennial journal publishing new American short fiction.
In her own time: “Watching sports, rooting for the Spurs and the Cowboys, playing sports (badly!), cooking and eating, reading mystery novels.”

Carmen Enid Martínez, associate professor, soil and environmental chemistry, crop and soil sciences, School of Integrative Plant Science
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academic focus: Chemical and biogeochemical processes involved in the cycling of major, trace and toxic elements in terrestrial ecosystems; molecular scale investigations of the interactions of organic matter at mineral surfaces; biomolecular signature in soils.
Previous positions: Associate professor of soil and environmental chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, 2002-13.
Academic background: B.S., chemistry, University of Puerto Rico (1988); M.S., environmental chemistry (1991) and Ph.D., soil chemistry (1997), both at Rutgers University.
Last book read: “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” by Junot Díaz.
In her own time: “Enjoying the outdoors.”

Brett J. Massimino, assistant professor, services operations management
College: School of Hotel Administration
Academic focus: Maintaining the confidentiality of proprietary assets in a digital, global economy.
Previous positions: Product manager, telecommunications North America, EnerSys Inc., 2008-09; product engineer, Reserve Power North America, EnerSys Inc., 2005-08.
Academic background: B.S., computer engineering, University of Pittsburgh (2004); MBA, supply chain management, Lehigh University (2009); Ph.D., business administration (major in operations management, minor in logistics), The Ohio State University (2014).
Last book read: “Only Revolutions” by Mark Z. Danielweski and “Software Piracy Exposed” by Paul Craig.
In his own time: “Currently building a new home as well as designing, fabricating and building an oval-track race car.”

Jessica McArt, assistant professor, ambulatory and production medicine, Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences
College: Veterinary Medicine
Academic focus: The well-being, health and production of dairy cattle as they transition from late gestation through early lactation.
Previous positions: Assistant professor, livestock medicine and population health, Colorado State University, 2013-14.
Academic background: B.A., biochemistry and molecular biology, Dartmouth College (1999); DVM (2007) and Ph.D. (2013), comparative biomedical sciences, both at Cornell.
Last book read: “Tumble Bumble” by Felicia Bond.
In her own time: “Enjoys being a mom, exploring the outdoors and traveling.”

Angela L. McCleary-Wheeler, assistant professor, medical oncology, Department of Clinical Sciences
College: Veterinary Medicine
Academic focus: Understanding hedgehog signaling and epigenetic mechanisms of target gene transcription; comparative oncology and novel cancer therapeutics; special interest in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, osteosarcoma and lymphoma.
Previous positions: Small animal medicine and surgery intern, University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006; medical oncology resident, North Carolina State University, 2009.
Academic background: B.S., agricultural biochemistry (2001) and D.V.M. (2005), both at Iowa State University; Ph.D., biochemistry and molecular biology, Mayo Clinic (2013).
Last book read: “Breakfast with the Pope” by Susan Vigilante.
In her own time: Gardening, hiking, spending time with family and equestrian sports.

Greg McLaskey, assistant professor, civil and environmental engineering
College: Engineering
Academic focus: Earthquake mechanics, nondestructive testing, piezoelectric sensors and acoustic emission.
Previous positions: Mendenhall postdoctoral research fellow, U.S. Geologic Survey, Earthquake Science Center, Menlo Park, California, 2011-14.
Academic background: B.S., civil engineering, Cornell (2005); M.S. (2006) and Ph.D. (2011) in civil engineering, both at University of California, Berkeley.
Last book read: “Mushrooms Demystified” by David Arora.
In his own time: “Grilling on campfires, creating art, playing washtub.”

