Steven Adie, assistant professor of biomedical engineering
College: Engineering
Academic focus: Optical coherence tomography for basic science and clinical applications, optical coherence elastography for imaging the mechanical properties of tissue, computational image formation for 3-D tomography, cancer mechanics.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral research associate, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007-13; research engineer, Q-Vis Ltd. (subsequently acquired by CustomVis Ltd.), 1999-2001; research assistant, Lions Eye Institute, 1998-99.
Academic background: B.Sc., chemical physics, The University of Western Australia, 1997; Ph.D., electrical and electronic engineering, The University of Western Australia, 2007.
Last book read: “Inferno” by Dan Brown.
In his own time: Hiking, camping, spending time outdoors, playing music (guitar or bass).

Nick Admussen, assistant professor of modern Chinese literature, Asian studies
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Contemporary prose poetry; contemporary free verse; short fiction; classical-modern recitations; translation.
Previous positions: Assistant professor of Chinese and East Asian studies, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, Widener University, 2012-13.
Academic background: B.A., Chinese and English, Washington University in St. Louis, 2001; M.F.A., poetry writing, Washington University in St. Louis, 2004; Ph.D., East Asian studies, Princeton University, 2012.
Last book read: "Obedient Autonomy: Chinese Intellectuals and the Achievement of Orderly Life” by Erika E. S. Evasdottir and “The Tombs of Atuan” by Ursula K. LeGuin.
In his own time: Twitter (@nadmussen), blogs, contemporary American poetry, daily dog walk.

Marcelo Aguiar, professor, mathematics
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Algebraic combinatorics, category theory, non-commutative algebra.
Previous positions: Professor, 2008-13; associate professor, 2005–08; assistant professor, 2001-05; all in mathematics, Texas A&M University.
Academic background: Licenciatura, mathematics, Universidad de la Republica, Uruguay, 1991; Ph.D., mathematics, Cornell, 1997.
Last book read: “Greek mythology” by Marilena Carabatea.
In his own time: Playing soccer, hiking, enjoying Ithaca.

Christopher A. Alabi, assistant professor, chemical and biomolecular engineering
College: Engineering
Academic focus: Facilitate development and translation of therapeutic nanoparticles by elucidating the underlying principles that dictate their macromolecular interactions and transport in complex biological environments.
Previous position: National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009-13.
Academic background: B.S., chemistry, New York University, 2004; B.E., chemical engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology, 2004; Ph.D., chemistry, California Institute of Technology, 2009.
Last book read: “U is for Undertow” by Sue Grafton.
In his own time: "Watching politics, playing soccer and spending time with my family."

Steven Elias Alvarado, assistant professor, sociology
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Social stratification and inequality, sociology of education, health, immigration, quantitative methods.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral fellow, Center for Research on Educational Opportunity, Department of Sociology, University of Notre Dame, 2011-13.
Academic background: B.A., sociology, University of California, Berkeley, 2004; M.S., sociology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 2006; Ph.D., sociology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 2011.
Last book read: "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin.
In his own time: Hiking and riding his bike.

Adam Anderson, associate professor, human development
College: Human Ecology
Academic focus: Affective psychology and neuroscience.
Previous positions: Associate professor, psychology, University of Toronto, 2009-13; research associate, Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Center, 2004-13; assistant professor, psychology, University of Toronto, 2003-09.
Academic background: B.A., cognitive science, Vassar College, 1991; Ph.D., experimental psychology, Yale University, 2000.
Last book read: “The Beak of the Finch” by Jonathan Weiner.
In his own time: Listing to music, classical guitar, painting and home renovations.

Catherine M. Appert, assistant professor, music
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Senegalese urban music cultures, global hip hop, African music, postcolonial studies, urban ethnography, feminist and gender studies.
Previous positions: Lecturer, McIntire Department of Music, University of Virginia, 2012-13.
Academic background: B.M., Piano performance, Rutgers University, 2005;M.A., ethnomusicology, University of California, Los Angeles, 2007; Ph.D., ethnomusicology, University of California, Los Angeles, 2012.
Last book read: “The City of Women” by Ruth Landes.
In her own time: Dancing, making and listening to music, hiking, yoga, cooking.

Toby Ault, assistant professor, earth and atmospheric sciences
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academic focus: Advancing the science that will allow us to anticipate future climate hazards using observational data, numerical simulations and statistical models.
Previous position: Postdoctoral research fellow, Advanced Studies Program, National Center for Atmospheric Research, 2011-13.
Academic background: B.S., mathematics, University of Puget Sound, 2006; M.S., geosciences, University of Arizona, 2006; Ph.D., geosciences, University of Arizona 2011.
Last book read: “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” by Haruki Murakami.
In his own time: “Being outside with the family, cooking and drinking espresso.”

