Academics

Penn State announces academic promotions, effective July 1, 2021

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