Faculty and Staff

Faculty and staff at CGS are listed here by group. You can follow the link from highlighted faculty names for more extensive profiles.

Team Alignment 2011-2012
Faculty expectations document for CGS can be read online.

CGS faculty may request A/V equipment at t his page.
CGS faculty may request reading materials to be put on reserve in the Katzenberg Center at this page.

Deans

Linda Wells
Dean of the College; Professor of Humanities
BA, MA (English), Colorado State University; PhD (English), University of Wisconsin-Madison
lwells@bu.edu
Research interests: Law, ethics, and literature; nineteenth- and twentieth-century literature, in particular African-American literature

Natalie McKnight
Associate Dean for Faculty Development; Professor of Humanities; Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching
BA (English and Drama), Washington College; MA (Creative Writing), Johns Hopkins University; PhD (English and American Literature), University of Delaware
njmck@bu.edu
Research interests: Victorian literature, creative writing, popular culture and gender studies

Robert Oresick
Sr. Associate Dean of the College
BA, University of Pittsburgh; MA, PhD, Boston University
oresick@bu.edu

Stacy Godnick
Sr. Assistant Dean of the College
BA, Gettysburg; MA, New York University
sgodnick@bu.edu

Humanities Division

Adam Sweeting
Acting Chair and Associate Professor of Humanities; President of Boston University Faculty Council
BA (Philosophy), Clark University; MA, PhD (American Studies), New York University
sweeting@bu.edu
Research interests: American literature, environmental writing, and climate change. As former Chair of the Boston University Faculty Council I also have an interest in faculty governance

Cheryl Boots
Lecturer of Humanities
BA (Honors English), Mount Union College; MA (Higher Education Administration), Michigan State University; MA, PhD (American & New England Studies), Boston University
cboots@bu.edu
Research interests: Nineteenth century American literature, art, religion and music in historical context; sacred music in the secular world; song writing and performance

Christopher Coffman
Lecturer of Humanities
BA (English and Psychology), Franklin & Marshall College; MA, PhD (English Language and Literature), The Catholic University of America
ccoffman@bu.edu
Research interests: Contemporary American fiction and poetry

Sheila Cordner
Lecturer of Humanities
BA (English Literature), Smith College; MA (English and Comparative Literature), Columbia University; PhD (English Literature), Boston University
scordner@bu.edu
Research interests: Nineteenth-Century British Literature and Education; Modern British Literature; Irish Literature; History of Education; Women’s and Gender Studies

Christopher Fahy
Lecturer of Humanities
BA (English), Bates College; MA, PhD (English), Boston University
goodwood@bu.edu
Research interests: Writing about film

John Fawell
Professor of Humanities
BA (General Studies in the Humanities), MA, PhD (Comparative Literature), University of Chicago
jfawell@bu.edu
Research interests: 19th-century European literature film, particularly studio-era Hollywood

E. Thomas Finan
Lecturer of Humanities
BA , PhD (Literature and Philosophy); Boston University
etfinan@bu.edu
Research interests: Narratives of the real in American literature, American intellectual history, connections between philosophy and literature

Neal Leavitt
Lecturer of Humanities
BA (Philosophy) Harvard University; MA, PhD (Philosophy) Boston College
leavittn@bu.edu
Research interests: Human rights, 20th century ethical theory, Thoreau, the history of moral and political philosophy

Joellen Masters
Senior Lecturer of Humanities
AB (English Literature), Mount Holyoke College; MA, PhD (English Literature), Boston University
joellenm@bu.edu
Research interests: Victorian and New Woman Fiction

Joshua Pederson
Lecturer of Humanities
BA (English), University of Michigan; PhD (Religion and Literature), Boston University
pederson@bu.edu
Research interests: Contemporary authors’ interpretations of scripture, atonement theology and Christian heresy

Kevin Stoehr
Associate Professor of Humanities
AB (Philosophy), Bowdoin College, Magna cum laude; MA, PhD (Philosophy), Boston University
kstoehr@bu.edu
Research interests: Philosophy and Film, Film Studies, and History of Philosophy

Meg Tyler
Associate Professor of Humanities
BA (English), Kenyon College; PhD (Twentieth Century American, British and Irish Poetry), Boston University
mtyler@bu.edu
Research interests: History of Lyric Poetry, Contemporary Poetry, Sonnets in English and German, Poetry in Translation, Irish Literature, Intersections between Art History and Literature

Jeffery Vail
Senior Lecturer of Humanities
BA (English Literature), Washington College; MA, PhD (English Literature), University of Delaware
jwvail@bu.edu
Research interests: British and Irish Romanticism