Andrea Bachner, assistant professor, comparative literature
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Comparative literature, critical theory, modern and contemporary Sinophone and Latin American literary and cultural studies, media theory, queer theory and sexuality studies.
Previous positions: Assistant professor, comparative literature and Asian studies, Pennsylvania State University, 2010-13; postdoctoral fellow, Humanities Forum, University of Pennsylvania, 2010-11; assistant professor, comparative and world literature, Ohio State University, 2008-10; postdoctoral fellow, comparative literature, Stanford University, 2007-08.
Academic background: M.A., comparative literature, English literature, French literature, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München, Germany, 2000; A.M., comparative literature, Harvard University, 2003; Ph.D., comparative literature, Harvard University, 2007.
Last book read: "La ressemblance par contact" by Georges Didi-Huberman.
In her own time: Designing knitwear, reading fantasy novels, cooking, long walks.

Matt Backus, assistant professor, economics
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Auctions, bargaining, competition, dynamic games.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral fellow, eBay Research Labs, 2012-13.
Academic background: B.A., economics and philosophy, American University, 2003; M.A., economics, University of Toronto, 2006; Ph.D., economics, University of Michigan, 2012.
Last book read: “Cosmicomics" by Italo Calvino.
In his own time:  Surfing, hiking, dogs, travel, cooking, wine, reading.

Panle Jia Barwick, associate professor, economics
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Firm entry, dynamic models, retail.
Previous positions: Associate professor, 2011-13; assistant professor, 2006-11; both in economics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Academic background: B.A., economics, Fudan University, 1997; M.A., economics, Tufts University, 1999; Ph.D., economics, Yale University, 2006.
Last book read: “Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way To Fight Global Poverty” by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo.
In her own time: “Enjoying time with my husband and newborn son, visiting museums, listening to music and hiking."

Jonathan Boyarin, Mann Professor of Modern Jewish Studies, anthropology
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Jewish ethnography, comparative diasporas, critical theory, politics of identity.
Previous positions: Kaplan Professor of Modern Jewish Thought, University of North Carolina, 2007-13; Beren Professor of Modern Jewish Studies, University of Kansas, 2005-07.
Academic background:  B.A., anthropology, Reed College, 1977; M.A., anthropology, New School, 1980; Ph.D., anthropology, New School for Social Research, 1984.
 Last book read: “Our Mutual Friend” by Charles Dickens.
In his own time: Walking in and around New York City, studying rabbinic texts on the Lower East Side.

Thomas J. Campanella, associate professor, Department of City and Regional Planning
College: Architecture, Art, and Planning
Academic focus: Urban design and the historical development of the built environment.
Previous positions: Professor, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Academic background: B.S., SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1986; M.L.A., Cornell University, 1991; Ph.D., urban planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1999.
Last book read: “The Book of Ruth” by Jane Hamilton.
In his own time: Writing, exploring urban infrastructure, vegetable gardening.

Joshua Chappie, assistant professor and Nancy and Peter Meinig Family Investigator in the Life Sciences, Department of Molecular Medicine
College: Veterinary Medicine
Academic focus: Uses a combination of structural biology, biochemistry and cell biology to dissect how bacterial proteins targeting modified DNA function as defense systems against bacterial-specific viruses. Understanding these defense systems will help in the development of new therapeutic strategies for treating highly virulent strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral fellow, Dyda Lab, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 2009-2013.
Academic background: B.S., M.S., biochemistry, Brandeis University, 2003.
PhD, Biophysics, The Scripps Research Institute, 2009.
Last book read: “Doughnut” by Tom Holt.
In his own time: Cooking, playing and listening to music and watching cartoons.

Matthew Clayton, associate professor of finance
College: Hotel Administration
Academic focus: Corporate finance, specifically the relationship between financial decisions, investment decisions and product market decisions. I also examine the information content of corporate decisions.
Previous positions: Associate professor of finance, Indiana University Kelley School of Business, 2009-13; assistant professor of finance, University of Virginia, 2006-09; assistant professor of finance, Rutgers University, 2002-06; visiting assistant professor of finance, University of Southern California, 2001-02; assistant professor of finance, New York University, 1996-2001.
Academic background: Ph.D., finance, Northwestern University, 1996; M.S., finance, Northwestern University 1995; B.A., mathematics and economics, Carleton College, 1991.
Last book read: “Santa Fe Rules” by Stuart Woods.
In his own time: Traveling.

Brian Davis, assistant professor of the built environment, Landscape Architecture
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academic focus: Latin American urbanism, the relationship between landscape-making and technology.
Academic background: BLA, North Carolina State University, 2004; MLA, University of Virginia, 2012.
Previous positions: Urban designer, Arquitectura + Paisaje, Buenos Aires, Argentina (2005-07); Thomas Balsley Associates, New York City (2007-10); lecturer at Cornell (2012-13).
Last book read: "Guerrilla Metaphysics" by Graham Harman.
In his own time: Chopping wood, cycling.

