Grace Woods-Puckett’s research specialties include nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American and European art and the arts of sub-Saharan Africa. Questions of national identity, performance, myth, and networks inform her current research. Woods-Puckett earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in Art History from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and B.A. in Art History from Smith College.

Professor Woods-Puckett believes curiosity and enthusiasm are two of a student’s most powerful tools; helping her students discover how to activate and harness those powers is one of her great joys. Professor Woods-Puckett teaches courses in multimodal communications and across the Arts and Literature concentration on topics such as art & social change, decoding art and literature, artistic communication and expression, and tutorials like Interrogating Museums and Art in the Digital Realm. She is also the Head of the College of Arts and Humanities.

Michael Bogucki’s areas of expertise include modern British and Irish literature, Victorian and modernist performance cultures, narrative theory, and the philosophy of psychology. His current research focuses on the relation between perceiving genre and moral perfectionism in Joseph Conrad, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and Samuel Beckett.

As a teacher, Professor Bogucki has always been drawn to a remark Ludwig Wittgenstein made while reading James Frazer’s The Golden Bough:

The historical explanation, the explanation as an hypothesis of development, is only one way of assembling the data--of their synopsis.  It is just as possible to see the data in their relation to one another and to embrace them in a general picture without putting it in the form of an hypothesis about temporal development.

It may not be as unforgettable as some of Wittgenstein’s other formulas (i.e. “To imagine a language means to imagine a form of life”), but Professor Bogucki believes it speaks to a different way of thinking about education. In an intensive, student-centered classroom, we can let go of the generalizations others think we should know and instead focus on honing the skills we need to actually see things in relation. Especially in academic writing, we often paralyze ourselves searching for the perfect explanation or “synopsis,” rather than treating writing as a matter of acknowledging and actually conversing with our audience. Professor Bogucki teaches the first-year Multimodal Communications Cornerstone Course.

Professor Catherine Carter’s doctoral work examined the relationship between people and sustainable technologies, in a charged, bi-national context. For her dissertation, she spent nine months conducting ethnographic research on sustainability built environment projects on the U.S.-Mexico border. Professor Carter earned her Ph.D. in Sustainable Design at the University of Texas School of Architecture and Planning. She earned her Master’s in Sustainable Design, with a focus on how building technologies shift values, habits, and practices of inhabitants in sustainable directions. 

Professor Carter is excited to draw on her past experiences to help students respond to complex global problems using critical thinking and creativity. Through her teaching, she aims to help students understand how people shape their built environments, how built environment shapes people, and the power of design to make sustainable and just change.

Erin Kamler is an acclaimed composer, playwright, and academic researcher. Her work reflects her passion for the intersection of feminist social justice and the arts. Kamler earned her Ph.D. at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, where her research focused on the trafficking and migration of women in Thailand, and using the arts as a tool for political communication and human rights witnessing.

In the classroom, Kamler encourages students to apply critical and creative thinking to achieve their educational and personal goals. She teaches The Arts and Social Change, as well as Socioeconomic Influences on the Arts and Literature.

Lindsey Fiorelli earned her Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania. Her research interests include the philosophy of film, philosophy of language, and philosophy of perception. More specifically, her work focuses on how we engage — perceptually and cognitively — with works of visual art.

Professor Fiorelli taught Philosophy and Critical Writing courses at the University of Pennsylvania, including: an Introductory Aesthetics course, a Critical Writing seminar on Digital Art, and a Critical Writing seminar on the Moral Evaluation of Art. She strives to develop students’ critical thinking skills and to create an open-minded atmosphere in the classroom; she believes that intellectual rigor and enthusiasm go hand in hand.

Robert Karl is a historian of modern Latin America and the Caribbean. His book Forgotten Peace: Reform, Violence, and the Making of Contemporary Colombia (California; Spanish translation Librería Lerner) is a critical reference point in academic and public debates in both Colombia and the United States about Colombia’s current peace process. He holds a Ph.D. in History from Harvard University and a B.A. from Dartmouth College.

Professor Karl is passionate about helping students learn how to apply historical methodologies to real-life situations. His interest in bringing digital methodologies to teaching, research, and storytelling aligns with Minerva’s innovative approach to the study of history. Karl teaches Historical Forces courses on global history, public and applied history, the craft of historical research, and comparative history; as well as tutorials on the digital humanities and history & activism.

An unrepentant generalist, Jonathan Powers believes passionately in the value of big-picture, interdisciplinary thinking. With degrees in Philosophy and Architecture (History & Theory), and with professional experience in nonprofit management, consulting, government and writing, he deliberately approaches all endeavors with the intention of crossing disciplinary and other boundaries. Previous research projects focused on the role of architecture in utopian thinking and on the historical development of the lexicon we now use to describe and discuss the creative process. His current research seeks to illuminate the perceived social value of the humanities and liberal arts.

Powers sees curiosity, listening, and questions as the primary drivers for insight. These three skills allow students to build broad and nuanced views of the world and its problems, which in turn allows them to deploy their professional and technical expertise for the greatest possible impact. Powers strives to lead students toward increased clarity about themselves and their own ambitions. He is passionately committed to student success on the students’ terms. Powers received his Ph.D. in Architectural History & Theory from McGill University, his M.A. in Philosophy from Boston College and a B.A. in Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Studies from Amherst College. He teaches a variety of courses in the colleges of Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences, including Multimodal Communication and Complex Systems.

