Ana Pombo has joined the Johns Hopkins University faculty as the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Genome Biology. Dr. Pombo is a leading investigator of the complex relationship between genome structure and gene expression. Specifically, she studies how chromosomes are organized within the nucleus and how this organization influences gene regulation and cellular function, how environmental factors and experiences impact this interplay, and how diseases arise. Prior to her new appointment, Dr. Pombo was a faculty member at Humboldt University of Berlin and the Max Delbrück Center in Germany.
Dr. Pombo holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Lisbon in Portugal and a doctorate in physiological sciences from the University of Oxford in England.
Alicia Drais-Parrillo is the inaugural Liberal Arts Teaching Professor of Psychology at Pennsylvania State University. A faculty member since 2012, Dr. Drais-Parrillo serves as the department of psychology’s assistant director of undergradaute studies and assistant director of inclusion and belonging. Her expertise in psychology centers on interpersonal interactions, social development, and inclusive teaching pedagogy.
Dr. Drais-Parrillo holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degrees in child development and elementary education from West Virginia University. She earned her Ph.D. in psychology at Pennsylvania State University.
Tracey Stuller was named the Endowed Faculty for Innovation at the College of Southern Maryland. She is a tenured professor of biology and a veterinarian with more than 20 years in higher education. Her teaching interests include biology and human anatomy and physiology. Through her new endowed appointment, Dr. Stuller plans to facilitate workshops, lectures, and events focused on entrepreneurship, technology, and STEM opportunities for students.
Dr. Stuller holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a veterinary medicine degree.
Tara M. Randis was named the Lewis A. Barness, M.D. Endowed Chair of Pediatrics and chair of the department of pediatrics at the University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine. An expert on host-pathogen interactions at the maternal-fetal interface, Dr. Randis joined USF Health in 2019 and has been serving as the Pamela and Leslie Muma Endowed Chair, chief of the division of neonatology, and vice chair of research in the department of pediatrics. Earlier in her career, she held faculty positions at New York University School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, and Columbia University Medical Center.
Dr. Randis earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania and her medical degree from Drexel University in Philadelphia. She completed her pediatric residency at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia and her fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine at Columbia University.
Jennifer Choy is the Jay and Cynthia Ihlenfeld Associate Professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on the development of quantum sensing platforms and the application of nanoscale optics, photonics, and mechanics to improve the utility and performance of quantum sensors. Before joining the University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty, Dr. Choy conducted research with Draper Laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Dr. Choy received two bachelor’s degrees in physics and nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in applied physics from Harvard University.