Scholar Spotlight

Scholar Spotlight: Mojca Kuplen

“I explore various ways that art engages our minds and, thereby, fosters self-understanding and empathy for others.” Mojca KuplenTeaching Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Philosophy My research reflects overlapping interests in the philosophy of art, contemporary aesthetics, epistemology, and the philosophy of mind. I am interested in how and why we come to appreciate artistic (and aesthetic)…
Scholar Spotlight: Anna Marshall

“As a fluvial geomorphologist I study how rivers shape the landscape and how people, in turn, shape rivers.” Anna MarshallAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Geography and Sustainability My research explores physical processes that sustain ecosystem functions in rivers and what it means for rivers when those processes are lost due to legacies of human activity. I identify…
Scholar Spotlight: Florence Dery

“I study how things like where people live, work, and go to school affect health. My goal is to understand the social conditions or non-medical factors that cause unfair differences in health.” Florence DeryAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Africana Studies There is a growing recognition that health inequities are not just biological or behavioral but deeply rooted…
Scholar Spotlight: Chuck Price

“I use physics to study how natural selection shapes the geometry of plants, in particular branching patterns in trees, and how communities of trees fit together.” Chuck PriceResearch Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) Using physical models based on idealized fluid distribution networks, I study how natural selection has shaped the geometry of…
Scholar Spotlight: Bucky Miller

“I make weird pictures of real things and real pictures of weird things. Hopefully you can’t tell the difference.” Bucky MillerAssistant ProfessorSchool of Art I photograph to stir up ideas that exist outside language, so I typically can’t know where I’m going until I get there. No matter what medium I investigate, I maintain my fascination…
Scholar Spotlight: Kristen Martino

“As a scenic designer for theatre, I create the physical world the audience experiences on stage. I approach each script like a detective, uncovering clues about its locations, atmosphere, and story. Through research, sketches, 3D models, and technical drafting, I transform those discoveries into storytelling environments.” Kristen MartinoAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Theatre Collaborating with directors and…
Scholar Spotlight: Ziying (Nancy) Lei

“I study tiny particles in the air—like pollen and wildfire smoke—that are invisible to the eye but have a big influence on clouds, climate, and public health.” Ziying (Nancy) LeiAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Chemistry My research focuses on advancing our understanding of the physical and chemical properties of atmospheric aerosol particles and how their transformations influence…
Scholar Spotlight: Vivian Swayne

“I study policing, culture, housing insecurity, race, gender, and sexuality.” Vivian SwayneTeaching Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Sociology I am particularly interested in how various forms of communication, from the visual arts to social media, reinforce and challenge the dominant social order. Damaging misinformation and myths about marginalized groups circulate as factual, and my work interrogates the…
Scholar Spotlight: Leonardo Gentil Fernandes

“I study organizations that use violence to achieve political goals. I am primarily interested in how these groups, which are not governments, cooperate with each other and how they sometimes act like governments.” Leonardo Gentil FernandesAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Political Science I use computational and statistical approaches to unearth generalizable patterns of behaviors among armed non-state…
Scholar Spotlight: Anner Paldor

“I use computer models to predict the hidden underground flow of water, especially in terms of how it interacts with rivers, lakes, and the ocean.” Anner PaldorAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences My research seeks to elucidate the dynamics of groundwater interactions with surface water bodies, and to better predict how these dynamics…