Jeffrey Moses, assistant professor, applied and engineering physics
College: Engineering
Academic focus: Capturing the fastest functional dynamics of electrons and coupled particles in materials out of equilibrium and after photoexcitation, including in biology and materials used for harvesting energy. Developing the optical technologies for doing so.
Previous positions: Research scientist, 2009-2014, and postdoctoral associate, 2007-09, both at Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Academic background: B.S., applied physics, Yale University (2001); M.S., Ph.D., applied physics, Cornell (2007).
Last book read: “American Short Fiction,” spring 2014 issue.
In his own time: “Cooking, watching sports, photographing birds, guitar playing, going on hikes with great views.”

Kristoffer Nimark, assistant professor, economics
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Information imperfections in macro and finance.
Previous positions: Researcher, Barcelona Graduate School of Economics (CREI), 2008-14; visiting assistant professor, economics, New York University, 2008; senior research manager, economic research, Reserve Bank of Australia, 2005-08.
Academic background: B.A., economics, Lund University, Sweden (2001); Ph.D., economics, European University Institute (2005).
Last book read: “The Boys on the Bus” by Timothy Crouse.
In his own time: “Riding boards sideways, which will mostly mean snowboarding from now on.”

Katja C. Nowack, assistant professor, physics
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Experimental condensed matter physics, typically at low temperatures; scanning probe microscopy and mesoscopic transport applied to quantum materials.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, 2011-2014; postdoctoral researcher, Quantum Nanoscience Department, Delft University of Technology, 2010-2011.
Academic background: Diploma M.S., physics, RWTH Aachen, Germany, 2005; Ph.D., physics, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands, 2009.
Last book read: “Schweigeminute” (“A Minute’s Silence”) by Siegfried Lenz and “Ill Fares the Land” by Tony Judt.
In her own time: Friends, family, drinking coffee, wine and Belgium beer, cooking, biking, hiking, bouldering and preferably combinations thereof.

Ariel Ortiz-Bobea, assistant professor, CoBank/Farm Credit East Sesquicentennial Faculty Fellow in Production Economics and Sustainability, Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academic focus: Climate change impacts on agriculture and adaptation; applied economic research on agricultural, environmental, resource and development topics.
Previous positions: Fellow, Resources for the Future, Washington, D.C., 2013-14; special assistant to the minister, Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources of the Dominican Republic, 2006-08.
Academic background: M.Eng., agronomy Institut National Agronomique Paris-Grignon, France (2004); MPA, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University (2006); Ph.D., agricultural and resource economics, University of Maryland-College Park (2014).
Last book read: “So Human an Animal” by Rene Dubos.
In his own time: “Exploring upstate New York!”

Kyla Ortved, clinical assistant professor, equine surgery, Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists
College: Veterinary Medicine
Academic focus: Gene and cell therapy to enhance cartilage repair using the horse as a translational model.
Academic background: B.Sc., animal biology, University of British Columbia (2001); DVM, University of Guelph (2006); Ph.D., comparative biomedical sciences, Cornell (2014).
Last book read: “Joe” by Larry Brown.
In her own time: Yoga, running, cycling and skiing.

Eleonora Patacchini, associate professor, economics
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Panel data econometrics, spatial statistics, labor economics, urban economics, economics of ethnic minorities, economics of culture and institutions, crime, social networks and financial networks.
Previous positions: Associate professor, economics, Syracuse University, 2012-14; associate professor, statistics and economics, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, 2001-12.
Academic background: B.A., statistics and economics, Sapienza University of Rome (1997); M.Sc., economics, University Pompeu Fabra, Spain (2000); Ph.D, methodological statistics, Sapienza University of Rome (2003); Ph.D, economics, University of Southampton, United Kingdom (2004).
Last book read: “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho.
In her own time: “Spending time with my husband and my newborn son.”

Jamie L. Perry, assistant professor, human resources management
College: School of Hotel Administration
Academic focus: Group conflict, with a focus on differences that influence group interactions and effectiveness; the independent and joint influences of power and status among group members; the influence of group compositional differences on subgroup formation.
Previous positions: Clinical research coordinator, University of Pennsylvania, 2008-09.
Academic background: B.S., psychology and sociology, University of Houston (2006); M.A., psychology, Rutgers University (2009); Ph.D., organization management, Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick (2014).
Last book read: “The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America” by Erik Larson.
In her own time: “Enjoy running, cycling, hiking, reading true crime novels, and watching science fiction movies.”