Melissa Yates is a professor of moral and political philosophy. She earned her Ph.D. in philosophy at Northwestern University researching theories of public reasoning developed by John Rawls and Jürgen Habermas. She teaches courses in normative and applied ethics, social and political philosophy, and feminist theory.

Yates’ research addresses social, political, and ethical philosophical questions about the ways citizens exercise power, and the institutions that constrain, enable and coerce citizen engagement in public life. In her manuscript in progress, Democracy as Strangers: Governing without Ties of Intimacy, she argues that current democratic theory fails to account for one of the most important realities of contemporary democratic life, namely the fact that the vast majority of democratic citizens are fundamentally strangers to one another. The manuscript draws connections between democratic estrangement and algorithmic personalization in the context of democratic digital public spheres, and on the idea of trans-temporal relationships of power that are particularly relevant in the context of increased migration caused by climate change.

Professor Scott Wisor focuses his teaching and research on ethics and international affairs. His forthcoming book is The Ethics of Global Poverty: An Introduction (Routledge). Wisor received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder and his B.A. in Philosophy and History from Washington University in St. Louis.

Wisor encourages students to write frequently and to subject their ideas to regular critical examination. He believes Minerva's small, interactive classrooms help students to analyze and evaluate arguments, improving their critical thinking skills. Professor Wisor teaches the Morality and Justice Core Course and the Creating Ethical Political and Social Systems Concentration Course.

Mina Yang is a musicologist with research interests in cultural studies, Asian American culture, and American music. A skilled pianist and musicologist, she earned a B.A. in Art History from Brown University, M.M. in Piano Performance from the New England Conservatory, and Ph.D. in Musicology from Yale University.

Yang has taught a range of classes for undergraduate and graduate students at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, University of California, San Diego, University of Southern California, and other institutions in California. Yang has also published two books and numerous essays situating music within larger sociopolitical trends. She has presented her work internationally and has consulted for and supported the marketing efforts of Disney, LA Opera, and other arts organizations. Yang is a Professor of Arts and Humanities at Minerva, where she also serves as the lead of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Yang can be reached at minayang@minerva.edu.

Aaron Lawry is an interdisciplinary social scientist with industry and academic training in market research. He specializes in digital branding, shopper insights, and human-computer interaction. He received his Ph.D. in Consumer Psychology from the University of Arizona and an M.A. in Ethnomusicology from Columbia University. Previously, he worked as a digital strategist and copywriter for advertising agencies in New York City, revitalizing heritage brands such as Tylenol, Dockers, L’Oreal, and Mini.

Professor Lawry has taught marketing coursework at elite liberal arts colleges, large private universities, and land-grant research institutions. This 360-degree experience informs his expertise in business pedagogy. He enjoys bringing industry-relevant content and lateral thinking exercises into the classroom to help students acquire an innovative mindset and prepare them for Industry 4.0 professions.

Torsten Doering received his Ph.D. in Operations Management and an M.B.A. from the New York State University at Buffalo. His B.A. in Mechanical Engineering and his first M.A. degree were earned in Germany. Professor Doering's research interests are primarily in the fields of empirical supply chain management and global manufacturing research, with a focus on forecasting, organizational culture, digitalization, and integration.

Professor Doering believes that higher education should be exciting and engaging for students and that Minerva's unique learning model is perfectly positioned to facilitate responsibility, innovation and long term success. He utilizes his managerial skills to establish connections between salient concepts and the business environment. Professor Doering teaches business core courses, an Operational Complexity concentration course, and supports capstone projects.

Nikki Eberhardt's life goal is to empower people with audacious solutions in order to tackle the globe’s most intractable challenges. She seeks to disrupt at the intersection of technology and scalable social impact. She is Assistant Professor of Business at Minerva—teaching startup finance, marketing and global business. She has an M.A. in International Development from Brigham Young University, an M.B.A. from Said Business School at Oxford, and a Ph.D. in Global Sociology from the University of Utah.

Eberhardt currently serves on Delta’s Global Talent Team to craft leadership development and mentor culture strategies. She is EVP Impact eThree + Director Partnerships at ZSchool, a digital platform promoting generational change. She also works with Global Citizen—a movement harnessing voices of global citizens, influencers, world leaders, and corporations to fundraise and advocate for the end of extreme poverty.

Professor Nadav Klein is passionate about the opportunity psychological research offers to better understand how people evaluate and interact with each other. More specifically, he is interested in reputation and how people can build, repair, and communicate it effectively. Professor Klein is a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Chicago, where he also earned his Ph.D. in Managerial and Organizational Behavior at the Booth School of Business. Before the University of Chicago, he worked in consulting and earned his undergraduate degree in psychology from Amherst College. 

As a teacher, Professor Klein cares most about the opportunity to inspire students the same way he had once been with the insights psychological research can give students about how and why people behave, think, and decide the way they do.

