Fall 2019 New Faculty
New faculty Lisa Thompson: ‘Love’ as an action word
Lisa Thompson firmly believes that when the needs of those who are most underrepresented in society are attended to, everyone flourishes. It’s an approach she brings to her new role at Vanderbilt Divinity School.
New faculty Lesley Turner: Public policy through an economics lens
One of the hottest policy discussions today centers on college affordability and the role government can play in making higher education accessible to more students. Associate Professor of Economics Lesley Turner blends a passion for public policy with the tools of economics in search of those answers.
New faculty John Sides: Interpreting politics’ impact on daily life
How ordinary people think about political issues and make political decisions—especially at the ballot box—stands at the center of Professor of Political Science John Sides’ scholarship.
New faculty Anthony Reed: The poetics and politics of black literature
Associate Professor of English Anthony Reed’s deep interest in the intersections between black literary forms and politics was sparked during the 1980s, when, as a child, he discovered hip-hop and rap music.
New faculty Houra Merrikh: On a collision course with antibiotic resistance
Professor of Biochemistry Houra Merrikh distinctly remembers the day the email showed up in her inbox. Sent from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, it was an invitation to present her research to someone named “Bill”—no last name included—in two days’ time.
New faculty Mulubrhan Mogos: Delivering heart-healthy pregnancies
Early in his career, as Assistant Professor of Nursing Mulubrhan Mogos cared for fragile babies in a neonatal ICU, he questioned whether the mother’s experience during pregnancy and delivery could provide clues to what went wrong, setting him on a path to study the long-term impact of cardiovascular disease on mothers and babies.
New faculty Nancy Carrasco: From one side of the membrane to the other
Nancy Carrasco, new chair of the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and originally from Mexico City, knows how enriching an experience living abroad can be.
New faculty Elizabeth Biggs: Nurturing potential in students with disabilities
Peabody College assistant professor Elizabeth Biggs’ introduction to the academic field that would become her passion started with a misunderstanding.
New faculty Emily Lordi: At the intersection of black expressive culture
Black feminist scholars. Bessie Smith. James Baldwin. Beyoncé. All have been the subject of Associate Professor of English Emily Lordi’s academic and public scholarly work.
New faculty Diana Heney: ‘Ethics Backwards and Forwards’
Assistant Professor of Philosophy Diana B. Heney studies the history of philosophy and how people have grappled for thousands of years with questions like, “What is it to be human?” and “What is it to be a good human?”
New faculty Hallie Sue Cho: Beyond star ratings
Assistant Professor of Operations Management Hallie Sue Cho brings a zest for discovery plus experience in product design, market research and business strategy to the Owen Graduate School of Management.