Fairfield University is excited to announce the arrival of 37 distinguished faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences for the fall 2023 semester. 

Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Richard Greenwald, PhD, expressed his enthusiasm about the new faculty members, "We are thrilled to welcome these talented and diverse scholars to Fairfield University's College of Arts and Sciences,” he said. “Their expertise and passion for teaching will undoubtedly enrich our academic community and enhance the learning experiences of our students. We look forward to the contributions they will make to our University's academic and research endeavors."

In the Department of Biology, four new faculty members have joined. Professor Geoff Church, PhD, with a background in genetics and cancer biology, has transitioned to an assistant professor of the practice as well as serving as the health professions advisor. Professor Patrick Kelley, MD, PhD, is now taking on a visiting assistant professor role, and brings a wealth of experience from his 23 years of service in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. Professor Tina Santiago, MS, an instructor of the practice, specializes in human anatomy and physiology and general biology, and also runs a full-time volunteer animal rescue effort. Professor Paul Riccio, PhD, a tenure-track assistant professor, has expertise in human physiology and cell therapies for type one diabetes, having recently returned from living in Denmark.

The Department of History welcomed Maryam Kamali, PhD, whose area of specialty is the history of the medieval Middle East and Central Asia; Matthew Rowley, PhD, as a visiting assistant professor and whose areas of scholarship include the relationship between religion and warfare, and his work also focuses on race, slavery, law, and how the past is remembered.

In the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Austin Henke, PhD, a visiting assistant professor, specializes in chemical reactions at surfaces and interfaces of materials, connecting to the fundamentals of environmental science and water treatment. Meilin Huang, PhD, an assistant professor of the practice, focuses on bioinorganic chemistry and autocatalytic networks. In January 2024, Boyuan Zhang, PhD, will also join the faculty as an assistant professor of chemistry.

The mathematics department was delighted to on-board six new faculty members: Lisa Naples, PhD,'14, an assistant professor, studies the geometry of sets and metric spaces, and Susan Trolle, PhD, MS’12 a visiting assistant professor, specializes in difference equations and their application to population and evolutionary dynamics. Daniel Van Wyk, PhD, an assistant professor, studies path algebras and C* algebras, bringing his expertise from living on four continents. Also new to the department are Mark Ahrens, DBA, a visiting assistant professor, and Christopher Carbone, MS’19 a visiting instructor, and Neha Hooda, PhD, mathematics' first professor of the practice for Fairfield Bellarmine. Dr. Hooda is also known for her popular YouTube cooking channel.

In the Philosophy Department, Hadley Cooney, PhD, José Luis Fernández, PhD, Ana Laura Funes Maderey, PhD, and Chia Hua Lin, PhD, have joined. Dr. Cooney specializes in early modern philosophy, while Dr. Fernández focuses on the modern German philosophical tradition. Dr. Funes Maderey's research focuses on phenomenology, feminism, and bodily self-awareness in various Indian philosophical schools, and Dr. Lin is a philosopher of science, specializing in how scientists adopt formal models from various disciplines.

The Physics Department welcomed Liam Sharp, PhD, a visiting assistant professor, who specializes in computational biophysics, and Visar Ajeti, PhD, a visiting assistant professor, whose research involves microfabricating structures for use in cancer studies.

In the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Amanda Haber, PhD, Larry Fitzgerald, PhD, Jeanne Peloso, PhD, and Joshua Uhalt, PhD, have joined as faculty members. Dr. Haber, an applied developmental psychologist, studies children's social cognitive development. Dr. Fitzgerald, a psychopharmacologist, explores how medications affect brain mechanisms involved in mental disorders. Dr. Peloso, an applied developmental psychologist, investigates how the education system can foster individuals' full development. Dr. Uhalt, a social psychologist, studies mechanisms behind tolerance and acceptance, particularly towards the LGBTQ community.

The Department of Communication welcomed three new faculty members: David Albright, MSC, a visiting assistant professor with a background in journalism and sports medicine. Dr. Jared Bahir Browsh, PhD, specializing in the representation, history, and political economics of sports, media, and popular culture, and Kristina Ruiz Mesa, PhD, an associate professor and graduate director of the MA in communication program, who has dedicated her free time to animal care and rehabilitation for seals and sea lions.

The English Department brought three new faculty members aboard: Lindsay Ferrara MFA’11, now a visiting assistant professor in the Core Writing program, and D'Arcee Charington Neal, PhD, who obtained a doctorate in rhetoric and disability studies from The Ohio State University. Dr. Neal has been recognized for his work in disability and race storytelling. Also, Upasana Dutta, PhD, whose research centers on postcolonial literature and theory, focusing on contexts of occupation in South Asia. 

The Department of Religious Studies welcomed three new faculty members: Ryan Harper, PhD, Mary Kate Holman, PhD, and Sara Williams, PhD.  Dr. Harper specializes in American religion and the arts, Dr. Holman focuses on questions of justice and inclusion in the Catholic Church, and Dr. Williams studies lived religion in the U.S., including issues such as gentrification in post-industrial urban communities.

In the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, Sean Edgecomb, PhD, Hadi Gharabaghi, PhD, and Prof. Hollie Sutherland, LEED AP, have joined as faculty members. Dr. Edgecomb is an associate professor of theatre and resident director of Theatre Fairfield, specializing in theatre history, performance studies, and LGBTQIA+ performance. Dr. Gharabaghi is a visiting assistant professor of film, television, and media arts, focusing on U.S.-Iran documentary diplomacy during the early Cold War. Prof. Sutherland is now a professor of the practice in the interior design master’s program, emphasizing eco-friendly design solutions.

Finally, following a national search, Don C. Sawyer III, PhD, a visionary academic leader with more than 20 years of higher education experience leading university-community partnerships and diversity and inclusion programs, joined Fairfield University as the new vice president of diversity, inclusion, and belonging, on July 1, 2023. Dr. Sawyer will also be joining the faculty as an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.