Nikhil Mathur is a financial economist whose work focuses on banking, financial intermediation, decentralized finance/cryptocurrency, and macro-finance topics. His most recent research investigates the effects of financial regulation on bank risk. Dr. Mathur earned a Ph.D in Economics with a specialization in International Money & Finance and Computational Modeling from Claremont Graduate University, an M.P.P degree in Economics from Pepperdine University, and his B.A. from the University of California, Riverside.

What excites Dr. Mathur the most about Minerva is its deep focus on applying scientifically evidenced and cutting-edge pedagogical techniques. As a faculty member, he enjoys teaching the ‘art and science’ of analysis within the Strategic Finance concentration at Minerva’s Business School. He teaches Financial Planning, Budgeting, and Modeling; Enterprise, Design and Optimization; Capital Allocation and Value Creating Growth; Business Practicum; tutorials; and also serves as a Capstone Advisor.

Ozgur Ozluk has published research on various business applications of mathematical programming models, from supply chain optimization to pricing and revenue management. He is the CEO and Founding Partner of Verite Analytics, a predictive analytics company. Professor Ozluk earned his Ph.D. and M.Sc., both in Operations Research, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Bilkent University. 

Professor Ozluk believes that the most important part of teaching nurturing a passion for lifelong learning in his students. He is thrilled to be a part of the innovative Minerva infrastructure.

Rena Levitt earned her Ph.D. in pure mathematics at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2008. After completing her degree, Levitt joined the Department of Mathematics at Pomona College where she designed and taught classes implementing inquiry-based learning techniques in single and multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and geometric group theory.

During her time in Claremont, Levitt developed programs designed to address diversity in higher education focusing on recruitment and retention in STEM fields. She served as a faculty member for the Pomona Academy for Youth Success and developed Pomona’s Learning Communities in Mathematics — a mentoring program for students traditionally underrepresented in math and the sciences. Levitt’s research focuses on geometric and combinatorial approaches to decision problems in algebraic structures. In 2012 she was selected as a faculty supervisor for the Fletcher Jones Fellowship Grant, a research experience for undergraduates in mathematics. Levitt joined the Minerva University in the spring of 2014 as the Academic Director of Computational and Natural Sciences. Dean Levitt teaches the first-year Formal Analysis Cornerstone.

Professor Alexis Diamond is one of the world's leading experts on impact evaluation in international development and public policy. Prior to Minerva, he led program evaluation for nearly a decade at IFC, the private-sector development arm of the World Bank. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard, and a M.A. in International Development from Carleton University.

Diamond has taught evaluation and causal inference at top-tier institutions around the world. He believes students learn best in classes that focus on problem solving and building practical skills, and encourages them to push the frontiers of their own capabilities — establishing a culture conducive to intellectual risk-taking. Professor Diamond teaches the Knowledge: Information-Based Decisions Core Course.

Aboozar Hadavand received his Ph.D. from City University of New York (CUNY,) Graduate Center and his M.A. in Economics from Texas Tech University. Prior to Minerva, Hadavand served as a postdoctoral fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he studied how students learn through massive open online courses (MOOCs.) Hadavand’s current research focuses on higher education, skill acquisition, science communication, and data literacy.

Hadavand has previously taught at Barnard College of Columbia University, Brooklyn College, and Texas Tech University. He has also been the curriculum developer and lead of a program called Cloud-Based Data Science (currently Data Trail) in Baltimore. The goal of the program is to train and prepare disadvantaged young adults for jobs in the field of data science.

A former member of the mathematics departments at Occidental College and Pomona College, Professor John Levitt conducted research on the Minimal Model Program in algebraic geometry, derived categories, and enumerative geometry. He has also been involved in competitive machine learning.

Levitt has a background in active learning strategies inside and outside the classroom and has been involved his entire career in transforming his students' views of mathematics as a body of facts to a problem solving process. As a faculty member, he taught a broad spectrum of mathematics courses using these strategies, ranging from calculus and linear algebra to advanced seminars in geometry and set theory. Levitt has also been heavily involved in several community outreach programs.

Dr. Ribeiro joins Minerva building upon a career in academia as a cosmologist and in the industry as a data scientist. With a Ph.D. and a MASt from the University of Cambridge, Ribeiro has conducted formal research into theories of modified gravity applied to dark energy and the physics of the Big Bang.

Throughout her career, Ribeiro's passion for teaching and mentoring contributed to some of her best work outside class. Ribeiro is enthusiastic about sharing new perspectives on course material in the classroom and cultivating a culture of inquisitive minds on the shoulders of constructive argumentation. Her approach has also been successfully applied to leading data science teams in numerous startups.

Carl Scheffler has extensive experience as an academic and an industry professional in machine learning. Prior to Minerva he acted as the technical lead at an edtech startup in South Africa, after which he joined South Africa’s largest online retailer as a founding member and, eventually, technical lead of the machine learning team. Professor Scheffler earned his Ph.D. in Bayesian Inference from the University of Cambridge.

Professor Scheffler has been teaching university students on and off since starting work on his M.Sc. research. He has traveled from Africa to Europe, India, the Americas, and the Middle East to help teach hands-on use of technology in underserved communities. He believes that people learn best by doing, and that we truly understand a concept once we can build something with it. Professor Scheffler teaches the Modern Computational Statistics concentration course.