Eve De Rosa, associate professor, human development
College: Human Ecology
Academic focus: Comparative cognitive neuroscience.
Previous positions: Associate professor, psychology, University of Toronto, 2009-13; visiting scientist, Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, 2011; assistant professor, psychology, University of Toronto, 2003-09.
Academic background: B.A., biology-psychology, Vassar College, 1991; Ph.D., experimental psychology, Harvard University, 2000.
Last book read: “The Corrections” by Jonathan Franzen.
In her own time: “I am a mother to two wonderful children and attend dance classes.”

Miloje Despic, assistant professor, linguistics
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Syntax, morphology, semantics, language and gender, sociolinguistics.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Linguistics/Society for the Humanities, Cornell, 2011-13.
Academic background: B.A., Turkish language and literature, University of Belgrade, Serbia, 2002; M.A., linguistics-Turkish language teaching, Ankara University, Turkey, 2005; Ph.D., linguistics, University of Connecticut, 2011.
Last book read: “The Name of the Rose” by Umberto Eco.
In his own time: Reading, traveling, hiking, international cinema.

Arnika Fuhrmann, assistant professor, Southeast Asian studies
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Thai literary and visual cultures, Southeast Asian cinemas, Southeast Asian Buddhism, queer and transidentitarian communities and politics in Asia and the diaspora, Buddhist-Muslim coexistence, the politics of sexual regulation, public affect, trauma theory.
Previous positions: Society of Scholars in the Humanities Research Scholar, University of Hong Kong, 2010-12; research fellow, Berlin Institute for Cultural Inquiry, 2009-10.
Academic background: M.A., languages and cultures of the Southeast Asian mainland, 2006; Ph.D., South Asian languages and civilizations, 2008; both at the University of Hamburg (Germany).
Last book read: "Zero History" by William Gibson.
In her own time: Traveling, friends, family, organizing.

Michael Gore, associate professor, molecular breeding and genetics for nutritional quality, Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academic focus: Quantitative genetics and genomics in plants, with a focus on studying the genetic basis of plant-synthesized compounds that are essential in plant-based food and feed; development and application of high-throughput phenotyping tools for plant breeding and genetics research.
Previous positions: Research geneticist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center, Maricopa, Ariz., 2009-13.
Academic background: B.S., 1997, and M.S., 2000, crop and soil environmental sciences, Virginia Tech; Ph.D., plant breeding, Cornell, 2009.
Last book read: “The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals” by Michael Pollan.
In his own time: "Spending time with family and enjoying Ithaca.”

Damian E. Helbling, assistant professor, civil and environmental engineering
College: Engineering
Academic Focus: Water quality as it relates to human and ecosystem health; urban water cycle engineering with a focus on sustainability.
Previous Positions: Postdoctoral researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology.
Academic background: B.S., civil engineering, 1997, Pennsylvania State University; M.S., civil and environmental engineering, 2005, and Ph.D., civil and environmental engineering, 2008, both at Carnegie Mellon University.
Last book read: “The Path between the Seas” by David McCullough; “Boy Meets Girl, the End” by Gregory Tkac.
In his own time: Summiting mountains, cycling, brewing and tasting craft beers, bass and banjo.

Tatiana Homonoff, assistant professor, Department of Policy Analysis and Management
College: Human Ecology
Academic focus: behavioral economics, public finance.
Previous positions: Research analyst, MDRC, 2006-08; research analyst, Analysis Group, 2004-06.
Academic background: B.S., applied mathematics and economics, Brown University, 2004; M.A., 2010, and Ph.D., 2013, economics, Princeton University.
Last book read: “The Nine” by Jeffrey Toobin.
In her own time: Watching reality television.

Heather Jay Huson, assistant professor of dairy cattle genetics, Department of Animal Science
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academic focus: My research uses genomic tools to identify population structure and relatedness to production, adaption and disease in animals. I focus on dairy cattle production and improvement through identification of genetic markers influencing traits and those markers’ potential as diagnostic tools for herd management.
Previous positions: Research animal geneticist in the Bovine Functional Genomics Laboratory of the Agricultural Research Services of the USDA, Beltsville, Md., 2011-13; graduate fellow, National Human Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health, 2008-11.
Academic background: A.S. math and science, Jefferson Community College, 1995; B.S., animal sciences, Cornell University, 1997; Ph.D., molecular genetics, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, 2011.
Last book read: “Dead Ever After” by Charlaine Harris.
In her own time: “Keeping up with my young kids, working with dogs, reading a good book and enjoying the outdoors.”