Sarah Pethybridge, assistant professor, vegetable pathology; Section of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, School of Integrative Plant Science
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academic focus: Epidemiology and management of vegetable diseases, Sclerotinia species biology, risk assessment and crop loss from soil-borne pathogens, spatiotemporal analysis of epidemics; and fungicide resistance.
Previous positions: Science group leader (field crops), New Zealand Institute of Plant and Food Research, 2013-14; agricultural research and development manager, Botanical Resources Australia Pty. Ltd., 2009-13; senior extension plant pathologist, University of Tasmania, Australia, 1999-2009.
Academic background: B.Agr.Sc., plant pathology (1995) and Ph.D., disease epidemiology and management (2000), both at University of Tasmania, Australia.
Last book read: “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson.
In her own time: Walking, shopping and spending time with her children, Emily (age 8) and James (age 5).

Sara C. Pryor, professor, chair of Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academic focus: Two related fields with climate science: physical manifestations of global climate change and variability at regional scales (downscaling), and understanding formation and removal processes for atmospheric aerosols in order to reduce the uncertainties regarding aerosol climate forcing.
Previous positions: Professor, geological sciences, Indiana University.
Academic background: Ph.D. University of East Anglia, Great Britain.
Last book read: “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” by Agatha Christie.

Kristina Rennekamp, assistant professor of accounting
College: Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management
Academic focus: The role of accounting in judgments and decisions of managers, investors and analysts.
Previous positions: Assistant professor of accountancy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2011-14.
Academic background: B.B.A. with concentration in finance (2002); MBA with concentrations in accounting and finance (2006), both at the Henry B. Tippie College of Business, the University of Iowa; M.S., management (2011) and Ph.D., accounting with minor concentrations in judgment and decision-making and statistics (2012), both at Cornell’s Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management.
Last book read: “Hyperbole and a Half” by Allie Brosh.
In her own time: “Camping and hiking with my husband and daughter.”

Kristy L. Richards, assistant professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences/Department of Medicine
College: Veterinary Medicine/Weill Cornell Medical College
Academic focus: Comparative oncology and oncogenomics, with an emphasis on canine/human lymphoma; genetic mapping of cancer predisposition genes in susceptible dog breeds; immuno-oncology and pharmacogenomic determinants of therapeutic monoclonal antibody response.
Previous positions: Assistant professor, medicine and genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 2007-14.
Academic background: B.S., biology, Cornell (1990); Ph.D., genetics (1997; M.D. (2001), Stanford University.
Last book read: “The Signal and the Noise” by Nate Silver.
In her own time: Cheering on the Buffalo Bills, puzzles of all kinds, horseback riding, baking.

Armin Rick, assistant professor of economics
College: Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management
Academic focus: Applied theory, economics of information, labor economics and applied econometrics.
Previous positions: Teaching assistant for numerous graduate-level courses at the University of Chicago, 2010-12; research assistant, Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging, 2005-08; intern, Deutsche Bundesbank, Frankfurt, 2007; intern, Centre for European Economic Research, Mannheim, 2006.
Academic background: Diplom (equivalent to B.A. and M.A.), economics; University of Mannheim, 2008; M.A. (2010) and Ph.D. (2014), both in economics; University of Chicago.
Last book read: “Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945” by Tony Judt.
In his own time: Hiking, cycling and traveling.

Russell Rickford, assistant professor, history
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Black radical tradition.
Previous positions: Assistant professor, history, Dartmouth College, 2009-14.
Academic background: B.A., journalism, Howard University (1997); Ph.D., history, Columbia University (2009).
Last book read: “Sojourning for Freedom” by Erik McDuffie.
In his own time: Pickup soccer.