Rohan Shekhar’s expertise lies in the field of dynamic systems and control. His research focuses on the application of model-based and model-free control methods to automotive systems, autonomous vehicles, and robotics. Professor Shekhar earned his Ph.D. in Control Systems Engineering from the University of Cambridge, as well as a Bachelor of Engineering with First Class Honors from the University of Queensland.

Having experience in both small-group teaching within the Cambridge supervision system and conventional lecturing at the University of Melbourne, Professor Shekhar realizes that learning happens best in small groups when students are given the right level of guidance to arrive at the answers by themselves. He also believes strongly in the use of technological tools to enhance student learning outcomes. As such, he fully endorses the bold path being forged by Minerva in enabling students to take ownership over their education through the use of state-of-the-art teaching technologies based on the science of learning. Professor Shekhar teaches the Harnessing Artificial Intelligence Algorithms concentration course.

Philip Sterne has solid foundations in both the theoretical and practical application of Machine Learning. With his Ph.D. in Physics from Cambridge University, he has contributed to the understanding of statistical inference in random graphs. In his commercial career, he has built machine learning applications in banking and online retailing. His main research interest is in understanding the brain as performing optimal statistical inference under certain constraints.

With several years of lecturing experience under his belt, Professor Sterne has found that the best teaching happens when the lecturer is approachable and enthusiastic and for optimal learning, students are pointed in interesting directions and allowed to tackle the material themselves (with a little light guidance whenever obstacles arise). Professor Sterne teaches the Computation: Solving Problems with Algorithms Core Course and the Machine Learning for Science and Profit Concentration Course.

As a doctoral candidate, Professor Lucas Tambasco participated in various educational initiatives, such as developing online content for MITx, preparing graduate students and postdoctoral candidates through teacher-training courses, and serving as the academic coordinator for MIT Brazil’s pilot Global Teaching Lab program. He earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he also obtained his B.S. in Mathematics and Physics. 

Professor Tambasco is a proponent of research-based strategies for classroom instruction. He has implemented active learning activities in his mathematics courses and focused on providing prompt and direct feedback to students. He is passionate about using analytical and computational tools to gain insight into physical phenomena. 

Professor Tambasco aims to promote this passion in the classroom by relating abstract concepts to real-world scenarios.

While obtaining her Ph.D. in Physics from the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics at York University, Alexandra Terrana conducted research in cosmology and gravitation, motivated by the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy. Using analytical methods and numerical simulations, her work illuminates the best basis for models of our universe on the largest scales. She has also pursued science education research, including student learning effectiveness in online environments.

Professor Terrana has experience in teaching a broad range of Mathematics and Science, and thrives on the challenge to make seemingly complex material accessible and exciting for students. Her focus in the classroom is on students' development of skills to break down and solve problems.

At Minerva University, Professor Terrana teaches and develops the first-year Formal Analyses Cornerstone and the Physics of Life Core Course. She also coordinates the Cornerstone Curriculum, including the incoming-student preparation program and the first-year Structured Study Sessions. She is passionate about providing students with the academic support they need to thrive at Minerva.

Engin Volkan received her Ph.D. in Economics from University of Southern California and specializes in Macroeconomics and Financial Economics. Her dissertation focused on sovereign default in emerging economies and their contagious effect on mature markets. She is passionate about incorporating creative and interdisciplinary approaches to her research. Engin is also an aspiring filmmaker and holds an MFA degree in Photography from Marmara University.

Patrick Watson is a neuroscientist with a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and B.S. in Molecular Biology, both from the University of Illinois (at Urbana-Champaign). He uses computational and machine learning techniques to help understand how the brain learns, remembers, and generates new hypotheses.

As an aspiring polymath, he's collaborated with historians on Individual and Collective Memory Consolidation, a book analyzing parallels between individual and collective memory, and worked with kinesthesiologists on a fitness intervention to enhance cognition. Professor Watson teaches the first-year Formal Analysis Cornerstone.

Suzanne Kern is a dedicated teacher, mentor, and scientist, with a longstanding interest in undergraduate science education. She earned her Ph.D. at MIT using interdisciplinary approaches to study bacterial metabolism, with implications for clinical medicine and bio-energy. For two decades Professor Kern has supported students’ academic and personal development through teaching and mentoring roles at Minerva University, the Claremont Colleges, Caltech, MIT, and Colorado College.

At Minerva, Professor Kern teaches Empirical Analyses, Life’s Chemistry, and Capstone Seminar, and has contributed to the development of courses including Chemical Structure and Reactivity, Life’s Chemistry, Solutions From and For Life, Analyzing Matter and Molecules, and Capstone Seminar. She has also coordinated the overall Capstone curriculum and heads the College of Natural Sciences

Professor Kern’s love of both science and learning is reflected in the classroom environment she fosters, where students practice new skills through discovery, collaboration, and reflection, building upon their collective experiences and individual identities.