Robert Wexelblatt
Professor of Humanities
BA (English), University of Pennsylvania; MA (English and American Literature), University of Michigan; PhD (English and American Literature), Brandeis University
wex@bu.edu
Research interests: Twentieth-century literature, philosophical problems, fiction, poetry, informal essays

James Wilcox
Associate Professor of Humanities
BA (English), University of Rhode Island; MA, PhD (English), Northern Illinois University
jiwilcox@bu.edu

Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Peter Busher
Chair, Division of Natural Sciences; Professor of Natural Sciences
BA, MA (Biology), San Francisco State University; PhD (Biology), University of Nevada
pbusher@bu.edu
Research interests: Population biology, behavioral ecology, population dynamics of beavers

Leonard Andres
Senior Lecturer of Natural Sciences
BA, Brown; MS (Physiology), Harvard University; PhD (Nutritional Biochemistry and Physiology), Tufts University
landres@bu.edu
Research interests: Biology, mammalian physiology, nutritional biochemistry, human neuromuscular adaptation, human aging and health, respiratory physiology, exercise physiology, sarcopenia, ergogenic aids

Millard Baublitz
Associate Professor of Natural Sciences
BS (Physics and Astronomy), University of Maryland; PhD (Physics), Cornell University
baublitz@bu.edu
Research interests: Foundations of quantum mechanics and various topics in solid state physics

Sandra Buerger
Lecturer of Natural Sciences
BA (Archaeology), Boston University; PhD (Biology), Northeastern University
sbuerger@bu.edu
Research interests: Communication and survival strategies in environmental microbial communities, dormancy in medically relevant microbes, and trends in bacterial infections

Samuel Hammer
Associate Professor of Natural Sciences
BA (Anthropology), Grinnell College; MA (Counseling), DePaul University; MA (Biology), San Francisco State University; PhD (Biology), Harvard University
cladonia@bu.edu
Research interests: Science and nature, botany, history, arts

Gregg Jaeger
Associate Professor of Natural Sciences
BSc (Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics), University of Wisconsin; PhD (Physics), Boston University
jaeger@bu.edu
http://people.bu.edu/jaeger/
Research interests: Foundations of physics, information theory and quantum optics

Kari Lavalli
Lecturer of Natural Sciences
BA (Bio-Mathematics), Wells College; PhD (Marine Biology Studies), Boston University
klavalli@bu.edu
http://www.wix.com/klavalli/index
Research interests: Behavioral ecology of decapods, predator-prey interactions, animal behavior, inquiry-based science education and community involvement in resource conservation

Robert Schoch
Associate Professor of Natural Sciences
BA (Anthropology), The George Washington University; BS (Geology), The George Washington University; MS, PhD (Geology and Geophysics), Yale University
schoch@bu.edu
http://www.robertschoch.com/
Research interests: Geology, paleontology, evolution, environmental science, ancient Egypt and prehistoric/ancient cultures around the world

Sally Sommers Smith
Associate Professor of Natural Sciences
BA (Biology), Grinnell College; PhD (Anatomy and Cellular Biology), Tufts University
ssommers@bu.edu
Research interests: Pulmonary cell biology, traditional Irish music

Rhetoric

Matthew Parfitt
Chair, Division of Rhetoric; Associate Professor of Rhetoric
BA, MA (English), University of Toronto; PhD (English), Boston College
parfitt@bu.edu
Research interests: Composition, literary theory, British literature 1880–1930, gender studies, World War I, Robert Frost

Rick Cole
Instructor of Rhetoric
BA, MA (English), University of Massachusetts
rickcole@bu.edu
Research interests: Composition pedagogy and cultural studies

D. Lynn O’Brien Hallstein
Associate Professor of Rhetoric
BA (Speech Communication), University of Pittsburgh; MA (Speech Communication), University of North Carolina; PhD (Communication), Ohio State University
lhallst@bu.edu
Research interests: Rhetoric, cultural studies, feminist theory, and contemporary understandings of motherhood and mothering

Regina Hansen
Senior Lecturer of Rhetoric
BA (English/Anthropology), Tufts University; PhD (English/Victorian Studies), Boston College
rhansen@bu.edu
Research interests: Victorian literature, children’s fiction, composition studies

Charles Henebry
Lecturer of Rhetoric
AB (Science and Literature), Harvard College; MA (Development of English); PhD (English), New York University
henebry@bu.edu
Research interests: Rhetorical practices and visual culture in the Renaissance

Beth Kramer
Lecturer of Rhetoric
BA (Biology), University of Pennsylvania; MA, PhD (English), New York University
bek212@gmail.com
Research interests: Victorian women and culture, and nineteenth-century reform movements

