Penn State announces academic promotions, effective July 1, 2021

Old Main-spring — Old Main in spring. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

The following is a list of academic promotions for tenured and tenure-line faculty members at Penn State, effective July 1.

Nontenure-line faculty promotions do not appear on this list, but will be published in a separate story.

The following individuals have been promoted to professor:

Aydin Alptekinoglu, professor of supply chain management, Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems, Smeal College of Business
Jacob Arthur Benfield, professor of psychology, Department of Social Sciences, Penn State Abington
Christyne E. Berzsenyi, professor of English, Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Kimberly D. Blockett, professor of English, Penn State Brandywine
Katerina Bodovski, professor of education, Department of Education Policy Studies, College of Education
Kevin Boon, professor of English and media studies, Penn State Mont Alto
James J. Brannick, professor of mathematics, Department of Mathematics, Eberly College of Science
Ozgun Caliskan Demirag, professor of operations and supply chain management, Black School of Business, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
Jolynn V. Carney, professor of education, Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education, College of Education
Zhongyuan Che, professor of mathematics, Penn State Beaver
Charles A. Cole, professor of landscape architecture, Department of Landscape Architecture, College of Arts and Architecture
Bonnie Cutsforth-Huber, professor of music, Division of Arts and Humanities, Penn State Altoona
Nancy A. Dennis, professor of psychology, Department of Psychology, College of the Liberal Arts
Michele T. Diaz, professor of psychology, Department of Psychology, College of the Liberal Arts
Patrick J. Drohan, professor of pedology, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, College of Agricultural Sciences
Charlotte Eubanks, professor of comparative literature, Japanese, and Asian studies, Department of Comparative Literature and Asian Studies, College of the Liberal Arts
Matthew S. Fantle, professor of geosciences, Department of Geosciences, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
Matthew J. Ferrari, professor of biology, Department of Biology, Eberly College of Science
Miriam A. Freedman, professor of chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Eberly College of Science
Michelle L. Frisco, professor of sociology and demography, Department of Sociology and Criminology, College of the Liberal Arts
David A. Gamson, professor of education, Department of Education Policy Studies, College of Education
Michelle Gordon, professor of business administration, Penn State Greater Allegheny
Julia A. Green Bryan, professor of education, Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education, College of Education
Christopher Guzman, professor of music, School of Music, College of Arts and Architecture
David Hughes, professor of entomology, Department of Entomology, College of Agricultural Sciences
Joshua Inwood, professor of geography, Department of Geography, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
Maria del Mar Jimenez Gasco, professor of plant pathology, Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, College of Agricultural Sciences
Sung Jae Jun, professor of economics, Department of Economics, College of the Liberal Arts
David H. Kahl Jr., professor of communication, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
Margot W. Kaye, professor of forest ecology, Ecosystem Science and Management, College of Agricultural Sciences
Armen R. Kemanian, professor of Production Systems and Modeling, Department of Plant Science, College of Agricultural Sciences
Andrey S. Krasilnikov, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Eberly College of Science
Peter C. La Femina, professor of geosciences, Department of Geosciences, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
Dongwon Lee, professor of information sciences and technology, College of Information Sciences and Technology
Edward Levri, professor of biology, Division of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Penn State Altoona
Kenneth N. Levy, professor of psychology, Department of Psychology, College of the Liberal Arts
David E. Livert, professor of psychology, Penn State Lehigh Valley
Nancy K. Luke, professor of sociology and demography, Department of Sociology and Criminology, College of the Liberal Arts
Jennifer L. Macalady, professor of geosciences, Department of Geosciences, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
Carleen Maitland, professor of information sciences and technology, College of Information Sciences and Technology
Sinfree Makoni, professor of applied linguistics and African studies, Applied Linguistics, College of the Liberal Arts
Matthew T. McCrudden, professor of education, Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education, College of Education
Jessica Myrick, professor, Department of Film-Video and Media Studies, Donald P. Bellisario College of Communication
Rungun Nathan, professor of engineering, Department of Engineering, Business and Computing, Penn State Berks
Leticia Oseguera, professor of education, Department of Education Policy Studies, College of Education
Peerasit Patanakul, professor of management, Black School of Business, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
Julia D. Plummer, professor of education, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education
Michael Putnam, professor of German and linguistics, Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures, College of the Liberal Arts
Tong Qiu, professor of civil engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
Sairam V. Rudrabhatla, professor of biology, School of Science, Engineering and Technology; Penn State Harrisburg
Victoria Sadovskaya, professor of mathematics, Department of Mathematics, Eberly College of Science
Deborah Schussler, professor of education, Department of Education Policy Studies, College of Education
Stuart Selber, professor of English, Department of English, College of the Liberal Arts
Gregory Shearer, professor of nutritional sciences, Department of Nutritional Sciences, College of Health and Human Development
Ron Siegel, professor of economics, Department of Economics, College of the Liberal Arts
Julie V. Stanton, professor of business, Penn State Brandywine
Mohammad-Reza Tofighi, professor of electrical engineering, School of Science, Engineering and Technology, Penn State Harrisburg
Bhuvan Urgaonkar, professor of computer science engineering, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, College of Engineering
Dinghao Wu, professor of information sciences and technology, College of Information Sciences and Technology
Ming Xiao, professor of civil and environmental engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering
Charlene E. Zietsma, professor of management and organization, Department of Management and Organization, Smeal College of Business
Heather A. Zimmerman, professor of education, Department of Learning and Performance Systems, College of Education
Jennifer M. Zosh, professor of human development and family studies, Penn State Brandywine

