WELCOME NEW FACULTY 2016
The College of Humanities and Sciences is pleased to introduce these full-time faculty members in continuing positions for the 2016-17 academic year.
WELCOME NEW FACULTY
Chemistry + English
Soma Dhakal Assistant Professor - Department of Chemistry sndhakal@vcu.edu Dr. Soma Dhakal received his Doctorate degree in Analytical Chemistry from Kent State University in 2013. Shortly thereafter, he joined the University of Michigan as a postdoctoral research fellow where his research primarily centered on improving and applying DNA nanodevices for assembling proteins in a site-specific manner and understanding the role of the DNA nanostructures in protein function. Prior to his arrival at VCU, Dr. Dhakal held an additional appointment as a chemistry instructor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Michigan. Dr. Dhakal has published reviews, conference proceedings, a book chapter, as well as nearly 20 articles, with some featuring in Nature Chemistry News and Views, Phys.Org, and Genetic Engineering; Biotechnology News (GEN). Dr. Dhakal’s research agenda spans the nano- and biotechnology worlds, mainly focusing on single-molecule sensing of disease-related biomarkers and single-molecule manipulation of protein-DNA complexes. His work utilizes single-molecule fluorescence microscopy, dual-trap optical tweezers, and modern biochemical methods.
Mychal Smith Assistant Professor - Department of Chemistry mdsmith@vcu.edu Dr. Mychal D. Smith received his Doctorate in Biochemistry from North Carolina State University in 2013. He then served as the program manager for three STEM-focused undergraduate research programs at Fayetteville State University: The Center for Promoting STEM Education & Research (CPSER), North Carolina Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (NCLSAMP) and Undergraduate Research Opportunities for Mathematics and Science (UROMS). Most recently, Dr. Smith worked at the University of Michigan as a Community Liaison for the Parenting and African American STEM Success (PAASS) project and as a STEM Curriculum Developer as an affiliate of The Center for the Study of Black Youth in Context (CSBYC). Dr. Smith’s work focuses on three important aspects of science education: 1) creating meaningful classroom and lab experiences for undergraduate students, 2) developing accessible science curriculum for middle and high school students to cultivate an interest in pursuing STEM education in college and 3) increasing interest in and access to STEM education among underrepresented ethnic minority students.
Sonja Livingston Assistant Professor - Department of English slivingston@vcu.edu Sonja Livingston holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of New Orleans and an M.S. Ed. from SUNY Brockport. Her specialty is nonfiction writing and her work focuses on the intersection of poetry and creative nonfiction and specifically on the literary essay. Her most recent book, Ladies Night at the Dreamland, combines history, memory and imagination to illuminate the lives of women from America’s recent and distant past. She’s also the author of the recent essay collection, Queen of the Fall, and the memoir, Ghostbread, which won the Nonfiction Book Award from the Association for Writers and Writing Program (AWP). Her writing is widely anthologized and has been honored with a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, an Iowa Review Award, an Arts & Letters Essay Prize, and grants from Vermont Studio Center and The Deming Fund for Women. Professor Livingston comes to VCU from the University of Memphis, where she was an Assistant Professor in the creative writing program.
2016 Assistant Professor - Department of English hppylvainen@vcu.edu Hanna Pylväinen is the author of We Sinners, a novel, which received the Whiting Writers’ Award and the Balcones Fiction Prize. Her work has appeared in Harper’s, the New York Times, the New York Times Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, and the Wall Street Journal. She graduated summa cum laude from Mount Holyoke College, and received her MFA from the University of Michigan. She is the recipient of residencies at The MacDowell Colony and Yaddo, and fellowships at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, the University of Michigan, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and Princeton University. She is working on her second novel, Drum Time.