Professor Donnelly uses the composition of volcanic rocks to understand the chemical evolution of the planet and dynamics of the Earth’s mantle. Professor Donnelly has applied her experience in basic scientific research to academic study, government policy as an advisor to key members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and climate and clean energy initiatives through work at private foundations and other non-profit organizations. Professor Donnelly earned a Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Columbia University, a M.Sc. in Geological Sciences from the University of Otago in New Zealand as a Fulbright Fellow, and a B.S. in Earth Sciences from Trinity University.

At Minerva, Donnelly has taught Empirical Analyses and Implications of Earth’s Cycles. In addition, she has taught in the Social Science Departments: Complex Systems Cornerstone. She has led cross-disciplinary tutorials on Science Communication and Climate Change Policy and advised numerous Capstone projects on climate change and sustainability. She is a Faculty member under the Interdisciplinary Sustainability minor.

Professor Andy Dosmann has developed and taught award-winning curriculum as a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University's Thinking Matters program. He has led multiple scientific expeditions in Thailand, Suriname, Bolivia, and Kenya. Prof. Dosmann earned his Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Chicago focusing on the evolutionary explanations of how animal behavior changes in response to changing conditions.

He currently investigates creative solutions to the climate crisis, focusing on the subproblem of global travel’s contribution to climate change. He takes a range of interdisciplinary approaches to uncover new ways to help travel reach industry-wide Net Zero goals.

As a teacher, Prof. Dosmann believes students learn best when applying creative problem solving skills to real-world situations. He is thrilled to be part of reinventing higher education at Minerva and to work alongside diverse, driven, and intellectually-engaged students. Prof. Dosmann teaches the first-year Empirical Analyses Cornerstone, a Natural Sciences course called Evolution Across Multiple Scales, and he has been active in launching Minerva’s Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability.

Professor Allie Gale is an Earth scientist whose PhD research involved using the geochemistry of mid-ocean ridge basalts (rocks) to make inferences regarding the composition and temperature of Earth's mantle. Prior to Minerva, she taught geoscience courses as an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls. She earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Harvard University.

While at Minerva, she has become particularly passionate about making connections across traditional disciplines. A particular interest is exploring the interface between ecology and geology. She also works with colleagues to strategize ways to tackle the climate crisis through sustainability-focused initiatives at Minerva and beyond.

As a teacher, Prof. Gale encourages students to “think” rather than simply memorize. She frequently uses different modes of teaching in her classes, including hands-on exercises with rocks and minerals, case studies, and humor. She is truly excited to participate in a new vision for higher education at Minerva and to work with such diverse and motivated students. Prof. Gale is involved with many different courses: the first-year Empirical Analyses Cornerstone, Natural Science courses including Keeping Earth Habitable, Implications of Earth’s Cycles, Integrating Earth’s Systems, and Chemical Structure and Reactivity, and she has been active in launching Minerva’s Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability.

Professor Cheryl Moy is a chemist with a focus on green and sustainable chemistry, earning her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Professor Moy has an interest in developing active-learning chemistry curricula with an emphasis on inclusion and diversity in STEM.

Professor Moy’s approach to teaching is to escort students as they build and discover how disciplines, topics, and concepts are interconnected. She is excited to be a part of the higher-education innovation at Minerva and to work with students as they apply concepts to new situations and are challenged to develop creative problem-solving skills.

At Minerva, Professor Moy teaches the first-year Empirical Analysis Cornerstone course and the Analyzing Matter and Molecules Concentration Course. She also contributes to the development of Minerva’s high school baccalaureate and university-level chemistry curricula.

Ben Richard’s research interests reside at the interface between fundamental physics and cosmology, with an emphasis on quantum field theoretic aspects of inflationary cosmologies.

Having greatly benefited from interacting with his mentors, Professor Richard strives to remain accessible to students while encouraging them to be self-driven and involved in projects that spark their curiosity. He also enjoys bringing theoretical concepts to life through the use of examples ranging from his own research to practical everyday applications.

Trisha Stan is joining Minerva from her recent role as a fellow in Stanford’s Program for Writing and Rhetoric, where she taught Written and Oral Communication with an emphasis on Science Communication. She earned her Ph.D. at Stanford University in Immunology. For her dissertation, she studied how the immune system is altered in patients with neurodegenerative disease. Professor Stan earned her B.A. in Philosophy and Molecular Biology in William Jewell College’s unique Oxbridge Honors program, where she learned first-hand the value of a liberal arts education and seminar-style instruction.

Professor Stan has taught courses in a variety of disciplines and finds that students learn best by applying knowledge and skills to solving real-world problems. She believes that students should think broadly and critically engage with ideas from diverse perspectives to challenge their own biases and ways of thinking.

Professor Geneva Stein joined Minerva from her position in the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning at Princeton University where she also served as a lecturer in Molecular Biology. Professor Stein earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Neuroscience from Princeton researching the genetics of learning and memory in C. elegans. Stein received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Bryn Mawr College.

Though Stein began her career as a molecular biologist, she is now focused on understanding how humans learn and translating the science of learning into effective pedagogical practice. In particular, Stein is passionate about helping students understand how, with effort and guidance, they can intentionally develop processes of critical thinking and refine methods of working both interdependently and independently towards success in their chosen field.

