College welcomes 18 new faculty members for 2023-24 academic year

Terminal degree: Ph.D. '17 in speech-language science, Ohio University

Job title and department: Assistant professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education

Specialties: Aphasia and other neurogenic language disorders, influence of cognitive processes in language performance, aging and communication, eyetracking methods, scholarship of teaching and learning

Before UGA: Anjum worked as a physician in India and conducted clinical research in neurophysiology and psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences for three years. Following the completion of his Ph.D., he worked as an assistant professor in speech-language pathology at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota for five years.

Terminal degree: Ph.D. '23 in curriculum and instruction, Boston College

Job title and department: Assistant professor, Department of Educational Theory and Practice

Specialties: Educational trajectories and experiences of im/migrant children and youth; English as a second language (ESL), dual-language, and bilingual education; equity in multilingual and multicultural contexts; transnational family literacies; critical childhood studies; ethnography

Before UGA: Becker served as an English as a foreign language teacher in Pernambuco, Brazil, in a variety of contexts, including elementary and middle schools as well as adult education settings. She conducted extensive research in dual language and bilingual education programs in the Boston area, collaborating with Brazilian im/migrant families and communities. Becker is also a licensed ESL educator in Massachusetts.

Terminal degree: Ph.D. '19 in teaching and learning with a concentration in mathematics education, Georgia State University

Job title and department: Assistant professor, Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education

Specialties: Equity-focused mathematics education, in-service teacher education and coaching, pre-service teacher education and field supervision, underutilized and new theories and methodologies in the field of mathematics education, qualitative inquiry

Before UGA: Cannon served as an assistant professor of elementary and middle grades mathematics education in the Tift College of Education at Mercer University for four years, where she led the K-5 elementary endorsement program and taught undergraduate and graduate mathematics methods and research methods courses. Prior to her doctoral studies at Georgia State University, Cannon taught elementary and middle school science and mathematics in and around Atlanta for 13 years.

Terminal degree: Ph.D. '22 in engineering education, The Ohio State University

Job title and department: Assistant professor, Department of Workforce Education and Instructional Technology

Specialties: Teacher education, engineering education, alternative STEM teacher preparation pathways, STEM teacher identity formation, access and equity in engineering, pre-college engineering education, elementary STEM education

Before UGA: Prior to joining the College, Carroll was a postdoctoral researcher in the College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University. He also worked as a research associate at the JILA Physics Frontier Center at the University of Colorado Boulder. Before attending graduate school, he was a researcher at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio.

Terminal degree: Ph.D. '23 in economics, West Virginia University

Job title and department: Assistant professor, Department of Kinesiology

Specialties: Sports economics, emotional cues, economic and non-economic impacts of sporting events, sports and crime

Before UGA: Collins was an economics instructor specializing in econometrics at West Virginia University from 2019-2023.

Terminal degree: Ph.D. '09 in nutritional sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Job title and department: Professor and department head, Department of Kinesiology; director, UGA Obesity Research Initiative

Specialties: Energy balance and appetite regulation, dietary fats and fat metabolism, nutrition interventions to reduce chronic disease risk factors, sports nutrition

Before UGA: For the past eight years, Cooper served as a faculty member in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at UGA. Prior to her time at UGA, she served as a faculty member in nutritional sciences at Texas Tech University. Cooper also has ties to Michigan State University where she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in kinesiology (exercise physiology).

Terminal degree: Ed.D. '21 in educational leadership, University of Georgia

Job title and department: Clinical assistant professor, Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy

Specialties: Educational leadership, literacy education, school administration and policy

Before UGA: Before joining the College, Dorsan worked for 19 years in K-12 education. With experience in a variety of school settings, she served as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, instructional coach, leader mentor, and principal.

Terminal degree: Ph.D. '23 in measurement, evaluation, and data science, University of Alberta

Job title and department: Assistant professor, Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education

Specialties: Data science in education, AI/machine learning-based innovative assessment in science, adaptive learning systems

Before UGA: Prior to her faculty appointment, Gao worked as a senior data analyst in the government of Alberta.

Terminal degree: Ph.D. '20 in kinesiology, Michigan State University

Job title and department: Assistant professor, Department of Kinesiology

Specialties: Biomechanics, physical activity, osteoarthritis, musculoskeletal injury, musculoskeletal biomarkers, rehabilitation interventions

Before UGA: Lisee completed her postdoctoral training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the MOTION Science Institute and Sports Medicine Research Institute. Prior to her doctoral studies, she worked as the head athletic trainer at Linganore High School in Maryland from 2013-2015.

