New Department Chairs, Full-Time Faculty

Three new department chairs were appointed ahead of the fall semester, coinciding with the announcement of several new faculty members.

Peng Gao, professor of geography and the environment, was named chair of the department. He focuses on physical geography, specializing in river dynamics and fluvial systems as well as geospatial-based urban studies. Recently, he has researched morphodynamical processes of braided and meandering rivers in China’s Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the socioeconomic equality in various urban managements. His work has been published in numerous journals, including Geomorphology, Water Resources Research, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, and Catena. Gao earned a Ph.D. from the University of Buffalo in 2003.

Colleen Heflin, associate dean and professor of public administration and international affairs, was named chair of the department. She is also a senior research associate in the Center for Policy Research and the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health. She researches food insecurity, nutrition and welfare policy, as well as the well-being of vulnerable populations. Heflin has published over 70 research articles and her work has appeared in leading journals such as the American Sociological Review, Social Problems, Health Affairs, Medical Care, and the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. She has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Russell Sage Foundation. She received a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 2002.

Devashish Mitra, professor of economics, was named chair of the department. He is also Gerald B. and Daphna Cramer Professor of Global Affairs and a senior research associate in the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs. He served as chair of economics previously, from 200610. He researches international trade, political economy, development economics and the Indian economy. His research has been published in top general-interest and field journals. He has served as an editor and on the editorial boards of numerous scholarly publications, including Economics & Politics, Journal of International Economics, Journal of Development Economics and European Economic Review. Additionally, he has written opinion pieces and has been quoted in numerous media outlets, including a July 2022 Bloomberg article exploring how changes in government policies on military recruitment led to violent protests, despite a recent announcement of the government’s plan to create a million jobs. Mitra received a Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1996.

In addition, the appointment of the following fulltime faculty members has enhanced the Maxwell School’s research and teaching excellence in key areas such as political economy, history, climate change and international relations.

RICHARD BARTON ’16 M.A. (PSC), assistant teaching professor of public administration and international affairs

AARON BENANAV, assistant professor of sociology and senior research associate for the Autonomous Systems Policy Institute

OMAR CHETA, assistant professor of history

SELINA GALLO-CRUZ, associate professor of sociology and co-director of the advocacy and activism research group in the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration

JOSS GREENE, assistant professor of sociology

VIVIAN IKE, assistant teaching professor in the international relations undergraduate program

LIONEL C. JOHNSON, professor of practice of public administration and international affairs

MINJU KIM, assistant professor of political science

AARON LUEDTKE, assistant professor of history

KYRSTIN MALLON ANDREWS, assistant professor of anthropology

THOMAS PEARSON, assistant professor of economics

GREGORY SMITH, assistant professor of political science

LAUREN WOODARD, assistant professor of anthropology

MORE ONLINE: Scan the code to learn more about the research interests of Maxwell’s newest faculty members.