The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has announced the appointment of 11 scholars to named professorships. Five of the appointments went to women.
Joy Castro will be the Leland J. and Dorothy H. Olson Chancellor’s Distinguished Chair of English. She is the author of the memoir Island of Bones (University of Nebraska Press, 2012) and several novels. A former writer-in-residence at Vanderbilt University and a faculty member in the Institute for Ethnic Studies for 19 years, Castro is the founding editor of “Machete,” a book series in nonfiction at Ohio State University Press. Dr. Castro is a graduate of Trinity University in San Antonio. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University.
Xia Hong will be the Willa Cather Professor of Physics and Astronomy. Her research in the field of experimental condensed matter physics focuses on the intersection of complex oxide thin films, heterostructures, and two-dimensional van der Waals materials, which has influenced the area of semiconductors and small electronics. Dr. Hong joined the university faculty in 2011. She is a graduate of Peking University in China and holds a Ph.D. in engineering and applied science from Yale University.
Jena Asgarpoor will be the Aaron Douglas Professor of Practice in Engineering. She joined the university’s faculty in 2017 as director of the Master of Engineering Management program. She serves as the president of the American Society for Engineering Management. Dr. Asgarpoor holds a bachelor’s degree in political science, and a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in industrial engineering, all from Texas A&M University.
Manda Williamson will be John E. Weaver Professor of Practice in Psychology. Williamson was named a Donald Olson Fellow and the inaugural chair of the College of Arts and Sciences Teaching Academy, a role that has shaped the pedagogy for collegewide offerings like the Start Smart Course. She has taught at the university since 2005. Dr. Williamson is a graduate of Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, where she majored in psychology and mathematics education. She holds a master’s degree in psychology and a Ph.D. in psycho-biology from Pennsylvania State University.
Bonita Sharif will be the Susan J. Rosowski Associate Professor in the School of Computing. Dr. Sharif is a recognized leader in software engineering and eye-tracking research, bridging human-computer interactions and software maintenance. Her signature contribution is iTrace, an open-source community eye-tracking infrastructure for software engineers and education researchers to conduct realistic studies on large open-source systems. Dr. Sharif is a graduate of Cyprus College, on the island of Cyprus. She received a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in computer science from Kent State University in Ohio.