The following individuals have been promoted to librarian:

Anne Behler, Library Learning Services, University Libraries and Scholarly Communications
Leo Lo, Commonwealth Campus Libraries, University Libraries and Scholarly Communications
Valerie Lynn, Campus Libraries, Penn State Hazleton, University Libraries and Scholarly Communications
Thomas Reinsfelder, Campus Libraries, Penn State Mont Alto, University Libraries and Scholarly Communications

The following individuals have been promoted to research professor:

Christopher Griffin, Applied Research Laboratory, Office of the Senior Vice President for Research

The following individuals have been promoted to associate professor:

Uygar Abaci, associate professor of philosophy, Department of Philosophy, College of the Liberal Arts
Gary Adler, associate professor of sociology, Department of Sociology and Criminology, College of the Liberal Arts
Dimitrios Bolkas, associate professor of surveying engineering, Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Timothy Brick, associate professor of Human Development and Family Studies, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, College of Health and Human Development
Rachael Brown, associate professor of mathematics education, Department of Social Sciences, Penn State Abington
Christopher Cameron, associate professor of psychology, Department of Psychology, College of the Liberal Arts
Sukwon Choi, associate professor of mechanical engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
Denise Costanzo, associate professor of architecture, Department of Architecture, College of Arts and Architecture
Saptarshi Das, associate professor of engineering science and mechanics, Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, College of Engineering
Rebekah Dawson-Rigas, associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Eberly College of Science
Jessica Degol, associate professor of human development and family studies, Division of Education, Human Development and Social Sciences, Penn State Altoona
Michael Dennis, associate professor of cellular and molecular physiology and ophthalmology, Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology and Ophthalmology, College of Medicine
Suvrat Dhanorkar, associate professor of supply chain, Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems, Smeal College of Business
Roman DiBiase, associate professor of geosciences, Department of Geosciences, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
Raffana Donelson, associate professor of law, Penn State Dickinson Law
Hamid Emami-Meybodi, associate professor of petroleum and natural gas engineering, Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
Colleen English, associate professor of kinesiology, Department of Science, Penn State Berks
Paul Esker, associate professor of plant disease epidemiology and field crops extension plant pathologist, Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, College of Agricultural Sciences
Azar Eslam Panah, associate professor of mechanical engineering, Department of Engineering, Business and Computing, Penn State Berks
Tara Felix, associate professor of animal science, Department of Animal Science, College of Agricultural Sciences
Marek Flaska, associate professor of nuclear engineering, Department of Nuclear Engineering, College of Engineering
Sarah Font, associate professor of sociology, Department of Sociology and Criminology, College of the Liberal Arts
Jonathan Gangi, associate professor of music and arts entrepreneurship, School of Music, College of Arts and Architecture
Mark Gough, associate professor of labor and employment relations, Department of Labor and Employment Relations, College of the Liberal Arts
Weihua Guan, associate professor of electrical engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering
Cristin Hall, associate professor of education, Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education, College of Education
Nikki Hill, associate professor, College of Nursing
Garrett Huck, associate professor of rehabilitation and human services, Penn State Hazleton
Jack Huizenga, associate professor of mathematics, Department of Mathematics, Eberly College of Science
David Hutson, associate professor of sociology, Department of Social Sciences, Penn State Abington
Fumiaki Imamura, associate professor of pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine
Jonathan Ivy, associate professor of psychology, School of Behavioral Sciences and Education, Penn State Harrisburg
Emmanuel Jean-Francois, associate professor of French and francophone studies, Department of French and Francophone Studies, College of the Liberal Arts
Yongsoo Kim, associate professor of neural and behavioral sciences, Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, College of Medicine
William Kline, associate professor of management, School of Business Administration, Penn State Harrisburg
Charlene Lam, associate professor of dermatology, Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine
Jesse Lasky, associate professor of biology, Department of Biology, Eberly College of Science
Stephen Lenkey, associate professor of finance, Department of Finance, Smeal College of Business
Maria Lewis, associate professor of education, Department of Education Policy Studies, College of Education
Gregory Lewis, associate professor of orthopaedics and rehabilitation, Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, College of Medicine
Wei Li, associate professor of pediatrics and biochemistry and molecular biology, Departments of Pediatrics and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine
Xiaojun Lian, associate professor of biomedical engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering
Lindsey Lilienthal, associate professor of psychology, Division of Education, Human Development and Social Sciences, Penn State Altoona
Alexandra List, associate professor of education, Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education, College of Education
Yizao Liu, associate professor of agricultural economics, Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education, College of Agricultural Sciences
Paul Lynch, associate professor of industrial engineering, School of Engineering, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
Shaun Mahony, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, Department Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Eberly College of Science
Christopher Martin, associate professor of mechanical engineering, Division of Business, Engineering, and Information Sciences & Technology, Penn State Altoona
Catherine Mello, associate professor of psychology, Department of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Penn State Berks
Sheridan Miyamoto, associate professor, College of Nursing
Jeffrey Moore, associate professor of mechanical engineering, Division of Business, Engineering, and Information Sciences & Technology, Penn State Altoona
Kohta Murase, associate professor of physics, Department of Physics, Eberly College of Science
Holly Nguyen, associate professor of sociology, criminology and public policy, Department of Sociology and Criminology, College of the Liberal Arts
Xingjie Ni, associate professor of electrical engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering
Marissa Nicosia, associate professor of renaissance literature, Department of Arts and Humanities, Penn State Abington
Shannon Nowotarski, associate professor of biochemistry, Department of Science, Penn State Berks
Konstantinos Papakonstantinou, associate professor of civil engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
Jessica Petko, associate professor of biology, Penn State York
Angela Putman, associate professor of communication arts and sciences, Penn State Brandywine
Alexander Rattner, associate professor of mechanical engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
Matthew Rhudy, associate professor of mechanical engineering, Department of Engineering, Business and Computing, Penn State Berks
Hannah Schreier, associate professor of biobehavioral health, Department of Biobehavioral Health, College of Health and Human Development
Joel Segel, associate professor of health policy and administration, Department of Health Policy and Administration, College of Health and Human Development
Yunfeng Shi, associate professor of health policy and administration, Department of Health Policy and Administration, College of Health and Human Development
Allison Singles, associate professor of kinesiology and mechanical engineering, Department of Science, Engineering, Business and Computing, Penn State Berks
Juyoung Song, associate professor of criminal justice, Penn State Schuylkill
Marcela Soto, associate professor of education, Department of Learning and Performance Systems, College of Education
Douglas Stairs, associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and pharmacology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine
Lior Sternfeld, associate professor of history and Jewish studies, Department of History, College of the Liberal Arts
Christopher Swetcky, associate professor of theater, School of Theatre, College of Arts and Architecture
Brendan Taff, associate professor of recreation, park, and tourism management, Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management, College of Health and Human Development
Samuel Tanner, associate professor of literacy education, Division of Education, Human Development and Social Sciences, Penn State Altoona
Rebecca Tarlau, associate professor of education, Department of Learning and Performance Systems, College of Education
Brian Thiede, associate professor of rural sociology, sociology and demography, Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education, College of Agricultural Sciences
Matthew Tierney, associate professor of English, Department of English, College of the Liberal Arts
Russell Webster, associate professor of psychology, Department of Social Sciences, Penn State Abington
Arpan Yagnik, associate professor of advertising, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
Jing Yang, associate professor of electrical engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering
Hyung Joon Yoon, associate professor of education, Department of Learning and Performance Systems, College of Education
Danfeng Zhang, associate professor of computer science engineering, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, College of Engineering

The following individuals have been promoted to associate librarian:

Stephanie Diaz, Commonwealth Campus Libraries, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, University Libraries and Scholarly Communications
Lori Lysiak, Commonwealth Campus Libraries, Penn State Altoona, University Libraries and Scholarly Communications
Julie Porterfield, Special Collections Library, University Libraries and Scholarly Communications

The following individuals have been promoted to associate research professor:

Michael Jonson, Applied Research Laboratory, Office of the Senior Vice President for Research
Thomas Neuberger, Huck Institute of the Life Sciences, Office of the Senior Vice President for Research
Micah Shepherd, Applied Research Laboratory, Office of the Senior Vice President for Research

Last Updated June 16, 2021