Dmitry Savransky, assistant professor, mechanical and aerospace engineering
College: Engineering
Academic focus: Dynamics and control theory,  space exploration, computer vision, machine learning, and the direct detection of extra-solar planets.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral Fellow at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Academic background: B.S., mechanical and aerospace engineering (2004), M.Eng., aerospace engineering (2005), Cornell; Ph.D., mechanical and aerospace engineering, Princeton University, 2011.
Last book read: “Bleeding Edge” by Thomas Pynchon.
In his own time: Anything outdoors: hiking, skiing, cycling, kite flying; also photography, music and reading.

Daniel Selva, assistant professor, mechanical and aerospace engineering
College: Engineering
Academic focus: The development of advanced tools to support the systems engineering process, especially the early system design and architecture phases of complex systems. These tools are intelligent agents that combine a knowledge-based component, a machine-learning component, a global optimization component and real-time interaction with the user. Particularly interested in Earth-observing satellite systems that monitor the Earth’s land, ocean and atmosphere.
Previous positions: Adjunct assistant professor, Cornell, 2013-14; postdoctoral associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2012-14.
Academic background: Ing. Sup. (M.S.), electrical engineering, TelecomBCN (Technical University of Catalonia), Spain (2004); Dipl. D’Ing. (M.S.), aeronautics and astronautics, Supaero (École Nationale Supérieure de l'Aéronautique et de l’Espace), France (2004); Ph.D., space systems, MIT (2012).
Last book read: “On Intelligence” by Jeff Hawkins and Sandra Blakeslee.
In his own time: Racket sports, running, soccer, reading about neuroscience (among others), movies.

Victor Seow, assistant professor, history
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Nineteenth- and 20th-century China, with research interests in issues of energy, science and technology, the environment, industry, labor and state power.
Previous positions: Visiting lecturer, history, Brown University, 2012.
Academic background: B.A., political science and history, McGill University (2006); Ph.D., history and East Asian languages, Harvard University (2014).
Last book read: “Annals of the Former World” by John McPhee.
In his own time: “Cooking, sharing meals, taking walks, visiting family and watching variety shows, sitcoms and anime with my wife.”

Mardelle Shepley, professor, design and environmental analysis
College: Human Ecology
Academic focus: Health care design; sustainability; design process.
Previous positions: Professor of architecture and director of the Center for Health Systems and Design, Texas A and M University, 1993-2014; associate and architect, The Design Partnership, San Francisco, 1984-93; associate and designer, Tai Associates Architects, San Francisco, 1981-84.
Academic background: B.A., art history, Columbia University (1971); M.Arch., Columbia University (1974); M.A., psychology, University of Michigan (1979); D.Arch., University of Michigan (1981).
Last book read: “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe.
In her own time: Dancing, bicycling, sailing, writing.

Rebecca Slayton, assistant professor, science and technology studies
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Expertise, risk, history of technology, cybersecurity, international security, arms control, innovation, science and technology policy, energy and environmental policy.
Previous positions: Lecturer, science and technology policy coordinator, faculty fellow, 2013-14, and lecturer, Public Policy Program, and visiting scholar, 2012-13, all at Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University; visiting assistant professor, History of Science and Technology Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 2011-12; lecturer and Honors Program director, Program in Science, Technology and Society, Stanford University, 2005-11; postdoctoral fellow, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University, 2004- 05; visiting scientist, chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1997-2002.
Academic background: B.S., chemistry, Westmont College (1996); M.S. (2000) and Ph.D. (2002), both in physical chemistry, Harvard University.
Last book read: “Spam: A Shadow History of the Internet” by Finn Brunton.
In her own time: Hiking/backpacking, biking, reading, cooking.