Stein currently directs Minerva’s Masters and Certificate in Decision Analysis Programs where she prepares current and emerging leaders worldwide to fearlessly innovate solutions to today's and tomorrow's challenges while embracing diverse and interdisciplinary perspectives.

Stein teaches courses focused on Minerva’s Habits of Mind and Foundational Concepts (HCs) at both the undergraduate and graduate level as well as undergraduate psychology courses.

Peter Zoogman is an atmospheric scientist with research interests in air pollution and climate change. Zoogman has been deeply involved in the design and development of an upcoming NASA satellite mission and his research both guides and is guided by environmental policy and planning worldwide. He received his Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Sciences, an M.A. in Physics, and a B.A. in Chemistry and Physics, all from Harvard University.

He aims to foster a class environment where students are continuously challenging themselves and each other (and him!) to figure out how to apply scientific concepts, data, and models to real-world challenges. He always looks forward to engaging with students at Minerva that are committed to being active members of the global community.

Zoogman teaches the first-year Empirical Analysis Cornerstone, two science concentration courses (Monitoring and Modeling Earth Systems; Analyzing Matter and Molecules) and Research Methods. He also teaches Research Methods as part of the Masters in Decision Analysis Program at Minerva. He formally taught in Environmental Sciences and Engineering at Harvard University and is engaged in ongoing research in collaboration with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Abha Ahuja is a biologist and educator with an international background, earning her B.S. in Zoology from Delhi University (India), Ph.D. in Genetics from McMaster University (Canada), and completing postdoctoral research in Developmental Biology at Harvard University (USA). As a Lecturer and Curriculum Fellow at Harvard Medical School, Ahuja applied a data-driven approach to improve teaching and learning in graduate programs. She designed and taught courses in the college of Natural Sciences at Minerva University, drawing on current research to build more equitable and engaging curriculum and learning environments. As part of Minerva Project, Ahuja conducts program design, and oversees program delivery for innovative higher education partners.

Professor Gahl joined Minerva after teaching biology and field ecology at Bates College, the University of Alaska-Southeast, and the University of Missouri. As an ecologist with unending curiosity, Gahl is motivated by puzzling scientific questions, rather than discipline-specific projects. She served as postdoctoral fellow at the Canadian Rivers Institute at the University of New Brunswick-Saint John and earned a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Maine.

Gahl’s approach to teaching is to impart skills so that students can critically solve problems. She taught Cornerstone Empirical Analyses to undergraduate and graduate students as well as tutorials in ecology and environmental science. Gahl helped develop the Natural Sciences curriculum at Minerva University creating creative and engaging active learning sessions. As part of Minerva Project, Gahl now collaborates with partners to implement Minerva’s approach to pedagogy and curriculum at other educational institutions.

Kiel Howe obtained his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Stanford University in 2015. Prior to joining Minerva, he worked as a Research Associate at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory writing mathematical poetry about subatomic particles. His current research interests involve connections between the mathematics of deep learning, statistical mechanics, and quantum information.

Dollie Davis specializes in International Political Economy and Economic Development. Prior to joining Minerva, she worked as an International Visiting Fellow at a think tank in Taipei, Taiwan where she executed a paper, discussing the impact of Taiwan’s Non-Governmental Organizations on their International Aid, Healthcare, and Political Systems. She earned her Ph.D. degree in Political Economy from the University of Southern California and her M.A. degree in Economics from the University of San Francisco.

Professor Davis taught courses on Economic Development in the School of International Relations at the University of Southern California. She believes in actively engaging with each student and providing a forum for in-depth discussion about old and new concepts and ideas in every class. Professor Davis teaches the Boom, Bust, and Bubbles: The Free Enterprise System Core Course and the Global Development and Applied Economics Concentration Course.

Katie McAllister completed her Ph.D. in neuroscience at the University of Cambridge and B.Sc. in Cognitive Systems at the University of British Columbia. Prior to Minerva, she developed a broad skill-set as a management consultant with the London office of The Boston Consulting Group, with experience including transformation execution in the British National Health Service; private healthcare provider strategy; large-scale post-merger integration; government strategy, including fostering social enterprise; global insurance strategy; and negotiation strategy in industrial goods.

Professor McAllister is passionate about interdisciplinary approaches to curriculum that foster critical thinking, creative problem-solving, interaction skills, and knowledge transfer. Her book, Beyond the Lecture: Interacting with Students and Shaping the Classroom Dynamic, provides instructors and administrators with both the theory and practical tools to further their use of active learning in the classroom. Her current research interests examine how evidence-based approaches to understanding how active learning can foster diversity, equity, belonging, and learning outcomes.

Professor McAllister is the Head of the College of Social Sciences and teaches Cognitive Neuroscience, Complex Systems, and The Science of Learning senior tutorial. She is also the Accreditation Liaison Officer for Minerva University.

Before joining Minerva, Alexandra Digby was a lecturer in economic history at the University of Cambridge where she taught classes on the relationship between economy and society and on the history of economic thought. She has also worked as a consultant for the United Kingdom government and, more recently, as a writer and assistant editor at The Economist.

Professor Digby earned her Ph.D. in economic history from the University of Cambridge and her B.A. (First Class) in economics from the University of Manchester. She is committed to teaching economics from an interdisciplinary perspective and is passionate about the history of economic ideas.

