Meet the New Faculty!

Veronica Ahmed, Ph.D.
English

Education

Ph.D., Purdue University

Research Interests
Black and feminist bookstores, 20th and 21st Century Black literature, Literature and Gender, Literary Activism, Black girlhood studies, Qualitative Research Methods, Black literacy, History of the Anthology/Collections, Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies, Feminist Publishing History.

Final Project Title
Literary Kinship: An Examination of Black Women Writer-Activists’ Networks of Literary Activity, Community Care, Activism, and Healing in the 20th and 21st Centuries

Hometown
Atlanta, GA

Jeannette Vaught, Ph.D.
Liberal Studies

Education

Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin

Research Interests
Environmental Studies, Science and Technology Studies, Human-Animal Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Dissertation Title
Science, Animals, and Profit-Making in the American Rodeo Arena

Hometown
Nokesville, VA

Seolah Kim, Ph.D.
Economics & Statistics

Education

Ph.D., University of California, Riverside

Research Interests
Applied Econometrics

Dissertation Title
Three Essays on Nonparametric Hypothesis Testing

Hometown
South Korea

Natalie Liberman, Ph.D.
Management

Education

Ph.D., Washington State University

Research Interests
Restorative Justice Organizational Behavior Inclusion and Belonging

Dissertation Title
Managerial Reintegration in the Workplace: A Restorative Justice Approach

Hometown
San Fernando Valley, CA

Kelly Eunjung Yoon, Ph.D.
Marketing

Education

Ph.D., University of California, Irvine

Research Interests
Digital and Social Media Marketing

Dissertation Title
How Posting Goal-related Photos on Social Media Affects Consumer Goal Motivation: The Divergent Effects of Photos About Goal Intent versus Goal Pursuit

Hometown
Seoul, South Korea

Daniel Garzón, Ph.D.
Curriculum & Instruction

Education

Ph.D., University of Colorado, Boulder

Research Interests
Bilingual Education, Language Policy, Language Ideologies, Teacher Education

Dissertation Title
Languaging in Miami in Restrictive Times: A Letter of Hope

Hometown
Miami, FL

Jeong Han Kim, Ph.D.
Special Education and Counseling

Education

Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison

Research Interests
Psychosocial Adaptation to Chronic Illness and Disability

Dissertation Title
Virtue and Character Strengths, Coping, and Quality of Life for People with Chronic Illness and Disability

Hometown
Busan, South Korea

Sarah Manchanda, Ph.D.
Special Education and Counseling

Education

Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley

Research Interests
1) Stigma-based bullying, bystander intervention, and youths' moral reasoning; 2) Promoting teacher diversity and wellbeing; and 3) Universal design for learning and pedagogical strategies to foster inclusion in higher education br />
Dissertation Title
A Mixed-Methods Exploration of the Ethical “Grey Areas” in Bullying and Bystander Intervention: Centering the Perspectives of Youth with Specific Learning Disabilities

Hometown
Cerritos, CA

Mark Baldwin, Ph.D.
Computer Science

Education

Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley

Research Interests
Human Computer Interaction, Assistive Technology, Participatory Design

Dissertation Title
Human Computer Interaction, Assistive Technology, Participatory Design

Hometown
Chicago, IL

Jesus Beltran, Ph.D.
Computer Science

Education

Ph.D., Center of Scientific Research and Higher Education of Ensenada (CICESE)

Research Interests
AI, ML, Optimization with applications in drug discovery and design, health informatics, Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HCAI)

Dissertation Title
Methods for optimal selection of molecular descriptors for classification of antimicrobial activity and design of new peptides

Hometown
Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico

Joseph Lucey, Ph.D.
Civil Engineering

Education

Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles

Research Interests
Coastal Engineering

Dissertation Title
Characterizing Compound Coastal Flood Risk in Urbanized Communities: A Multivariate Approach

Hometown
Los Angeles, CA

Lourdes Alberto, Ph.D.
Chicana(o) and Latina(o) Studies

Education

Ph.D., Rice University

Research Interests
Cultural Studies, Indigenous Studies

Dissertation Title
Mexican American Indigeneities

Hometown
Los Angeles, CA

Eurina Cha, Ph.D.
Nursing

Education

Ph.D., Walden University

Research Interests
Immigrants and minority's health disparity, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders' health, Korean-Americans health access, Integrated nursing education, virtual learning

Dissertation Title
Korean immigrant women's perceptions of cervical cancer screening in Hawaii

Hometown
I was born and raised in Seoul Korea. Later our family immigrated to Hawaii when I was 19 years old.

Joelle May, Ph.D.
Public Health

Education

Ph.D., UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Management

Research Interests
Modifiable and policy-relevant factors that influence health behavior and health outcomes, including disparities in health and access to care, social and environmental determinants of health, health behaviors, and chronic health conditions.

Dissertation Title
Examining Obesogenic Behavior Through the Lense of the Food Environment

Hometown
Newport Beach, CA

Ming-Chih 'Darren' Sung, Ph.D.
Kinesiology & Nutritional Sciences

Education

Ph.D., Oregon State University

Research Interests
Enhancing motor behaviors and cognitive function of individuals with developmental disabilities through physical activity.

Dissertation Title
Cross-cultural Comparison and Relationship of Motor Skills and Executive Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Taiwan and the United States

Hometown
Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Andrew Aman, Ph.D.
Biological Sciences

Education

Ph.D., University of Utah

Research Interests
Development and evolution

Dissertation Title
Wnt/β-catenin signaling regulates multiple aspects of lateral line morphogenesis

Hometown
Pocatello, ID

Crystal Slanzi, Ph.D.
Psychology

Education

Ph.D., University of Florida

Research Interests
Behavioral assessment and intervention in mental health, maternal and child health, and inclusionary practices

Dissertation Title
Further Evaluation of the Extended No-Interaction Condition as a Screening for Behavioral Function

Hometown
Hope, BC, Canada

Katie Perry, MLIS
Library and Information Science

Education

MLIS, San Jose State University

Research Interests
Information Literacy, History of Black Librarianship, and Multiracial Identity in Data

Hometown
Los Angeles, CA

Ariana Varela, MLIS
Library and Information Science

Education

MLIS, San Jose State University

Research Interests
feminist pedagogy in library instruction, critical information literacy, and student-centered approaches to instruction and outreach

Hometown
Downey, CA

Alice Chou, M.S.
Health Center

Education

M.S. in Counseling, California State University, Los Angeles

Research Interests
Decolonizing mental health, destigmatizing mental health, service utilization in minoritized and marginalized populations, cultural identity, disability and independent living, developmental pathways, trauma, intergenerational trauma, suicidology, psychopathology in minoritized and marginalized populations.

Hometown
Los Angeles, CA