Anette Loughran-Fjeldstad Assistant Professor - Department of Kinesiology & Health Sciences asfjeldstad@vcu.edu Dr. Anette Loughran-Fjeldstad received her B.S. and M.S. degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University in Health Education and Physical Education, respectively. She received her Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from the University of Oklahoma. She then completed a 4 year Post-doctoral Fellowship in internal medicine at the University of Utah. She completed a second 2 year Post-doctoral Fellowship in the Department of Neurology, followed by 2 years on the faculty in the same department. Her research focus the last few years have been neuro-ophthalmology optic nerve scanning in multiple sclerosis and exercise in multiple sclerosis.
Justin Albert Instructor - Department of Mathematics & Applied Mathematics jalbert3@vcu.edu Dr. Justin Albert comes to VCU from Carthage College, where he held the position of Assistant Professor of Mathematics. He holds a B.A. from Carthage College as well as a Ph.D. from Marquette University. Prior to his arrival at VCU, Dr. Albert held positions at Alverno College, Carthage College, and Marquette University. Dr. Albert’s research is focused as an algebraist within semigroup theory. His research has proven useful interpretations within geometry and graph theory. Dr. Albert has presented his findings on Free Split Bands as well as Geometries with parallelism at both regional and national conferences.
Brent Cody Assistant Professor - Department of Mathematics & Applied Mathematics bmcody@vcu.edu Dr. Brent M. Cody began studying mathematics as an undergraduate at Virginia Commonwealth University and is now returning as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics. After receiving a B.S. from VCU, Dr. Cody went on to earn a Master’s from the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the City University of New York. Dr. Cody completed postdoctoral studies at the Fields Institute for Mathematical Research, the University of Prince Edward Island and VCU. Since receiving his Ph.D. in 2012, Dr. Cody has published eight research articles on the foundations of mathematics. His work involves using large degrees of infinity to prove that certain mathematical questions cannot be resolved within the standard framework of mathematics. Dr. Cody’s research harnesses the technique of forcing in order to produce new mathematical contexts from old ones.
English + Kinesiology & Health Sciences + Mathematics
Hanna Pylväinen
WELCOME NEW FACULTY
Mathematics & Applied Mathematics
Faith John Instructor - Department of Mathematics & Applied Mathematics fmjohn@vcu.edu Faith John started her career as a civil engineer after earning her B.S. in civil engineering from the University of California, Irvine. She worked on the designs of many construction projects, large and small. After taking several years off to raise her family, she earned her M.S. in Applied Mathematics from VCU and taught here for several years before transferring to Reynolds Community College. While at Reynolds, Faith taught all levels of mathematics from remedial mathematics through calculus. While teaching at Reynolds, Faith fulfilled a lifelong goal and earned a B.A. of Music in piano performance at VCU. She has always been intrigued by the connection between mathematics and classical music and has done her own personal research on that relationship. Faith was the keynote speaker at the VMATYC state conference and gave a presentation on the connection between the Golden Ratio and Classical Music.
H. Reed Ogrosky Assistant Professor - Department of Mathematics & Applied Mathematics hrogrosky@vcu.edu Dr. H. Reed Ogrosky comes to VCU from the University of WisconsinMadison where he was a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Mathematics for the last three years. He received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of North Carolina in 2013 and also holds a B.S. from Duke University. Dr. Ogrosky’s research interests lie in the area of applied mathematics, primarily in the development and study of mathematical models for phenomena in both fluid dynamics and atmospheric science. He has developed a series of models describing the flow of fluid films that have a variety of engineering and biological applications. His work in atmospheric science has centered on the development of models and data analysis techniques for identifying large-scale patterns in tropical rainfall. Dr. Ogrosky also has experience teaching mathematics in a broad range of settings, and received the J. Burton Linker Award for Excellence in the Teaching in Mathematics at UNC.