Randi Doyle has conducted critical research on the impact of stereotype threat on gender differences in math performance, spatial performance, and emotional intelligence. Her work also aims to explain why men tend to outperform women on tests of spatial ability. Doyle earned her Ph.D. in Experimental and Applied Psychology, as well as B.A. in Psychology from the University of New Brunswick.

Professor Doyle describes her teaching style as “student-centric” with an emphasis on the process of learning, not content. She believes the best part of teaching is when students grow excited about a particular subject matter and become inquisitive drivers of their own education. Professor Doyle teaches the first-year Complex Systems Cornerstone, "Psychology: From Neurons to Society" and "Personal and Social Motivation”.

Professor Goldemberg conducts research and policy work in the field of Development Economics with an emphasis on public education and financial inclusion. In parallel to her career at the World Bank, she is keen to support the coming generations of economists by teaching the Global Development core course at Minerva.

Professor Goldemberg earned a Ph.D. in Economics from EPGE, Brazil, and two masters from Harvard University. She loves contributing to and witnessing students’ growth and is astonished by Minerva’s systematic consideration of the science of learning in all aspects of the curriculum.

Nicholas Kenney has spent a decade studying the complex national security issues of the twenty-first century. His research centers on grand strategy and the rise of terrorist organizations, insurgencies, and cyberpower. His dissertation was on the British Empire and the nationalist movements in Ireland and India. He has also worked in Jerusalem and for the U.S. Departments of State and Defense. Professor Kenney earned his Ph.D. in International Relations from Tufts University, a J.D. from Boston College, and a B.A. in History from the College of the Holy Cross.

Kenney’s teaching style is Socratic. His students learn actively by engaging in a process of question and argument. For him, one special reward of teaching is seeing students develop the skill of posing a well-framed question at the right moment and the analytical versatility to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different answers. Professor Kenney teaches the first-year Complex Systems Cornerstone.

Prof. Kukis teaches courses on government as well as history and journalism. Kukis spent a decade as a journalist before joining academia, including three years covering the American occupation of Iraq for Time magazine from 2006 to 2009. Kukis also covered the early phase of the American intervention in Afghanistan as a freelance journalist and served as a White House correspondent for United Press International. His writings have also appeared in The New Republic and Aeon, among other places. He is the author of Voices from Iraq: A People’s History, 2003-2009 (Columbia University Press, 2011). The book is an oral history of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq as told entirely by Iraqis.

Kukis grew up in the Dallas area and attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied journalism and government as an undergraduate. Kukis did his doctoral work at Boston University, where he studied U.S. foreign policy and political history under Prof. Andrew Bacevich. Kukis has been an invited speaker at RAND, Princeton University, King’s College London and Boston University and done numerous television and radio interviews discussing the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy. He currently lives in the Boston area with his wife and two children.

Before joining Minerva, Robson Morgan worked as a Postdoctoral Research Scholar at the University of Southern California’s Center for Economic and Social Research. Specializing in happiness economics — the quantitative and theoretical study of happiness — his research focuses on answering the question: what policies can governments implement to make their citizens happier? Morgan earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Southern California, and his B.A. from the University of British Columbia.

Levy Odera earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Political Science from the University of Florida and served as a Postdoctoral Associate in the Center for Public Issues Education at UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. His work deals with issues of political development, citizen-politician linkages, microfinance institutions, the informal economy in Africa, and community development. He has researched, written, and taught extensively on these topics.

Dr. Odera has taught courses on Africa, including courses on poverty and development, at the University of Florida. He believes in creating a teaching and learning environment that empowers students to boldly address complex global challenges through authentic practical experiences that develop their creative thinking and innovation skills. He is currently leading a longitudinal study examining the implementation of Kenya’s new constitution.

Professor Tomer Perry joined Minerva from his most recent role as Research Associate at the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University and a postdoctoral fellow at the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Tel-Aviv University. Perry earned his Ph.D. in Political Science with a Minor in Philosophy from Stanford University in 2016, and a B.A. in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

As a research associate at Harvard's Center for Ethics, Perry worked on an ethics pedagogy project, developing active-learning exercises and simulations where students exercise ethical judgement in realistic contexts. In addition, Perry developed the principles for creating such simulations inspired by game design. In the classroom, Perry encourages a comfortable environment for genuine exchange, so that students can express, examine and revise their opinions as well as reach a better understanding of others.

Ty Robbins is an environmental economist whose work combines applied econometrics and behavioral economics to investigate the external factors and intrinsic preferences that influence collective action. Fascinated by a spectrum of topics, Robbins’ previous research includes international environmental agreements to mitigate climate change, domestic environmental terrorism, avoided deforestation, and demand for sustainable living.

Robbins earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a B.A. in Mathematics and Economics from the University of California, San Diego. Prior to joining Minerva, he taught at UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, Johns Hopkins University, Pepperdine University, Manchester University, and California State University Channel Islands. Robbins employs a variety of active learning techniques to promote collaborative learning, nurture individual identity, drive intuition, build confidence, and effectively develop practical skills for real-world application. He teaches in Social Sciences, Business, and across the Cornerstone courses.