Robert Isaacs, the Priscilla E. Browning Director of Choral Music and assistant professor, music
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Choral rehearsal approaches, vocal technique, eartraining/sightsinging pedagogy, performance practice.
Previous positions: Guest musical director, National Youth Choir of Great Britain, 2012-2013; director of choral activities, Princeton University, 2009-10; director of choral activities, Manhattan School of Music, 2000-08.
Academic background: A.B., choral music, Harvard University, 1992; MFA in Creative Writing, Columbia University, 2002
Last book read: “We Learn Nothing” by Tim Kreider.
In his own time: Family time, amateurish gardening, reading, writing, arithmetic.

Malte Jung, assistant professor, information science
College: Computing and Information Science
Academic focus: Study intersections of teamwork, technology and emotion; develop basic understanding of technology-supported teamwork; design technology to support teamwork across a wide range of settings.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral associate, Center for Work, Technology and Organization at Stanford University, 2011-13.
Academic background: Diploma, mechanical engineering, Technical University, Munich, 2004; M.S., mechanical engineering, Stanford University, 2006; Ph.D., mechanical engineering, psychology minor, Stanford University, 2011.
Last book read: “Die Blendung” by Elias Canetti.
In his own time: Photography, movies, listening to vinyl records.

Katie Kelly, assistant professor, biomedical sciences
College: Veterinary Medicine
Academic focus: Studies the effect of inflammatory mediators on cardiac function and developing cardioprotective strategies to preserve cardiac function with chronic disease.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral fellow, Johns Hopkins 2012-13; field veterinarian, Maryland Department of Agriculture, 2005-07; associate veterinarian, Fullerton Animal Hospital, Baltimore, 2003-06.
Academic background: B.S., biology, Towson University Biology, 1999; D.V.M., North Carolina State University Veterinary Medicine, 2003; resident, comparative pathology, Johns Hopkins University 2011; Ph.D., pathobiology, Johns Hopkins University, 2012.
Last book read: “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail” by Cheryl Strayed.
In her own time: “Cooking, eating and hiking with my mutt, Arthur.”

Katie Keranen, assistant professor, seismology and geophysics, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
College: Engineering
Academic focus: Earthquakes and earthquake hazards; anthropogenically induced seismicity; growth, evolution and deformation of continents; continental extension and geothermal resources.
Previous positions: Assistant professor, geology and geophysics, University of Oklahoma, 2009-13; U.S. Geological Survey, Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellowship; 2008-09; geophysicist, ExxonMobil Exploration Co., 2004-06.
Academic Background: B.S., applied geophysics, Michigan Technological University, 2001; Ph.D. and M.S., both in geophysics, 2008 and 2004, respectively, Stanford University;
Last book read: “God's Middle Finger: Into the Lawless Heart of the Sierra Madre” by Richard Grant.
In her own time: Hiking, camping, reading, running, sports.

Hyuncheol Bryant Kim, assistant professor of policy analysis and management
College: Human Ecology
Academic focus: Health economics, development economics.
Previous positions: Adjunct professor, Myungsung Medical College, Ethiopia, 2012-13; public health officer, Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea, 2005-07.
Academic background: M.D. (2002) and M.A., economics (2005), Yonsei University, South Korea; M.P.H., health care management and policy, Seoul National University, South Korea, 2007; M.Phil., economics, Columbia University, 2010; Ph.D., economics, Columbia University, 2013.
Last book read: “Poor Economics” by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo.
In his own time: Travel.

Oneka LaBennett, associate professor, Africana Studies and Research Center
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: African-American culture, Caribbean migration, racial, ethnic and gender identity formation, and youth culture. Racial formation, Caribbean immigrant girls in Brooklyn, N.Y., women’s notions of African diasporic belonging.
Previous positions: director, American Studies Program, Fordham University, 2013; associate professor of African and African American Studies, Fordham University, 2012-13; research director, Bronx African American History Project, Fordham University, 2008-13; assistant professor of African and African American Studies, Fordham University, 2007-12; assistant professor of anthropology, College of the Holy Cross, 2002-06.
Academic background:  B.A., anthropology and sociology, Wesleyan University, 1994; Ph.D., social anthropology, Harvard University, 2002.
Last book read: “Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston” by Valerie Boyd.
In her own time: “I enjoy spending time outside with my husband and my dog, Bagel. I also enjoy biking, yoga and Afro-Caribbean dance. Twitter: @OnekaLaBennett.”

Kathryn LaTour, associate professor of services marketing
College: Hotel Administration
Academic focus: Consumer psychology research on learning, memory and expertise. Wine and gambling marketing focus.
Previous positions: Visiting professor of services marketing, Cornell School of Hotel Administration, 2012-13; associate and assistant professor of hospitality marketing, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 2004-08; adjunct faculty member, Auburn University, 1999, 2001-02, 2003-04; visiting scholar and research associate, Mind of the Market Lab, Harvard Business School, 1997-2001; visiting assistant professor, University of Iowa, 1997-98.
Academic background: B.S., broadcast production management, University of Colorado, Boulder, 1989; M.S., broadcast administration, Boston University, 1991; Ph.D., marketing, University of Iowa, 1997.
Last book read: “Seasons of a Finger Lakes Winery” by John Hartsock.
In her own time: “Dog walking, yoga, cooking with family (and of course wine).”

