New Faculty Appointments for Seven Women Professors

Polina Anikeeva has been named head of the department of materials science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She currently holds the title of Matoula S. Salapatas Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, with a joint appointment in the department of brain and cognitive sciences. In addition to teaching, she serves the institution as director of the Lisa Yang Brain-Body Center, member of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research, and director of the Research Laboratory of Electronics.

Dr. Anikeeva received her bachelor’s degree in physics from St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University in Russia and her Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Isis Settles has been named a University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor at the University of Michigan for her contributions to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in her research and teaching initiatives. She joined the University of Michigan faculty in 2016 and currently serves as a professor of psychology, Afroamerican and African studies, and women’s and gender studies. She also serves as associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion for the university’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.

Dr. Settles earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Harvard University. She holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in personality psychology from the University of Michigan.

Elisa Dekaney has been appointed associate provost for strategic initiatives at Syracuse University in New York. Currently, she serves as the Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence, a professor of music education, and associate dean for research and global engagement for the university’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Dr. Dekaney received a bachelor’s degree in sacred music and piano from the Seminário Teológico Batista do Sul do Brasil and a bachelor’s degree in communications from the Universidade Federal Fluminense in Brazil. She holds a master’s degree in choral conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a Ph.D. in choral music education from Florida State University.

Manushag Powell has been appointed chair of the department of English in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University. She most recently served as secretary of faculties and associate head of the English department at Purdue University in Indiana. A scholar of British literature and culture, she has authored several books including Performing Authorship in Eighteenth-Century English Periodicals (Bucknell University Press, 2012).

Dr. Powell received her bachelor’s degree in English literature from Yale University. She holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in English literature from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Katherine Van Tassel has been joined the faculty at Westcliff University in Irvine, California as a professor in the Western State College of Law. She comes to her new role from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where she served as a professor of practice. Earlier in her career, she served as a professor of law and dean of the San Francisco Law School.

Van Tassel holds a master of public health degree from Harvard University and a juris doctorate from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

M. Emilia Bianco has been appointed clinical assistant professor of social work at Boston University. She has worked both domestically and abroad, conducting research on gender, mental health, human rights, and social justice. Her current focus centers around the impact of institutional neglect and violence across borders on maternal practices and maternal mental health.

Dr. Bianco received her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in communications at the Universidad Austral in Argentina. She earned her master of social work degree and Ph.D. in social work from Boston College.

Christie Manasco has been named assistant dean of student affairs for the College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She is an assistant professor of nursing and has taught at the university for the past four years. Prior to her current role, she served as the assistant dean of nursing for the Lambuth campus of the University of Memphis in Tennessee.

Dr. Manasco holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of South Alabama, a master’s degree in nursing from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, and a Ph.D. in nursing education and administration from William Carey University in Mississippi.