Smith College, the highly rated liberal arts educational institution for women in Northampton, Massachusetts, has announced that there are seven new tenure track faculty members on campus this fall. Six of the new faculty members are women.
Anaiis Cisco is a new assistant professor of film and media studies. Cisco’s work focuses on the experiences of underrepresented racial, ethnic, queer, and gendered identities. Her 2017 short film, “Breathless,” inspired by the murder of Eric Garner, has won numerous awards and has screened at various film festivals. Cisco received a master of fine arts degree in cinema from San Francisco State University in the spring of 2019.
Stephanie Jones was hired as an assistant professor of exercise and sport study. She is a biomechanist whose research focuses on two themes: understanding how movement performed throughout our lives may impact our susceptibility to injury; and understanding how pain and musculoskeletal or neurological dysfunction impact stability. Dr. Jones is a graduate of the University of Guelph in Canada. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Ph.D. from McGill University in Montreal.
Sarah Mazza was appointed an assistant professor in the department of geosciences at Smith College. Prior to joining the faculty at Smith, she was a postdoctoral research scientist at the University of Münster in Germany. Dr. Mazza is interested in understanding the formation of igneous rocks (former lavas and magmas) that make up our planet and what those tell us about ancient plate movements. Dr. Mazza is a graduate of the University of North Carolina. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech.
Candice Price was named an assistant professor in the department of mathematics and statistics. Dr. Price is an applied mathematician whose primary area of research is mathematical modeling for the biological and social sciences. She is the co-founder of the web site Mathematically Gifted and Black, which features the contributions of contemporary black mathematicians. Dr. Price is a graduate of California State University, Chico. She earned a master’s degree from San Francisco State University and a Ph.D. at the University of Iowa.
Rebecca Worsham is a new assistant professor in the department of classical languages and literature. Dr. Worsham’s area of research involves a study, through survey and excavation, of the Bronze Age settlement of Malthi in southwestern Greece. Dr. Worsham received both her master’s degree and a Ph.D. in classical archaeology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Rachel Wright joined the faculty at Smith College as an assistant professor of biological sciences. Her research focuses on how corals respond to environmental threats. This work serves first to inform ecosystem managers on best practices to maintain healthy reefs, and second to explore basic biological principles related to adaptation under climate change. Wright holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Texas at Austin.