Terminal degree: Ph.D. '19 in human resource studies, Tilburg University

Job title and department: Assistant professor, Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy

Specialties: Human and organizational learning; emerging workplace learning tools and practices; social, ethical, and organizational implications; professional practice; critical reflection

Before UGA: With 20 years of experience in the industry, Lundgren most recently worked as a talent manager with Corning Incorporated based in upstate New York. Before that, she served in line manager and learning director/consultant roles in various organizations, small and large, and worked in Germany (her native country), the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Italy, Poland, and the U.K. before moving to the U.S. 11 years ago.

Terminal degree: Ph.D. '18 in teaching as applied behavior analysis, Columbia University

Job title and department: Clinical assistant professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education

Specialties: Strategic science of teaching, language development, verbal behavior, stimulus equivalence, relational frame theory

Before UGA: Before her faculty appointment, Morgan worked as a clinical program supervisor in school, home, and community-based settings. Her primary role was to support classroom teachers and behavior technicians in effectively designing and implementing individualized education and treatment plans. She also led parent education workshops as a resource for families, stakeholders, and caregivers of individuals with various diagnoses/classifications.

Terminal degree: Ph.D. '10 in information science and learning technologies, University of Missouri

Job title and department: Associate professor, Department of Workforce Education and Instructional Technology and College of Pharmacy

Specialties: Design and develop innovative educational courseware and computer software with a particular focus on individuals with disabilities, their families, and their providers; use of extended reality for learning (inclusive of virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality); learning experience design

Before UGA: Schmidt held tenured positions at the University of Florida and the University of Cincinnati.

Terminal degree: Ph.D. '19 in quantitative and mixed methods research methodologies, University of Cincinnati

Job title and department: Assistant professor, Department of Educational Psychology

Specialties: Experimental design and statistical power, multilevel modeling, structural equation modeling, causal mediation and moderation, artificial intelligence and machine learning

Before UGA: Shen was previously an assistant research professor at the University of Kansas (KU). Before KU, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher for three years at Arizona State University and the University of Florida. He also worked as a researcher, consultant, and project manager at marketing research and consulting companies in China for four years.

Terminal degree: Ph.D. '23 in learning, design, and technology, University of Georgia

Job title and department: Assistant research scientist, Department of Workforce Education and Instructional Technology

Specialties: Technology integration in K-12 learning and teaching, artificial intelligence-supported teaching, generative AI and large language models in education, teacher AI literacy and competence, teacher-AI interactions and relationships, teacher identity in AI-integrated environments

Before UGA: Shi worked as a high school social studies teacher in China for 10 years and spent three years in various classroom roles in K-12 education in both California and Michigan. Shi was also involved in an NSF-funded project focused on AI for science assessment as a researcher.

Terminal degree: Ph.D. '14 in organizational leadership, University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Job title and department: Associate professor, Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy

Specialties: How intersectional identities impact the way leadership is enacted, received, and developed in the workplace

Before UGA: Sims comes to UGA from Clemson University, where she taught in the human resource development program in the Department of Educational and Organizational Leadership and served as director of the Faculty ADVANCEment Office. Prior to academia, Sims held senior leadership roles in human resources management and development at a Fortune 100 premier international consulting company.

Terminal degree: Ph.D. '20 in special education, Vanderbilt University

Job title and department: Assistant professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education

Specialties: Teacher training in behavioral supports, assessment, and treatment of problem behavior in classroom settings; functional communication training

Before UGA: Torelli worked as an assistant professor at Western Kentucky University for three years. Prior to her doctoral studies, she taught middle school math and worked as a behavior analyst for the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center.

Terminal degree: Ph.D. '17 in special education, The University of Texas at Austin

Job title and department: Assistant professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education

Specialties: Reading difficulties and disabilities, including specific learning disabilities and dyslexia; evidence-based reading and spelling instruction and intervention for K-12 students; intensive interventions; explicit and systematic instruction

Before UGA: Williams served as an assistant professor of special education in the School of Education at Indiana University, where she also developed and coordinated the Dyslexia Graduate Certificate program. Prior to her doctoral studies, Williams was a high school special education teacher and head swim coach in Statesboro, Georgia.

Terminal degree: Ph.D. '20 in exercise physiology, Pennsylvania State University

Job title and department: Assistant professor, Department of Kinesiology

Specialties: Environmental, cardiovascular, and exercise physiology; racial and ethnic disparities in cardiovascular health; environmental impacts on cardiovascular health

Before UGA: Wolf most recently served as a postdoctoral scholar at Pennsylvania State University. Prior to his doctoral studies, he attained his bachelor's and master's degrees at California State University, Fresno. Outside of academia, Wolf served in several roles related to exercise physiology and health, including workplace wellness and performance optimization for competitive cyclists.