Professor Mark Sheskin is a developmental psychologist whose research focuses on how children learn, and on the development of moral behavior. He received his B.A. and B.S. degrees from the University of Miami, and his Ph.D. from Yale University. He then completed postdoctoral training at École Normale Supérieure in Paris and at the Cognitive Science Program at Yale. His current research is run through a video chat platform he developed through Yale University, TheChildLab.com, which allows families from around the world to participate in research studies.

As a teacher, Professor Sheskin is most excited about helping students move from consumers of information to users of information in real-world contexts (and creators of new information). Reflecting this, much of his previous teaching has involved coordinating senior projects for students across cognitive science, helping them complete capstone experiences from theoretical papers in philosophy to applied projects in computer science.

Professor Geneva Stein joined Minerva from her position in the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning at Princeton University where she also served as a lecturer in Molecular Biology. Professor Stein earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Neuroscience from Princeton researching the genetics of learning and memory in C. elegans. Stein received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Bryn Mawr College.

Though Stein began her career as a molecular biologist, she is now focused on understanding how humans learn and translating the science of learning into effective pedagogical practice. In particular, Stein is passionate about helping students understand how, with effort and guidance, they can intentionally develop processes of critical thinking and refine methods of working both interdependently and independently towards success in their chosen field.

Stein currently directs Minerva’s Masters and Certificate in Decision Analysis Programs where she prepares current and emerging leaders worldwide to fearlessly innovate solutions to today's and tomorrow's challenges while embracing diverse and interdisciplinary perspectives.

Stein teaches courses focused on Minerva’s Habits of Mind and Foundational Concepts (HCs) at both the undergraduate and graduate level as well as undergraduate psychology courses.

Professor Alexis Diamond is one of the world's leading experts on impact evaluation in international development and public policy. Prior to Minerva, he led program evaluation for nearly a decade at IFC, the private-sector development arm of the World Bank. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard, and a M.A. in International Development from Carleton University.

Diamond has taught evaluation and causal inference at top-tier institutions around the world. He believes students learn best in classes that focus on problem solving and building practical skills, and encourages them to push the frontiers of their own capabilities — establishing a culture conducive to intellectual risk-taking. Professor Diamond teaches the Knowledge: Information-Based Decisions Core Course.

Aboozar Hadavand received his Ph.D. from City University of New York (CUNY,) Graduate Center and his M.A. in Economics from Texas Tech University. Prior to Minerva, Hadavand served as a postdoctoral fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he studied how students learn through massive open online courses (MOOCs.) Hadavand’s current research focuses on higher education, skill acquisition, science communication, and data literacy.

Hadavand has previously taught at Barnard College of Columbia University, Brooklyn College, and Texas Tech University. He has also been the curriculum developer and lead of a program called Cloud-Based Data Science (currently Data Trail) in Baltimore. The goal of the program is to train and prepare disadvantaged young adults for jobs in the field of data science.

Professor Tomer Perry joined Minerva from his most recent role as Research Associate at the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University and a postdoctoral fellow at the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Tel-Aviv University. Perry earned his Ph.D. in Political Science with a Minor in Philosophy from Stanford University in 2016, and a B.A. in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

As a research associate at Harvard's Center for Ethics, Perry worked on an ethics pedagogy project, developing active-learning exercises and simulations where students exercise ethical judgement in realistic contexts. In addition, Perry developed the principles for creating such simulations inspired by game design. In the classroom, Perry encourages a comfortable environment for genuine exchange, so that students can express, examine and revise their opinions as well as reach a better understanding of others.

Professor Mark Sheskin is a developmental psychologist whose research focuses on how children learn, and on the development of moral behavior. He received his B.A. and B.S. degrees from the University of Miami, and his Ph.D. from Yale University. He then completed postdoctoral training at École Normale Supérieure in Paris and at the Cognitive Science Program at Yale. His current research is run through a video chat platform he developed through Yale University, TheChildLab.com, which allows families from around the world to participate in research studies.

As a teacher, Professor Sheskin is most excited about helping students move from consumers of information to users of information in real-world contexts (and creators of new information). Reflecting this, much of his previous teaching has involved coordinating senior projects for students across cognitive science, helping them complete capstone experiences from theoretical papers in philosophy to applied projects in computer science.

Peter Zoogman is an atmospheric scientist with research interests in air pollution and climate change. Zoogman has been deeply involved in the design and development of an upcoming NASA satellite mission and his research both guides and is guided by environmental policy and planning worldwide. He received his Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Sciences, an M.A. in Physics, and a B.A. in Chemistry and Physics, all from Harvard University.

He aims to foster a class environment where students are continuously challenging themselves and each other (and him!) to figure out how to apply scientific concepts, data, and models to real-world challenges. He always looks forward to engaging with students at Minerva that are committed to being active members of the global community.

Zoogman teaches the first-year Empirical Analysis Cornerstone, two science concentration courses (Monitoring and Modeling Earth Systems; Analyzing Matter and Molecules) and Research Methods. He also teaches Research Methods as part of the Masters in Decision Analysis Program at Minerva. He formally taught in Environmental Sciences and Engineering at Harvard University and is engaged in ongoing research in collaboration with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.