Sergiy Libert, assistant professor, cell and molecular biology
College: Veterinary Medicine
Academic focus: The molecular biology of aging. Advanced age is the biggest risk factor for numerous diseases and disorders, and understanding of the basic molecular processes that accompany aging will allow the development of interventions capable of ameliorating age-associated diseases and extending the healthy portion of human life spans.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral fellow, biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007-13.
Academic background: B.S., physics, Kiev-Mohyla Academy, 2001; M.S., physics, Clarkson University, 2003; Ph.D., cell and molecular biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Davis, 2007.
Last book read: “Cat's Cradle” by Kurt Vonnegut.
In his own time: Swimming and motorcycles.

Andrew Little, assistant professor, government
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Authoritarian politics, game theory.
Previous positions: Teaching assistant, New York University, 2010-12.
Academic background: B.A., mathematics and international relations, Carleton College, 2006; Ph.D., politics, New York University, 2013.
Last book read: "The Last Samurai" by Helen DeWitt.
In his own time: "Biking, preferably while traveling through mountains."

Minglin Ma, assistant professor, biological and environmental engineering
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academic focus: Compartmentalized micro-tissues for drug screening and drug resistance studies; immuno-invisible surfaces for medical implants; cell therapies for type 1 diabetes and other diseases.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral research, Koch Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Children's Hospital Boston, 2009-13; lead scientist, General Electric Global Research, 2008-09.
Academic background: B.S., chemical engineering, Tsinghua University, 2003; Ph.D., chemical engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2008.
Last book read: “The Magic of Reality” by Richard Dawkins.
In his own time: "Enjoying time with kids, soccer and swimming."

Alejandro L. Madrid, associate professor of ethnomusicology, music
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Latin American music and sound culture from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries; circum-Caribbean musical flows; U.S-Mexico border culture; popular music; dance and embodied culture; musical modernisms; masculinities; performativity; transnational and postnational approaches to history and ethnography.
Previous positions: Associate professor, Latin American and Latino Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2009-13; assistant professor, Latin American and Latino Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2006-09; visiting scholar, Teresa Lozano Long Institute for Latin American Studies, University of Texas, 2004-06; visiting lecturer, music, Northwestern University, 2003-04.
Academic background: B.M., guitar performance, The Boston Conservatory, 1992; M.F.A., guitar performance, State University of New York at Purchase, 1995; M.M., musicology, University of North Texas, 1999; Ph.D., musicology and comparative cultural studies, Ohio State University, 2003.
Last book read: "México se escribe con j" ed. by Michael K. Schuessler and Miguel Capistrán.
In his own time: “Jogging, tracking down unknown good movies, playing guitar and violin duos with my wife, learning about new soups, traveling.”

Drew Margolin, assistant professor, communication and technology, Department of Communication
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academic focus: Understanding communities, organizations and institutions through their macro-behavior, particularly the evolution of social networks and the use of communication technology, with an emphasis on responses to novel, unpredictable or uncertain circumstances such as unexpected discoveries, announcements or emergencies.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral research associate, Faculty of Computing and Information Science, Cornell University, 2012-13.
Academic background: B.A., economics, Yale University, 1996; M.A. (2009) and Ph.D. (2012) in communication, University of Southern California.
Last book read: "World in the Balance: The Historic Quest for an Absolute System of Measurement" by Robert Crease.
In his own time: Watching Yankees, Giants and Knicks games.

Kate Manne, assistant professor, philosophy
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Moral philosophy.
Previous positions: Junior fellow, Harvard Society of Fellows, 2011-13.
Academic background: B.A., philosophy, University of Melbourne, 2005; Ph.D., philosophy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011.
Last book read: "Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy" by Bernard Williams.
In her own time: “Cooking and listening to NPR with my husband, and playing with our corgi and two cats.”

Aleksandr Mergold, assistant professor, Department of Architecture
College: Architecture, Art and Planning
Academic focus: Research “design-and-adapt” approach that aims to invent meaningful ways to use the already-tapped resources of the widely available, cheap, disposable elements in today's designed environment.
Previous positions: Lecturer, College of Human Ecology, Cornell University, 2012-13; visiting assistant professor of architecture, AAP, 2008–12; adjunct professor, Parsons New School for Design, 2006–07.
Academic background: B.Arch., Cornell University, 2000; M.Arch., Princeton University, 2003.
Last book read: “Saul Steinberg: A Biography” by Deirdre Bair.
In his own time: “Running design practice with Jason Austin '00 (www.austin-mergold.com); traveling near and far in search of transcendental experiences: spatial, atmospheric, culinary; always doodling.”