Ihsan Topaloglu Assistant Professor - Department of Mathematics & Applied Mathematics iatopaloglu@vcu.edu Dr. Ihsan Topaloglu received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Indiana University Bloomington in 2012. Prior to coming to North America, he earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mathematics from Bogazici University in Istanbul. After completing his Ph.D., he joined the Department of Mathematics and Statistics of McGill University in MontrÊal as a postdoctoral fellow. In 2014 he was awarded a two-year Fields-Ontario Postdoctoral Fellowship which allowed him to spend a semester in the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences in Toronto followed by three semester at McMaster University in Hamilton. Dr. Topaloglu’s research interests are in applied analysis and partial differential equations with a focus on problems arising from materials science, biology and physics such as energy-driven pattern formation in polymers and biological aggregations, interface motion, and shape optimization. Beyond research, Dr. Topaloglu is also an avid teacher of mathematics who has taught all levels of introductory courses as an associate instructor during his graduate studies, as well as calculus courses during his postdoctoral stays at McGill and McMaster Universities.
2016 Instructor - Department of Physics amsteck@vcu.edu Amanda Steck has a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin - River Falls and an M.S. from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Her background is in particle physics research. She has worked in the IceCube and Pierre Auger collaborations focusing on cosmic rays and the CMS collaboration at CERN doing R&D on next-generation detector components. Her teaching focus is in laboratory methods and improving student engagement and material retention through hands-on experiments.
David Chester Assistant Professor - Department of Psychology dschester@vcu.edu Dr. David Chester comes to VCU from the University of Kentucky where he was a Dissertation Year Fellow. He holds a B.A. in psychology from Warren Wilson College, as well as an M.S. and Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the University of Kentucky. Prior to his graduate education, Dr. Chester was a laboratory manager for the Aggression Research Group at the University of Michigan and the Self-Regulation Lab at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Chester’s research tries to answer a simple question: why do people hurt each other? Towards this end, he combines behavioral and neuroscience methodologies to understand how the brain promotes aggression. Currently, Dr. Chester is investigating the role that the brain’s reward circuit plays in motivating individuals to act aggressively. In the summer of 2016, Dr. Chester received the Young Investigator award from the International Society for Research on Aggression.
Chelsea Derlan Assistant Professor - Department of Psychology clderlan@vcu.edu Dr. Chelsea Derlan received her Ph.D. in Family and Human Development from Arizona State University. She holds a M.S. in Family and Human Development from Arizona State University, and two B.A. degrees (Psychology and Foreign Languages – Spanish) from West Virginia University. Dr. Derlan’s research examines the risk and resilience factors and contexts that inform ethnicracial minority children and adolescents’ positive adjustment. In particular, her work has focused on cultural socialization, discrimination, ethnic-racial identity, and children’s understanding of their culture. Her research has been funded through grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and has been published in journals such as Child Development, Developmental Psychology, and Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. She is the recipient of numerous research and leadership awards from Arizona State University, and recently received the Distinguished Research Award from Division 45, the Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race. Dr. Derlan is a member of several professional organizations, including the National Latina/o Psychological Association, the National Council on Family Relations, the Society for Research on Adolescence, and she serves as an elected member of the Equity & Justice Committee for the Society for Research in Child Development.
Mathematics + Physics + Psychology
Amanda Steck
WELCOME NEW FACULTY
Psychology
Joe Dzierzewski Assistant Professor - Department of Psychology dzierzewski@vcu.edu Dr. Joseph Dzierzewski received his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Florida in 2012. He then completed a three year Advanced Fellowship in Geriatrics at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System’s Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center. Prior to his arrival at VCU, Dr. Dzierzewski held appointments as an Assistant Professor in the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles and as a Research Scientist at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System’s Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center. Dr. Dzierzewski’s research program focuses on the correlates and consequences of sleep in older adults. He investigates aspects of normal sleep, insomnia, and sleep apnea, and how sleep impacts important aspects of life, including: mood, pain, physical activity, immune functioning, and cognitive functioning. He has published over 35 research articles and chapters, and has been awarded both federal and foundation funding to support his research program. Through a mix of both basic and applied science, Dr. Dzierzewski hopes his research endeavors lead to advances that improve the lives of older adults.
