This fall there are a lot of new faces on campus, but these are not exclusively the new freshman or transfers. This year there are over twenty new professors across the five campuses in the Claremont Consortium that have taken positions across the countless departments within the 5Cs. Here is a brief introduction to those who responded to TSL’s interview questions:(Those listed are tenure-track faculty for their respective college)
PomonaColin J. BeckColin Beck is Assistant Professor of Sociology and works primarily in the areas of political sociology, social movements, contentious politics, comparative and historical sociology, and terrorism and political violence. He received his B.A. from Lewis & Clark College and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Stanford University. He has received the Centennial Teaching Award (2005) and Cilker Award for Teaching, Sociology (2005), as well as was honored with Affiliated Fellow, Center on Democracy, Development and Rule of Law, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (2008-09) and Fellow Stanford Center on International Conflict and Negotiation (2006-07). He has researched in the areas of political sociology and contentious politics with macro, historical, and comparative approaches, and is currently studying the ideological dimensions of revolution, movement radicalism and political violence, and the impact of globalization on states and societies.Jessica BorelliJessica Borelli is Assistant Professor of Psychology and works primarily in the areas of clinical psychology, with a focus on child clinical (and parent-child relationships). She received a B.A. from UC Berkeley (2002) and her M.S., M.PHIL, and Ph.D. from Yale University. This is her first year teaching at Pomona and she is “extremely excited about [teaching here]!” She has received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (2004-2006), National Research Service Award (2008-09), and the Prize Teaching Fellowship at Yale (2005-06). Her published papers focus on topics such as parent-child attachment and emotion.Hillary A. GravendykHillary Gravendyk is Instructor of English and works priminarily in the areas of 20th-Century American literature, poetry and poetics, phenomenology, disability studies, and environmental studies. She received her B.A. from Tulane University, M.A. from University of Washington, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. She received the Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award (2008) and University Teaching Effectiveness Award (2008) at UC Berkeley as well as the Roselyn Schneider Eisner Prize in Poetry (2006, 2008), Emily Chamberlain Cook Prize in Poetry (2007), and Joan Lee Yang Memorial Prize in Poetry (2007). Her published papers focus on the area of poetry, including those pieces written by her.Jonathan KingJonathan King is Assistant Professor and Director of the Neuroscience Program. He works primarily in the areas of neurophysiology, stress physiology, and learning and memory. He received his B.S. from CSU San Bernardino (2000) and his Ph.D. in Neurobiology and Behavior from Cornell University (2007). He started at Pomona College two years ago as a postdoctoral instructor and researcher working with Karen Parfitt in the Neuroscience Program, and is “very excited to continue teaching at the 5C’s.” He received an award for Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant at Cornell (2006-07). Jonathan’s published papers and research deal with stress physiology, steroidal modulation of ions channels, and the excitability of the neuroendocrine system.Jonathan Matsui Jonathan Matsui is Assistant Professor of Biology and Neuroscience. He received his B.S. in Zoology from the University of Washington and his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the Washington University in St. Louis. He was previously a Lecturer on Molecular and Cellular Biology and the Concentration Advisor for undergraduates who were majoring in Neurobiology at Harvard University, but is excited to have “incredibly dedicated,” “enthusiastic” students in his Neuroscience 101 lecture and lab course. He received a Certificate of Distinction in Teaching at Harvard University (2007, 2008). His published research focuses on the topics of the death of sensory receptors in the ear through the environment, with a particular focus on the use of the zebrafish (Danio rerio) retina to help restore lost senses in humans.Char MillerChar Miller is Director of the Environmental Analysis program at Pomona and the W. M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis. Miller works primarily in the areas of environmental and urban history. He received his B.A. from Pitzer in History and Political Studies (1975) and his M.A. (1977) and Ph.D. (1981) in History from John Hopkins University. He has taught at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, but is excited about coming back to where he, his wife, and his son finished their undergraduate work (son PO ’03). At Trinity, he received an award for Outstanding Professor in 1986 and 1996-97. Char Miller recently received an award for Distinguished Lecturer, Organization in American Histories (2007), and has received a number of awards for his books between 1999 and 2006. His published papers cover a wide range of topics such as urban and environmental issues across time and the historical context of contemporary policy decisions and political debates.Daniel O’LearyDaniel O’Leary is an Associate Professor of Chemistry and works primarily in the areas of chemistry, organic chemistry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. He received his B.A. from Linfield College and his Ph.D. from UCLA. He has been awarded the Wig Distinguished Professorship Award for Excellence in Teaching (1997, 2003) and the Irvine Distinguished Faculty Mentor Award (2003) from Pomona College. He has also been awarded Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (1999) and UCLA Winstein Dissertation Prize (1991). His research focuses on the solution confirmation of molecules, which he has published papers on.Anthony ShayAnthony Shay is Assistant Professor of Dance and Cultural Studies in the Theatre and Dance Dept. He received his B.A., M.L.S. (library science), and M.A. Folklore and Mythology from UCLA; he also received his M.A. in Anthropology from CSU, Los Angeles and his Ph. D. in Dance History and Theory from UC Riverside. He taught as an adjunct faculty at Pomona previously, and is enthusiastic about teaching here since “the students are the best.” Anthony Shay recently received the following awards: Outstanding Scholarly Dance Book from the Committee on Research in Dance (2003), National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship (2004), Distinguished Scholar Award from the Iranian Association of Professors and Scholars (2007). He has published works dealing with the way “in which dance intersects with ethnicity, race, class, gender…” in an effort to show how “movement systems can inform us about human behavior.”Julie TannenbaumJulie Tannenbaum is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and works primarily in the areas of ethical theory, moral psychology, metaethics, bioethics, and the history of ethics. She received her B.A. and Ph.D. from UCLA (2002). She taught previously at UC Santa Cruz, UCLA, and CSU, Northridge. She is “very excited about teaching at Pomona” and looks forward to “the small classes filled with interesting students where everyone gets a chance to delve in depth into hard but important questions.” She received teaching awards as a teaching assistant at UCLA, and as an assistant professor at UCSC, as well as was postdoc in the Dept. of Bioethics at the Naitonal Institutes of Health (2006-07). She has published and presented papers in the topics of emotions in moral action, conditions of one’s moral obligations, bioethics, and moral luck, as well as recently performed research in metaethics involving categorized goods.Claremont McKenna CollegeMary EvansMary Evans is Associate Professor of Economics in the Robert Day School of Economics and Finance at Claremont McKenna. She works primarily in the area of environmental economics. She received her B.A. from James Madison University in French and Economics, and later received her Ph.D. in Economics from The University of Colorado, Boulder. Evans taught undergraduate and graduate courses at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville for seven years, but is excited to be teaching at CMC this year. She is particularly proud of the funding of her work from the Environmental Protection Agency through two grants, and has published several papers and given numerous presentations in each of three main areas: individuals’ decision of tradeoffs between mortality risks and other factors, exploring incentives created by a new class of environmental policy instruments, and methodological questions related to the techniques of determining how individuals value changes in non-market goods and the distribution of those goods.Mark HuberMark Huber is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Claremont McKenna. He works primarily in the areas of probability and statistics. He received his B.S. in Mathematics from Harvey Mudd College (1994) and Ph.D. from the School of Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell University (1999). He previously taught at Duke University for eight years, but in remembering “what a unique environment Claremont offers,” is excited to be teaching at CMC where there are “bright, motivated students that do not recoil when you tell them what you expect of them.” Huber received an early career advancement award from the National Science Foundation, a five-year grant (2005-10) to support research and teaching. His research includes testing whether populations are in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, models for how towns and trees are dispersed, and explaining how cracks develop in materials.Samuel NelsonSamuel Nelson is Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Claremont Mckenna and works primarily in the areas of Algebraic Topology and Knot theory. He received his B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Wyoming (1996), and his M.S. (1998) and Ph.D. (2002) in Mathematics from Louisiana State University. He taught as a visiting assistant professor at Whittier College, UC Riverside, and Pomona College before coming to teach for Claremont McKenna College. He finds the 5C’s a “natural fit for [him]” because of his research on algebraic invariants of knots, “a topic that frequently involves collaboration with undergraduate coauthors.”Minxin PeiMinxin Pei is the Tom and Margot Pritzker ’72 Professor of Government and the Director of the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies at Claremont McKenna. He works primarily in the area of Chinese domestic politics. He received his B.A. in English from the Shanghai International Studies University (1982) and his Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard University (1991). He taught at Davidson College and Princeton University during the 1990’s, and then moved into the position of a China specialist at the Carnegie Endowment, in Washington D.C. However, he is “thrilled about spending the rest of [his] professional career teaching at CMC.” His published work focuses on the areas of domestic political change and economic reform in China as well as comparative studies on economic development and democratization. Yet, the work most important to him focuses on assessing the sustainability of China’s economic development under a one-party system.Raquel Vega-DuranRaquel Vega-Duran is Assistant Professor of Spanish at Claremont McKenna. She works primarily in the areas of Spanish literature, Spanish visual cultural production, North African and Latin American immigration in Europe, and cultural relations between Spain and Hispanic America. She received her B.A. from the Universidad de Sevilla in Anglo-American studies Spain Certificate of Graduate Studies in Film Studies and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. She taught for seven years at the University of Michigan, but is “definitely excited about teaching at [CMC].” She received the Jean Monnet Fellowship (2008) from the European Commission. She is currently working on a book manuscript that “examines the ways in which the structure of the journey used by Spanish fiction, film, paintings, and documentary photography is contributing to the construction of the social imaginary of “undocumented” North African and Caribbean immigrants in Spain.”New Claremont McKenna professors whose information was unavailable: David Hansen (Dean of the Joint Science Department and Professor of Chemistry); Jamaica Kincaid (Professor of Literature); Eric Puchner (Assistant Professor of Literature); Ellen Rentz (Assistant Professor of Literature).Pitzer CollegeAhmed AlwishahAhmed Alwishah is Assistant Professor of Philosophy. He received his B.A. in Philosophy from Baghdad University and Ph.D. in Islamic Philosophy from UCLA (2006). He has taught at Stanford University, UCLA, and CSU Los Angeles, but is “thrilled to be teaching within the Claremont Consortium.” Alwishah received a Postdoctoral Fellow in Humanities at Stanford (2008) as well as Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at UCLA (2007). His published books and papers deal with topics on Islamic Philosophy, Arabic Philosophy, Islamic Theology, and Comparative Philosophy.Harmony O’RourkeHarmony O’Rourke Assistant Professor of History at Pitzer College and works primarily in African History. She receieved her B.A. from Macalester College (2001) and her M.A./Ph.D. from Harvard University (2009). Prior to Pitzer College, she worked took positions of teaching fellowships and assistanships at Harvard, however, she is “quite impressed by [her] students” and finds it a “joy to teach [at Pitzer].” She received the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Award, Multiple Country from the U.S. Dept. of Education (2006) in order to complete research in Cameroon, France, and the UK. Her research and published papers deals with issues of gender and identity in the history an intra-African diaspora, with a specific focus on the minority communities of the Muslim Hausa in Cameroon.New Pitzer College professors whose information was unavailable: Fuchun Jin (International Economics), Azamat Junisbai (Quantitative Sociology), KaMala Thomas (Clinical Psychology).
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