Charles Smart, assistant professor, mathematics
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Partial differential equations and probability.
Previous positions: Assistant professor, 2013-14, and instructor and NSF postdoc 2011-13, both in mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; NSF postdoc, mathematics, New York University, 2010-11.
Academic background: B.S., computer science (2002) and M.S., mathematics (2002), both at Carnegie Mellon University; Ph.D., mathematics, University of California, Berkeley (2010).
Last book read: “Moo Baa La La La” by Sandra Boynton
In his own time: Making things, especially art and robots.

Isaac Smith, assistant professor of management and organizations
College: Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management
Academic focus: Organizational behavior,the psychology of inspiration, morality and behavioral ethics, prosocial behavior, the meaning of work and social entrepreneurship.
Previous positions: Instructor, David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah, 2012; senior consultant at Hitachi Consulting, 2007-09.
Academic background: B.A., economics and English with a minor in political science (2004), and MBA, with concentration in organizational behavior/human resources and a minor in strategy (2007), both at Brigham Young University; Ph.D., organizational behavior; University of Utah (2014).
Last book read: “The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.,” edited by Clayborne Carson.
In his own time: “I love playing soccer, playing the guitar, and most importantly playing with my wife and two little boys.” 

C. Riley Snorton, assistant professor, Africana studies and feminist, gender and sexuality studies
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Rhetorical and cultural theory, queer theory, black popular culture, Africana studies, feminist theory, transgender studies, performance studies.
Previous positions: Assistant professor, communication studies, Northwestern University, 2011-14.
Academic background: B.A., women and gender studies, Columbia University (2003); M.A., communication, University of Pennsylvania (2008); Ph.D., Africana studies, women, gender and sexuality studies, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania (2010).
Last book read: “Midnight Robber” by Nalo Hopkinson.
In his own time: “Imbibing popular culture, traveling, jogging, making art.”

Suyoung Son, assistant professor, Asian studies
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Literary and cultural history of early modern China (1500-1900), focusing on narrative tradition, print culture, practices of reading and writing, authorship and intellectual property, and Chinese literature and its reception in 18th-century Chosŏn Korea.
Previous positions: Assistant professor, Asian languages and civilizations, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2011-14; postdoctoral fellow, Center for East Asian Studies, Stanford University, 2010-11.
Academic background: B.A. (1996) and M.A. (1998), both in Chinese language and literature, Yonsei University, Seoul; M.A., East Asian languages and cultures, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2002); Ph.D., East Asian languages and civilizations, University of Chicago (2010).
Last book read: “Brothers” by Yu Hua and “The Swerve” by Stephen Greenblatt.
In her own time: Traveling, reading, hiking

Jeongmin Song, assistant professor, bacterial pathogenesis, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
College: Veterinary Medicine
Academic focus: Pathogenesis mechanisms of Salmonella Typhi, the cause of typhoid fever, with an emphasis on defining underlying molecular mechanisms of typhoid toxin in the development of typhoid fever.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale University, 2009-14.
Academic background: B.S., microbiology, Hannam University, S. Korea (1998); M.S., microbiology, Yonsei University, South Korea (2000); Ph.D., microbial pathogenesis, Duke University (2008).
Last book read: “How to...” books by Dale Carnegie; “Bacterial Pathogenesis” by B. Wilson et al.
In her own time: "Enjoy spending time with my little ones"

Karthik Sridharan, assistant professor, computer science
College: Computing and Information Science
Academic focus: Machine learning, statistical learning theory, online/sequential prediction and decision-making, optimization.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral research scholar, statistics, University of Pennsylvania, 2011-14.
Academic background: B.E., computer science and engineering, M.S., Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bangalore, India (2004); M.S., computer science, SUNY Buffalo (2006); Ph.D., computer science, Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago (2011).
Last book read: “The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan” by Robert Kanigel.
In his own time: Swims, bikes, climbs, skis, plays the flute (Indian classical style).