Patricia Larash
Lecturer of Rhetoric
BA (Classics), Harvard-Radcliffe College; MA, (Greek), PhD (Classics) University of California, Berkeley
plarash@bu.edu
Research interests: Latin poetry, readership in the ancient world, gender and sexuality in the ancient world, Joyce

Gillian Pierce
Assistant Professor of Rhetoric
BA (French and English History and Literature), Harvard College; MA (Comparative Literature), University of Michigan; PhD (Comparative Literature), University of Michigan
gpierce@bu.edu
Research interests: Comparative literature, eighteenth-century French literature and salons, literary and aesthetic theory, literature and the visual arts, Agnès Varda

Davida Pines
Associate Professor of Rhetoric
BA (English), Yale University; MA (English and American Literature), New York University; MPhil (English Romantic Poetry), Oxford University; PhD (English and American Literature), Brandeis University
dpines@bu.edu
Research interests: Long-form autobiographical comics, the relationship between image and text, and the teaching of writing

John Regan
Senior Lecturer of Rhetoric
BA (English), Central Connecticut State University; MA (English), Southern Connecticut State University; PhD (English), University of Rhode Island
jregan@bu.edu
Research interests: American literature, composition, and rhetoric; computers and writing instruction

Matthew Stewart
Associate Professor of Rhetoric
BA (English), Coe College; PhD (English), Emory University
mstewart@bu.edu
Research interests: Film and literature of war

Megan Sullivan
Associate Professor of Rhetoric
BA (English), Albertus Magnus College; MA (English), Southern Connecticut State University; PhD (British Literature), University of Rhode Island
msullvan@bu.edu
Research interests: Education, writing, literature, film, women’s studies and Irish studies

Alan Taylor
Lecturer of Rhetoric
BA (English), Samford University; MA (English), University of Oregon; PhD (English), Boston University
actaylor@bu.edu
Research interests: 19th-century American literature, history, and geography

Kathleen Vandenberg
Lecturer of Rhetoric
BA (Biology), Belmont Abbey College; MA (English Language and Literature), Winthrop University; PhD (Rhetoric and Composition), The Catholic University of America
vberg@bu.edu
Research interests: Style pedagogies, the spatial turn, and modern rhetoric

Aaron Worth
Assistant Professor of Rhetoric
BA (English and Theater), Bates College; MA, PhD (English Literature), Brandeis University
worth@bu.edu
Research interests: Victorian Literature and Culture, History of Science, Cognitive Literary Studies, and Media Studies

Social Sciences

Jay Corrin
Chair, Division of Social Sciences; Professor of Social Sciences
BA (History), Michigan State University; MA (Asian History), University of Hawaii; PhD (Modern European and British History), Boston University
jckuch@bu.edu
Research interests: Religion and politics, especially the influence of Catholicism on political thought and actions

Richard Samuel Deese
Lecturer of Social Sciences
BA (History), University of California, Berkeley; MA (History), University of Oregon; MA (Creative Writing), Boston University; PhD (History), Boston University
rsdeese@bu.edu
Research interests: Cold War technologies and global environmentalism

June Grasso
Associate Professor of Social Sciences
BA (Asian Studies), Wellesley College; MA (Asian Studies), PhD (Modern China, Japan, and International Relations), Tufts University
jgrasso@bu.edu
Research interests: U.S.–China policy; modern Chinese history

Michael Kort
Professor of Social Sciences
BA (History), Johns Hopkins University; MA, PhD (Russian History), New York University
mkckektk@bu.edu
Research interests: History of the Soviet Union, the bombing of Hiroshima and the end of World War II, and American foreign policy during the Cold War

Leslie Kriebel
Lecturer of Social Sciences
BA, MA, PhD (Sociology), University of Massachusetts-Amherst
lkriebel@bu.edu
Research interests: Structural inequality in state communist societies, socio-economic roots of individualization, statistical modeling of climate change and social decline using historical data

Susan Lee
Senior Lecturer of Social Sciences
AB (American Civilization), Brown University; MDiv (Divinity), Harvard University; PhD (Sociology), Boston University
susanlee@bu.edu
Research interests: Gender and development in low-income countries, especially widows, female-supported households, women in religion, and international women’s treaties

John Mackey
Lecturer of Social Sciences
BA (History and Certification in Secondary Education), Dickinson College; MA, PhD (History), Boston College
jmackey@bu.edu
Research interests: Britain and the British Empire in the nineteenth-century, and interest in themes of race, ethnicity, and class in Victorian humor and comedy; the history of dress and fashion; modern Irish history and Irish identity

Scott Marr
Lecturer of Social Sciences
BA (History) Kansas State University; PhD (History), Boston University
smarr@bu.edu
Research interests: Religious and social history of early modern France, European encounters with non-Europeans, and the comparative history of religious coexistence

