College of Arts and Sciences Welcomes New Faculty for 2023-24

New faces bring fresh perspectives across the sciences and humanities.

September 18, 2023

Communications Staff

Class being taught outside at Oberlin's Memorial Arch.
Fall weather in Oberlin offers welcome opportunities to take the classroom—in this case a course on politics and East Asian studies—outside.
Photo credit: Mike Crupi

Students choose Oberlin—and thrive at Oberlin—because of the nurturing mentorship of the outstanding faculty who guide their learning. We are honored to welcome the newest additions to our faculty across the College of Arts and Sciences for 2023-24.

 

Ghassan Abou-Zeineddine
Photo courtesy of Abou-Zeineddine

Ghassan Abou-Zeineddine

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing

Education

  • BA in Psychology with a minor in Creative Writing, George Washington University
  • MA in Creative Writing, Columbia University
  • PhD in English with a Creative Writing emphasis, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Abou-Zeineddine’s stories draw on real-life observations. His recent short story cycle, “Dearbornites,” captures the Michigan city’s evolution and reflects his dedication to portraying the essence of communities.

Kari Barclay
Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones ’97

Kari Barclay

Assistant Professsor of Theater

Education

  • BA in Theater Studies and Political Science, Duke University
  • PhD in Theater and Performance Studies, Stanford University

Barclay specializes in the nexus of performance and politics. With expertise in intimacy directing, queer and trans performance, and theater history, his work emphasizes consensual and trauma-informed approaches.

Matthew Berkman
Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones ’97

Matthew Berkman

Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies

Education

  • BA in Philosophy and Religious Studies, NewYork University
  • MA in Near Eastern Studies, New York University
  • PhD in Political Science, University of Pennsylvania

Berkman is a political scientist with expertise in American Jewish history, race and ethnicity, and the Israel-Palestine conflict. His research delves into the role of philanthropic federations in shaping American Jewish political infrastructure post-WWII.

Monica Blatnik
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Monica Blatnik

Assistant Professor of Biology

Education

  • BS in Biology, Xavier University
  • PhD in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Ohio State University

Blatnik’s research focuses on understanding gene regulatory programs underlying vertebrate development using the zebrafish model system. She’s an advocate for diversity and inclusion in the scientific community.

Shana Cui
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Shana Cui

Assistant Professor of Economics

Education

  • BS in Mathematics, Capital Normal University
  • PhD in Economics, Beijing Jiaotong University
  • Visiting Predoctoral Fellow in the Strategy Department, Northwestern University
  • MA in Economics, University of Florida
  • PhD in Economics, University of Florida

Cui specializes in industrial organization, economics of regulation, antitrust, transportation economics, and applied microeconomic theory. Her research has been featured in the International Journal of Industrial Organization and the Journal of Regulatory Economics.

Joshua Davidson
Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones ’97

Joshua Davidson

Assistant Professor of Statistics & Data Science

Education

  • BA in English, Oberlin College
  • Master of City Planning, University of Pennsylvania
  • PhD in City and Regional Planning, University of Pennsylvania

A 2012 Oberlin graduate, Davidson specializes in research related to city planning and transportation. He will teach statistics and data science and visualization.

Rachel Diethorn
Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones ’97

Rachel Diethorn

Assistant Professor of Mathematics

Education

  • BS in Mathematics, Saint Vincent College
  • MS in Mathematics, Syracuse University
  • PhD in Mathematics, Syracuse University

Diethorn focuses on Koszul homology and resolutions over commutative rings. In a previous role at Yale University, she championed undergraduate research mentorship and innovative pedagogical initiatives.

Joshua Freedman
Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones ’97

Joshua Freedman

Assistant Professor of Politics

Education

  • BA in Political Science, University of Toronto
  • MA in Political Science, University of British Columbia
  • PhD in Political Science, Northwestern University

Freedman specializes in global politics, international law, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His research explores the politics of recognition in international diplomacy, with insights from events like Brexit and China’s rise.

Jihye Heo
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Jihye Heo

Assistant Professor of Economics

Education

  • BA in Economics, Korea University
  • MA in Economics, Vanderbilt University
  • PhD in Economics, Vanderbilt University

Heo specializes in industrial organizations, international trade, and applied econometrics, with a focus on product bundling in global markets. Her research offers insights into multi-product firm strategies and the determinants of export decisions.

Ledina Imani
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Ledina Imami

Assistant Professor of Social Psychology

Education

  • BA in Psychology, University of Michigan-Dearborn
  • PhD in Social Psychology, Wayne State University

Imami delves into the effects of poverty, inequality, and social disempowerment on motivation, well-being, and physical health. She is recognized for her insights on health disparities.

Vladimir Ivantsov
Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones ’97

Vladimir Ivantsov

Assistant Professor of Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies

Education

  • Diploma of Specialist in Russian Language and Literature, Ulyanovsk State Pedagogical University
  • Candidate of Sciences in Philology, Russian Literature, St. Petersburg State University
  • PhD in Russian Studies, McGill University

Ivantsov delves into Dostoevsky, 20th-century Russian culture, existentialist literature, and rock music. He will teach on Russian culture and art.

Michelle Johnson
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Michelle Johnson

Assistant Professor of Neuroscience

Education

  • BA in Neuroscience and Biology with a minor in Chemistry, Oberlin College
  • PhD in Neuroscience, Emory University
  • IRACDA Postdoctoral Scholar, Tufts University

A 2015 Oberlin graduate, Johnson specializes in the molecular mechanisms underlying frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Her research includes a publication on the protein FUS and its role in neurodegeneration.

