Thirteen faculty members have been recognized for their intellectual leadership, professional achievement, and service, including six who were awarded tenure. The appointments, approved by the Board of Trustees, are effective July 1.
Guadalupe Bacio received tenure and was promoted to associate professor of psychological science and Chicana/o Latina/o studies. Her research seeks to understand and address the disparities in patterns and consequences of alcohol and drug use encountered by Latinx adolescents of different immigrant generations.
Colin Beck was promoted to professor of sociology. As a political sociologist, he examines how and why societies and institutions change through the lens of revolution.
David Kauchak was promoted to professor of computer science. His main research interests lie in natural language processing (NLP), with a particular focus on applied NLP. He is currently researching ways to improve health and medical literacy in the virtual-assistant world.
Jade Star Lackey was promoted to professor of geology. He is an igneous and metamorphic petrologist and expert of stable isotope geochemistry.
Rachel Levin was promoted to professor of biology. She specializes in animal reproductive behavior, conducting research both in the field and in the lab with songbirds. Currently, she is working on a study of the development of transgender identity in humans.
Jane Liu was promoted to professor of chemistry. Her research projects focus on gene regulation in bacteria and mechanisms that contribute to the persistence of the bacterial pathogen that causes cholera disease.
Sara Masland received tenure and was promoted to associate professor of psychological science. She studies treatment improvement and accessibility for people with personality disorders, including the ways that mental health stigma may create barriers to care.
Jessie Mills received tenure and was promoted to associate professor of theatre. Her scholarship and publications center on ensemble-theatre and comedy-as-community.
Jorge Moreno received tenure and was promoted to associate professor of physics and astronomy. As a theoretical astrophysicist, he works on various aspects of galaxy formation, evolution and environment. Recently, he has studied galaxies that lack dark matter.
Mike Morgan was promoted to professor of physical education. He is the head coach for the Pomona-Pitzer women’s tennis team.
Alexandra Papoutsaki received tenure and was promoted to associate professor of computer science. She studies human-computer interaction, focusing on webcam eye tracking and the effects of shared gaze on remote collaborations. She is also interested in health informatics and crowdsourcing.
Sarah Queener was promoted to associate professor of physical education. She is the head coach of the Pomona-Pitzer women’s lacrosse program.
Makhroufi Ousmane Traoré received tenure and was promoted to associate professor of history and Africana studies. His research focuses on the history of imperialism and colonialism in Africa. His recent research goal is to refocus the Western lens of Africa from slave ships arriving to American to a more objective and Afrocentric approach to Africa’s ancient past.