Kathleen Martin
Senior Lecturer of Social Sciences
BA (Sociology), Dickinson College; MA (Sociology), Ohio State University; PhD (Comparative History), Brandeis University
martinkc@bu.edu
Research interests: The social science of poverty, the relationship between religion and other social factors, and comparative study of European and East Asian culture

John McGrath
Associate Professor of Social Sciences
BA (Economics), Harvard University; MA (Writing and Publishing), Emerson College; MA, PhD (Modern European History), Boston University
eldraque@bu.edu
Research interests: Sixteenth Century Europe and America, especially Travel Literature, Cartography, and Maritime History

Lindsay Moore
Lecturer of Social Sciences
BA (English Literature), Southern Nazarene University; MA (British History), University of Oklahoma; PhD (Early Modern British History), The George Washington University
lrmoore@bu.edu
Research interests: Women’s legal capabilities and the circulation of legal knowledge in England, Massachusetts, and Maryland in the seventeenth century

William Tilchin
Associate Professor of Social Sciences
BA (Social Sciences, French, and Secondary Education), MA (History), Michigan State University; PhD (History), Brown University
wnt@bu.edu
Research interests: Presidency and foreign policy of Theodore Roosevelt, American foreign relations since the 1930s, and presidential leadership throughout U.S. history

Benjamin E. Varat
Lecturer of Social Sciences
BA (Biology), Trinity College; MA (History), PhD (Modern International Relations/Modern French History), Boston University
bvarat@bu.edu

Thomas Whalen
Associate Professor of Social Sciences
BA (History), Bates College; MA (American History), PhD (American History), Boston College
tjw64@bu.edu
Research interests: Modern American politics, presidential leadership, Boston history, and sport and American society

Academic Advising

Dr. Alyse Bithavas
Academic Advisor
BA, EdM, PhD, Boston University
bithavas@bu.edu

Heidi Chase
Academic Advisor
BA (Art and Social Action, Women’s Studies), George Mason University; MPH (Public Health), Boston University
hchase@bu.edu

Stacy Godnick
Assistant Dean of the College
BA, Gettysburg; MA, New York University
sgodnick@bu.edu

Ilda Hanxhari
Academic Advisor
BA (Psychology), University of Massachusetts, Boston; EdM (Policy, Planning, and Administration Specializing in Higher Education), Boston University
ildahanx@bu.edu

John Lyons
Academic Advisor
BA (American History and Civilization), Boston University; MS (Environmental Education), Southern Connecticut State University
jlyons@bu.edu

Louis Mayhew
Academic Advisor
BA, University of Massachusetts; MSW, Boston University
ljmayhew@bu.edu

Dr. Robert Oresick
Sr. Associate Dean of the College
BA, University of Pittsburgh; MA, PhD, Boston University
oresick@bu.edu

Katzenberg Center

Naomi Lomba-Gomes
Manager, Judson Rea Butler Study Center
BA, University of Massachusetts, Boston; MLA (Bi-lingual and Cultural Studies), Boston University
naomilg@bu.edu
Writing essays, creative non-fiction, biography, and poetry

Matt Dursin
Audio-Visual Coordinator
BA, Emerson College
dursin@bu.edu

Matt Hallgren
IT Systems Support Specialist
BS, Boston University
hallgren@bu.edu
Interests: Information technology, engineering, and science

Paul Thur
Academic Specialist
BA, MA, Rutgers University
pthur@bu.edu

Development & Alumni Relations

Jared Bouzan
Director of Development & Alumni Relations
B.A. Assumption College, M.Ed. Springfield College
jbouzan@bu.edu

Administrative Staff

Rayhme Cleary
Administrative Secretary, CGS Natural Science
clearys@bu.edu

Anita Cook
Administrative Coordinator, CGS CITL
akcook@bu.edu

Tracey Dimant
Administrative Manager
BA (English), Boston University
tnick@bu.edu

Yelizaveta Dimant
Administrative Coordinator
BA (Psychology), SUNY Stony Brook
dimant2@bu.edu

Carol Donovan
Senior Technician, Laboratory, CGS Science
caroldon@bu.edu

Rebekah Hardeson
Administrative Coordinator
BS (Theater Management), University of Evansville
hardeson@bu.edu

Patricia Mullane
Senior Secretary, CGS Humanities
pmullane@bu.edu
Winner of the Perkins Award for outstanding service to BU

Dorothy Scott
Administrative Secretary, CGS Rhetoric
dascott@bu.edu

Barbara Storella
Administrative Assistant
BA (Art History), Boston University
bstorell@bu.edu
Winner of the Perkins Award for outstanding service to BU

Danielle Vinciguerra
Administrative Secretary, CGS Social Science
danie@bu.edu