Zé Kielwagen
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Zé Kielwagen

Assistant Professor of Studio Art

Education

  • MFA, Studio Art, Michigan State University
  • MA, Theory and History of Art, Santa Catarina State University (UDESC)
  • BA, Graphic Design, União de Tecnologia e Ensino de Santa Catarina (UTESC)

Kielwagen has been prominently featured in exhibitions such as the 6th and 7th Ghetto Biennale in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, and has showcased work in Brazil and India. His work spans experimental cinema and art biennials.

Hiroko Kumaki
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Hiroko Kumaki

Assistant Professor of Anthropology

Education

  • BA in Anthropology, Harvard University
  • MA in East Asian Studies, Yale University
  • MA in Anthropology, University of Chicago
  • PhD in Anthropology, University of Chicago

Kumaki specializes in the everyday politics and ethics of living with environmental toxicity, notably following the 2011 nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan. Her research delves into community challenges after environmental disasters.

Howard Levinson
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Howard Levinson

Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Education

  • BA in Mathematics, Tufts University
  • PhD in Applied Mathematics and Computational Science, University of Pennsylvania

Levinson specializes in inverse problems in imaging, numerical analysis, and computational methods. He has mentored numerous undergraduate research projects and participated in mathematical outreach initiatives.

Eric Lin
Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones ’97

Eric Lin

Associate Professor of Business

Education

  • MAcc and BS, Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University
  • MBA, Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University
  • DBA, Harvard Business School

Lin’s research centers on human capital and talent management. With experience from the United States Military Academy at West Point and McKinsey and Company, he brings expertise in human resource management, leadership, and innovation.

Carmen Merport Quinones
Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones ’97

Carmen Merport Quinones

Assistant Professor of Comparative American Studies

Education

  • BA in English, University of California
  • PhD in English, University of Chicago

Merport Quiñones specializes in comparative American studies, blending literary studies, art history, and media studies to explore the formation of identities based on race, gender, nationality, and more. Her book project Life in Motion: An Affective Genealogy of Minoritarian Art delves into avant-garde practices and visual culture.

Zeinab Mohamed
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Zeinab Mohamed

Assistant Professor of Statistics & Data Science

Education

  • BS in Statistics, Cairo University
  • MA in Statistics, Kuwait University
  • MA in Mathematics and Statistics, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
  • PhD candidate in Statistics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Mohamed’s research interests span spatial and spatiotemporal statistics, mathematical modeling in epidemiology, and machine learning.

Gabriel Moore
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Gabriel Moore

Assistant Professor of Biology

Education

  • BA in Biology and Musical Studies with a minor in Chemistry, Oberlin College
  • PhD in Molecular Biology, Princeton University

Moore ’15 focuses on microbial pathogenesis, virulence, bacterial physiology, and genomics. Before joining the faculty, he managed COVID-19 grant metrics at the New Jersey Department of Health and emphasized diversity, equity, and inclusion metrics as a Science Policy Postdoctoral Fellow.

Caroline Newhall
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Caroline Newhall

Assistant Professor of History

Education

  • BA in History, Trinity College
  • MA in United States History, University of North Carolina
  • PhD in United States History, University of North Carolina

Newhall specializes in American History with a focus on slavery, warfare, and self-emancipation. Her research underscores American warfare and Black POWs. Beyond academia, she has experience in digital advertising and public speaking.

Jessica Resvick
Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones ’97

Jessica Resvick

Assistant Professor of German

Education

  • ScB in German Studies & Neuroscience, Brown University
  • MA in Comparative Literature, Dartmouth College
  • PhD in Germanic Studies, University of Chicago

Resvik specializes in the poetics of knowledge in the 19th century, with interests spanning Goethe reception, media theory, and the history of science. She’s finalizing her book, Recognizing Reality: German Realism and the Transmission of Knowledge, and delves into the media history of “typological” thought.

Elizabeth Rogers
Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones ’97

Elizabeth Rogers

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing

Education

  • BA in Creative Writing and Dance, Oberlin College
  • MFA in Creative Writing and Poetry, Cornell University

Rogers ’07 is the acclaimed author of poetry collections The Tilt Torn Away from the Seasons and Chord Box. She was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award, and her work was recognized in the Boston Globe’s Best Books of 2020.

Aanchal Saraf
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Aanchal Saraf

Assistant Professor of Comparative American Studies

Education

  • BA in Geography and Ethnic Studies, Brown University
  • MA, MPhil in American Studies, Yale University
  • PhD in American Studies, Yale University

Saraf focuses on the geographies and cultures of war, empire, and knowledge. Her work examines U.S. Cold War nuclear colonialism’s effects on Pacific perspectives by merging archives, cultural narratives, and ethnography.

Bryan Terrazas
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Bryan Terrazas

Assistant Professor of Astronomy

Education

  • BA in Astrophysics, Columbia University
  • MS in Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Michigan
  • PhD in Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Michigan

Terrazas studies the evolution of galaxies, emphasizing the role of black hole feedback on star formation. He champions inclusivity in astronomy and STEM and is a strong advocate for interactive learning.

Rebecca Totton
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Rebecca Totton

Assistant Professor of Social Psychology

Education

  • BS in Psychology, University of Evansville
  • MA in Social Psychology, University of Chicago
  • PhD in Experimental Psychology, Ohio University

Totton’s research examines stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination from an intersectional perspective. Much of her work looks specifically at discrimination and prejudice toward LGBTQ minorities.

 

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