Jamila Michener, assistant professor, government
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Poverty and inequality, race and ethnic politics, social policy, political participation, urban politics, health policy and politics.
Previous positions: Robert Wood Johnson Scholar in Health Policy, Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan, 2011-13.
Academic background: A.B., politics, Princeton University, 2003; M.A., political science, University of Chicago, 2006; Ph.D., political science, University of Chicago, 2011.
Last book read: “Stuck in Place: Urban Neighborhoods and the End of Progress Toward Racial Equality” by Patrick Sharkey
In her own time: “Hanging out with my husband and our two amazing little boys.”

Andrew Miller, assistant professor of pathology, biomedical sciences
College: Veterinary Medicine
Academic focus: Studying the mechanisms underlying neurologic disease in companion animals utilizing both spontaneously arising disease models and experimental models in a variety of laboratory animal species.
Previous positions: Assistant professor, pathology, 2013; instructor, pathology, 2010-13; research associate, 2008-10; all at the New England Primate Research Center, Harvard Medical School.
Academic background: B.S. animal science, Cornell, 2001; D.V.M., Cornell, 2005.
Last book read: “Life Everlasting: The Animal Way of Death” by Bernd Heinrich.
In his own time: Hiking, gardening, antique furniture restoration, bird watching and biking

David Mimno, assistant professor, information science
College: Computing and Information Science
Academic focus: Machine learning, natural language processing, text mining, topic models.
Previous positions: CRA Computing Innovation Fellow, Princeton University, 2011-13; senior research assistant, Department of Computer Science, Princeton University, 2010-11; research assistant, Department of Computer Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 2005-10; head programmer, Perseus Project, Tufts University, 2002-05.
Academic background: B.A., classics and computer science, Swarthmore College, 1999; M.S. (2009), Ph.D. (2012), computer science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Last book read: “Blue at the Mizzen” by Patrick O'Brian.
In his own time: “Cooking, crosswords, spending time with my wife and our two sons.”

Jennifer Minner, assistant professor of city and regional planning
College: Architecture, Art and Planning
Academic focus: Land-use planning and historic preservation; sustainability and regeneration of the urban fabric; participatory and analytical geographic information systems; reinvestment and retrofitting in aging urban fabric (e.g., industrial districts and former world’s fair sites).
Previous positions: Interim project manager for the Sustainable Places Project, 2012-13; project manager for Austin Historical Survey Wiki, 2008-12; instructor on land use planning and GIS labs, 2009-10, 2012; president and founding board member of MidTexMod, 2009-13; all at the University of Texas, Austin. Chair, 2006-08, and heritage commissioner, 2004-08, Olympia (Wash.) Heritage Commission; research associate, The Evergreen State College, 2002-08; assistant planner, Lane Council of Governments (Eugene, Ore.), 2000-02.
Academic background: B.A., anthropology, University of Washington, 1995; M.U.R.P., Portland State University (2000); Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin (2013).
Last book read: “Regional Planning in America: Practice and Prospect,” edited by Ethan Seltzer and Armando Carbonell.
In her own time: “Going on long walks; boating; observing cities; listening to my daughter's brilliant urban design ideas; organizing architectural and history tours; volunteer citizen science that involves teaching kids how to use GPS and helping them realize their innate enthusiasm for nature and potential to be good stewards.”

Nozomi Nishimura, assistant professor of biomedical engineering
College: Engineering

Academic focus: How different cell types interact with each other in diseases. In almost every disease or injury, there is a "dance" of cells originating from many different organs that can influence the course of the disease. Goal of the research is to unravel the dynamics of these interactions with new imaging tools.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral researcher, biomedical engineering, Cornell University, 2012.
Academic background: B.S., physics, Harvard College, 1999; Ph.D., physics, University of California, San Diego, 2006.
Last book read: "Cornell New Student Reading Project (of course): 'When the Emperor was Divine' by Julie Otsuka.
"
In her own time: Outdoors with her dogs.

Alexander Ophir, assistant professor, psychology
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Integrative behavioral neuroscience; social behavior, individual variation in genes, brain and behavior; mating decisions and alternative reproductive tactics; parental care and social attachment; social and spatial memory.
Previous positions: Assistant professor, Department of Zoology, Oklahoma State University, 2009-13; adjunct lecturer, Department of Zoology, University of Florida, 2007-08; postdoctoral associate, Department of Zoology, University of Florida, 2004-07.
Academic background: B.A., psychology and anthropology, University of Texas, Austin, 1998; Ph.D., animal behavior, McMaster University, 2004.
Last book read: "Under Heaven" by Guy Gavriel Kay.
In his own time: Travel, cooking, playing/listening to music, spending time with family.