Nicolas Templier, assistant professor, mathematics
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Number theory, special functions, mathematical physics, Langlands program.
Previous positions: Assistant professor, mathematics, Princeton University, 2010-14; member, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, 2008-10.
Academic background: B.Sc., mathematics and physics, Ecole Normale Superieure, (2004); Ph.D., mathematics, Montpellier University (2008).
Last book read: “The Complete Book of Home Inspection” by Norman Becker.
In his own time: “Enjoying time with my wife and kids, cooking, technology, classics and modern literature, music.”

Brian VanderVen, assistant professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology.
College: Veterinary Medicine
Academic focus: Bacteriology, focusing on characterizing the metabolism pathways that intracellular pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis requires during infection. The findings from this basic research are applied toward the discovery of new drugs that inhibit these same pathways, which may potentially be used to treat human tuberculosis.
Previous positions: Research scientist, Cornell, 2008-14.
Academic background: B.S., microbiology, Montana State University (1999); Ph.D., microbiology, Colorado State University (2005).
Last book read: “The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer” by Siddhartha Mukherjee.
In his own time: “Hiking in the area, running, and tinkering in the garage.”

Steven Ward, assistant professor, government
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: The grand strategies of rising powers, and, in particular, the relationship between international social status and satisfaction with the status quo; also international relations theory, international security, explanations for war between states and alliance politics.
Previous positions: Visiting assistant professor of government, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar, 2012-14.
Academic Background: B.A., international relations and Spanish, Tufts University (2006); M.A., security studies (2008) and Ph.D., government (2012), both at Georgetown University.
Last book read: “A Mad Catastrophe: World War I and the Collapse of the Habsburg Empire” by Geoffrey Wawro.
In his own time: “I enjoy cooking, traveling and am an avid fan of San Francisco Bay Area sports teams (especially the Sharks, As, and 49ers).”

Christopher Wildeman, associate professor, policy analysis and management
College: Human Ecology
Academic focus: Child welfare; children with incarcerated parents; demography.
Previous positions: Associate professor of sociology, Yale University, 2010-14; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society Scholar, University of Michigan, 2008-10.
Academic background: B.A., philosophy, sociology and Spanish, Dickinson College (2002); M.A., sociology and demography, Princeton University (2006); Ph.D., sociology and demography, Princeton University (2008).
Last book read: “On the Run” by Alice Goffman.
In his own time: “Playing soccer and hanging out with my wife and two kids.”

Amy L. Williams, assistant professor, biological statistics and computational biology
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academic focus: Computational methods and analyses of large scale genetic data to enable and learn about human genetic history, evolution and the genetic basis of human disease.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral research fellow, biological sciences, Columbia University, 2013-14; postdoctoral research fellow, genetics, Harvard Medical School, 2009-13.
Academic background: B.S., computer science, and B.S., mathematics, both at University of Utah (2003); S.M., electrical engineering and computer science (2005), and Ph.D., computer science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2010).
Last book read: “The Quantum Story: A History in 40 Moments” by Jim Baggott.
In her own time: Cycling, hiking, reading on diverse topics in science and religion, community service.

Kristina M. Workman, assistant professor, management and organizational behavior
College: School of Hotel Administration
Academic focus: Prosocial behavior, behavioral ethics, compassion and sharing and responding to news at work. More generally, everyday interactions that do, or do not, foster acknowledgement, respect and support in the workplace.
Academic background: B.B.A., management and psychology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst (2005); Ph.D., management and organizations, University of Michigan (2014).
Last book read: “This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women” by Jay Allison.
In her own time: "Dancing, cooking and baking, crocheting, and being by the water.”

Malte Ziewitz, assistant professor, science and technology studies
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Science and technology studies; governance and accountability relations; sociology of evaluation; ethnography; ethnomethodology.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral research fellow, Department of Media, Culture and Communication, New York University, 2012-14.
Academic background: Law, University of Hamburg (2003); MPA, public policy, Harvard Kennedy School, (2006); D.Phil., science and technology studies, University of Oxford (2012).
Last book read: "How to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC," by Paul Edwards.
In his own time: Running, cooking, community organizing.