Laura Zanotti is the new chair of the department of political science at Virginia Tech. She first joined the department in 2006 as an associate professor and was promoted to professor in 2019. A scholar of critical political theory, international ethics, peacekeeping, and nongovernmental organizations, Dr. Zannotti has authored two books, most recently Ontological Entanglements, Agency, and Ethics in International Relations: Exploring the Crossroads (Routledge, 2018).
Dr. Zanotti received her undergraduate degree in philosophy from the University of Pavia in Italy and her MBA from Scuola Direzione Aziendale in Italy. She holds a Ph.D. in international relations from Florida International University.
Angelica Guercio has joined the University of California, Davis faculty as an assistant professor of teaching in the department of molecular and cellular biology. Her work centers on biology education and inclusive pedagogy, with the goal of fostering scientific literacy, identity, and success for students in biochemistry and molecular biology.
Dr. Guercio received her bachelor’s degree in biology from New York University and her Ph.D. in integrative genetics and genomics from the University of California, Davis.
Meeko Oishi has been granted the title of Regents Professor at the University of New Mexico. A full professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering, she focuses her research on providing assurances of safety in autonomous cyber-physical systems, despite uncertainty in the environment and in human interaction with the autonomous systems. Ultimately, she aims to make autonomous systems truly human-centric, without sacrificing reliability or performance.
Dr. Oishi received her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Princeton University and both her master’s degree and Ph.D. in the same discipline from Stanford University.
Tiffany Baffour is the new director of the School of Social Work at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. She comes to her new role from the University of Utah, where she was an associate professor, associate dean in the Graduate School, and director of the master of social work degree program. Earlier in her career, she held faculty appointments with Winston-Salem State University and North Carolina A&T State University.
Dr. Baffour holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from New Jersey City University, a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Delaware, a master of social service degree from Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. in social work from Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Fabiola Ehlers-Zavala was recently named senior academic officer for the Semester at Sea program, a collaboration between the Institute for Shipboard Education and Colorado State University. The program allows students to participate in a semester-long voyage on the program’s cruise ship, where they visit 10 or more countries, exploring, learning, and interacting with local people while completing a full load of accredited courses. Dr. Ehlers-Zavala, a professor of English at Colorado State for nearly two decades, served as the academic dean for the Spring 2025 voyage.
A graduate of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso in Chile, Dr. Ehlers-Zavala earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in English from Illinois State University.
Denise Imai-Leonard is the new executive director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Michigan State University. She comes to her new role from the University of California, Davis, where she was a clinical professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine, director of the Comparative Pathology Laboratory, and vice chair of the department of pathology, microbiology, and immunology.
Dr. Imai-Leonard received her bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Stanford University. She holds a doctor of veterinary medicine degree and a doctorate in comparative pathology both from the University of California, Davis.
Clementine Bordeaux has joined the University of California, Santa Cruz faculty as an assistant professor of history of art and visual culture. Grounded in Native American and Indigenous studies, Dr. Bordeaux’s academic expertise centers on relationality, Indigenous feminisms and visual representation and culture. Earlier in her career, she was an academic coordinator for the American Indian studies interdepartmental program at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Dr. Bordeaux holds a bachelor’s degree in theatre and communication from Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, a master’s degree in communication from the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. in culture and performance from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Elena Manresa is a new professor of economics at Princeton University in New Jersey. She taught at New York University since 2017. Earlier, she taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for three years. An expert in econometrics, Dr. Manresa focuses her research on topics that include microeconometrics, empirical microeconomics, financial econometrics, machine learning and artificial intelligence, and health.
Dr. Manresa earned her bachelor’s degree from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Barcelona and her Ph.D. from the Center for Monetary and Financial Studies in Madrid.
Shelia Grant has been granted the title of Curators’ Distinguished Professor at the University of Missouri. A faculty member for over two decades, she currently teaches as a professor of biological and biomedical engineering. She is a leading scholar in nano- and micro-structured materials design in biomedical engineering.
Dr. Grant holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering science, a master’s degree in biomedical engineering, and a Ph.D. in materials engineering, all from Iowa State University.