Kristina Hood Assistant Professor - Department of Psychology hoodkb@vcu.edu Kristina Hood earned her B.S. degree in psychology from Christopher Newport University, her M.S. in criminal justice, sociology and psychology and her Ph.D. in social psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her research interests include preventive health behaviors among minorities and underserved populations, specifically HIV prevention research, and promoting positive health outcomes among minority populations. Kristina’s current research involves examining how African American women’s attitudes and their perceptions of their partners’ attitudes toward condom use influence intentions and behaviors. Her plan is to use the results from current studies to develop and implement an empirically-based attitude component to existing interventions with the goal of changing attitudes and promoting consistent condom use among African American women.
Jared Keeley Associate Professor - Department of Psychology jwkeeley@vcu.edu Dr. Jared Keeley received his Ph.D. in Psychology from Auburn University in 2009. He completed his clinical internship at the VA Gulf Coast Veterans Healthcare System in Biloxi, MS. He comes to VCU after 7 years at Mississippi State University where he helped to establish their Ph.D. program in clinical psychology. Dr. Keeley’s research interests involve the classification of psychopathology, especially concerning mental health professionals’ use of the diagnostic system. He has studied cognitive processes involved in clinicians’ work, including diagnosis, case conceptualization, and treatment planning. Currently, he is consulting for the World Health Organization on the field trials for the Mental and Behavioural Disorders chapter of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) as they work towards the eleventh revision.
2016 Assistant Professor - Department of Psychology ftlozada@vcu.edu Dr. Fantasy T. Lozada-Smith holds a B.S. in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Lifespan Developmental Psychology from North Carolina State University. She completed her postdoctoral training at the Center for the Study of Black Youth in Context at the University of Michigan as a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow. She was also served as an adjunct faculty member at Fort Hays State University in the Virtual College of the Department of Psychology. Additionally, Dr. Lozada-Smith was inducted into the Bouchet Honor Society for her commitment to scholarship, mentorship, and community engagement among scholars of color. Dr. Lozada-Smith’s research focuses on the positive development of ethnic minority youth in school, home, and Internet contexts. Specifically, she examines the impact of belief systems, socialization practices, and racerelated experiences on youth’s social skills, emotional competence, and prosocial behaviors. Her work utilizes a variety of survey, observational, interview, and statistical methods and provides opportunities for community engagement with families and schools.
Samaneh Oladi Ghadikolaei Assistant Professor - School of World Studies soladighadiko@vcu.edu Dr. Samaneh Oladi specializes in Islamic jurisprudence and family law, Middle East, and women’s studies. She holds an M.A. in Global and International Studies, and a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Prior to her arrival at VCU, she held appointments as a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Bates College and a Teaching Associate at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research and teaching interests range across various areas including Islamic mysticism, religious movements, and human rights in Islam. Dr. Oladi’s current research looks at the evolving roles of women as religious authorities and producers of Islamic knowledge, addressing how their scholarship challenges patriarchal interpretations of sacred scriptures. Dr. Oladi is currently working on a project that explores Muslim women’s religious and interpretive authority from a transnational and comparative perspective.
David Weinfeld Assistant Professor - School of World Studies daweinfeld@vcu.edu Dr. David Weinfeld is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies in the Department of Religious Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. He earned his joint Ph.D. in the Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies and the Department of History at New York University, and his BA in History from Harvard University. He has previously taught at the University of Toronto, Queens College, Temple University, and NYU. Dr. Weinfeld’s primary area of interest is American Jewish history, with a focus on intellectual history, immigration, multiculturalism, and BlackJewish relations. He is working on his first book project, titled “An American Friendship: Horace Kallen, Alain Locke, and the Development of Cultural Pluralism.” He is an occasional contributor to The Canadian Jewish News.
Psychology + School of World Studies
Fantasy Lozada
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