Prabhu Pingali, professor and director of the Tata-Cornell Agriculture and Nutrition Initiative, Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academic focus: Food policy, technological change, productivity growth, environmental externalities and resource management in developing world agriculture. 
Previous positions: Deputy director, agriculture development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2008-13; director, Agriculture and Development, Economics Division, FAO, Rome, 2002-08; director, Economics Program, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Mexico, 1996-2002; program leader and agricultural economist, International Rice Research Institute, Philippines; 1987-96; visiting scholar, Food Research Institute, Stanford University, 1994; affiliate professor, University of the Philippines, 1987-96; and economist (consultant), Agriculture and Rural Development Department, World Bank, Washington, D.C., 1982-87.
Academic background: M.A., economics, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Rajasthan, India, 1977; Ph.D., economics (minor in statistics), North Carolina State University, 1982.
Last book read: “One Billion Hungry – Can We Feed the World” by Gordon Conway
In his own time: Discovering new restaurants and new cuisines.

William Schmidt, assistant professor, operations management
College: Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management
Academic focus: How firm operational decisions influence and are influenced by firm value and risk; focus both on understanding the factors that moderate these relationships and on identifying strategies that firms may adopt to better manage them.
Academic background: B.S., aerospace engineering, University of Florida, 1993; MBA, University of Florida, 1995; Ph.D., technology and operations management, Harvard Business School, 2013.
Last book read: "Whatever You Do, Don't Run" by Peter Allison.
In his own time: "Spending time with my family ... we love traveling and camping."

J.P. Sniadecki, assistant professor, performing and media arts
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Film and media production, film theory and history, sensory ethnography, anthropology, modern China and Chinese independent documentary film.
Previous positions: Film Study Center Fellow, Harvard University, 2007-13.
Academic background: B.A., philosophy and communications, Grand Valley State University, 2002; M.A., regional studies: East Asia, Harvard University, 2007; Ph.D., media anthropology, Harvard University, 2013.
Last book read: "The Art Instinct" by Denis Dutton.
In his own time: Bicycling, playing music, daydreaming, reading, cooking and memorizing Chinese characters.

Christoph Studer, assistant professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
College: Engineering
Academic focus: Design and implementation of digital integrated circuits and systems for signal processing, imaging and wireless communications; bridging gaps between signal and image processing theory, algorithm development and integrated circuit design.
Previous positions: Research scientist, Rice University, 2013; postdoctoral researcher at Rice University, 2011-12 and ETH Zurich, Switzerland, 2009-11.
Academic background: M.S. (2005) and Ph.D. (2009) in information technology and electrical engineering, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Last book read: “Unter Freunden (und andere Geschichten aus der Business Class)” by Martin Suter.
In his own time: Swimming, skiing, playing synthesizers and computer games.

Khena Swallow, assistant professor, psychology
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Attention over time, multitasking, event perception and memory.
Previous positions: Research associate, Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 2007-13.
Academic background: B.A., psychology and sociology, University of Utah, 1999; M.A., experimental psychology, Washington University, 2003; Ph.D., experimental psychology, Washington University, 2007.
Last book read: “James and the Giant Peach” by Roald Dahl.
In her own time: “Traveling, reading, cooking, and, if I really have time – cycling, running and hiking.”

Olúfémi Táíwò, professor, Africana studies
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Africa and modernity; late transitions to modernity in Africa, Europe and Asia; African political thought; law and philosophy.
Previous positions: Lecturer/senior lecturer, Department of Philosophy, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, 1986-90; Rockefeller postdoctoral research fellow, Africana Studies and Research Center, Cornell University, 1990-91; assistant/associate professor of philosophy, Department of Philosophy, Loyola University, 1991-2001; visiting professor, Institut fur Afrika Studien, Universitat Bayreuth, Germany, 1999; Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Teaching and Research Fellow, Carter G. Woodson Institute for African American and African Studies, University of Virginia, 2000-01; associate professor, philosophy and the university core, Seattle University, 2001-02; professor, Department of Philosophy and Global African Studies Program, director, Global African Studies Program, Seattle University, 2002-12.
Academic background: B.A., history and philosophy (1978) and M.A. (1981), philosophy, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria; M.A. (1982) and Ph.D. (1986), philosophy, University of Toronto, Canada.
Last book read: “The Swerve: How the World Became Modern” by Stephen Greenblatt.
In his own time: Walking, cooking, having good conversations, playing soccer.

Antoine Traisnel, assistant professor, comparative literature
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: American, French and German literature and philosophy; literary theory; animal studies.
Previous positions: Teaching assistant, comparative literature, Brown University, 2011-12; visiting assistant professor, English Department, Université Paris 8, 2008-10.
Academic background: B.A., English literature, culture and linguistics, Université Lille 3, 2001; Agrégation of English, France, 2004; M.A., American literature and film (2005) and Ph.D., American literature (2009), Université Lille 3; Ph.D., comparative literature, Brown University, 2013.
Last book read: “Ciferae: A Bestiary in Five Fingers” by Tom Tyler.
In his own time: Playing squash and other sports, traveling, getting pulled into weird and ambitious domestic projects, watching animal YouTube videos and whittling.

Gerlinde van de Walle, assistant professor of viral pathogenesis, Baker Institute for Animal Health and Department of Microbiology and Immunology
College: Veterinary Medicine
Academic focus: The pathogenesis of alphaherpesviruses and the isolation and characterization of adult stem cells in different companion animals.
Previous positions: Assistant professor, stem cell biology, Ghent University, Belgium, 2010-12; postdoctoral fellow, virology, parasitology and immunology, Ghent University, 2008-11; postdoctoral associate, microbiology and immunology, Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine, 2006-08; postdoctoral researcher, Laboratory for Thrombosis Research, University of Leuven, Belgium, 2003-05.
Academic background: DVM, Ghent University, 1999; Ph.D., veterinary virology, Ghent University, 2003.
Last book read: “The Land of Painted Caves” by Jean M. Auel.
In her own time: “Enjoying nature and cooking, especially verrines and foams.”

Stijn van Osselaer, professor of marketing
College: Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management
Academic focus: Branding and the influences of learning, memory and cognition in consumers’ decisions.
Previous positions: Visiting research scholar, Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado, 2012-13; professor of marketing, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, The Netherlands, 2003-13; visiting professor of marketing, Booth School of Business, University of Chicago, 2005, 2008; visiting professor of marketing, London Business School, 2007; assistant and associate professor of marketing, Booth School of Business, University of Chicago, 1998-2003.
Academic background: Kandidaat in de Psychologie, Catholic University Leuven (Belgium), 1991; Licentiaat in de Psychologie, Catholic University Leuven, 1994; Ph.D., marketing, University of Florida, 1998.
Last book read: “A Colorado History” by Carl Ubbelohde, Maxine Benson and Duane A. Smith, and “Nemesis” by Jo Nesbø.
In his own time: “Enjoying the outdoors with my family, cooking.”

Melissa R. Warden, assistant professor and Miriam M. Salpeter Fellow, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academic focus: Neural circuitry underlying complex cognition and behavior; circuits mediating reward and motivation. Study of these systems with an observational and causal approach, combining monitoring and decoding of neural activity with optical control of genetically and topologically defined circuit elements. Interested in normal circuit function and dysfunction in psychiatric disease models; prefrontal cortex and its communication with neuromodulatory and limbic regions.
Previous positions: Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, 2007-13.
Academic background: A.B., molecular biology, Princeton University, 1996; Ph.D., systems neuroscience, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2006.
Last book read: “The Great Scandinavian Baking Book” by Beatrice Ojakangas.
In her own time: “Hiking (looking forward to exploring upstate New York!), making music, cooking and all things foodie, games.”

Kyle Wickings, assistant professor, soil arthropod ecology and turfgrass entomology, Department of Entomology
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academic focus: Soil arthropod ecology and turfgrass entomology; the role of arthropods in soil organic matter formation; plant-microbe-arthropod interactions; plant residue decomposition; root-feeding arthropods
Previous positions: Postdoctoral associate, University of New Hampshire, 2010-13; postdoctoral associate, Michigan State University, 2008-10.
Academic background: B.S., environmental studies, University of Buffalo, 2002; Ph.D., ecology, University of Georgia, 2007.
Last book read: "The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick's Dogs and Their Tale of Rescue and Redemption" by Jim Gorant.
In his own time: "Fishing; hiking with family; playing music."

Luo Zuo, assistant professor of accounting
College: Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management
Academic focus: Corporate disclosure, capital markets research in accounting and behavioral finance.
Academic background: BBA, accounting and finance, 2005, and M.Phil., finance, 2008, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, School of Business and Management; Ph.D., management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2013.
Last book read: “Fault Lines” by Raghuram G. Rajan.
In his own time: “Enjoying the Finger Lakes, jogging and searching for great restaurants.”

David Zywina, assistant professor, mathematics
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Number theory, arithmetic geometry.
Previous positions: Member, School of Mathematics, Institute for Advanced Study, 2012-13; postdoctoral fellow, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Queen's University, 2011-12; lecturer, Department of Mathematics, University of Pennsylvania, 2008-11.
Academic background: B.Sc., mathematics, McMaster University, 2003; Ph.D., mathematics, University of California, Berkeley, 2008.
Last book read: "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon.
In his own time: Hiking, reading, music.