Nine Women Join the Faculty at Worcester Polytechnic Institute

(L to R) Top row: Ivon Arroyo, Melissa Malouf Belz, Karla Mendoza-Abarca, Amy M. Peterson, and Purvi Shah. Bottom row: Patricia A. Stapleton, Karen L. Troy, Shamsnaz S. Virani, and Mei Yang.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts has announced the addition of 24 new full-time faculty members and researchers. The university states it is one of the largest classes of new faculty in its history. Among the 24 new hires are nine women.

Ivon Arroyo is a new assistant professor of learning sciences and technologies. She was a research scientist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Dr. Arroyo is a graduate of Universidad Blas Pascal in Argentina. She holds a master’s degree in computer science and an educational doctorate from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Melissa Malouf Belz is an assistant teaching professor in the Division of Interdisciplinary and Global Studies. She previously worked for the National Historical District in Colorado and the United Nations Development Program. Dr. Belz is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She earned a master’s degree at the University of Oxford in England and a Ph.D. in geography at Kansas State University.

Karla Mendoza-Abarca is an assistant professor of entrepreneurship in the School of Business. She was a teaching fellow in the College of Business at Kent State University in Ohio. Dr. Mendoza-Abarca is a graduate of the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos in Mexico. She earned an MBA in finance and a Ph.D. in marketing and entrepreneurship at Kent State University.

Amy M. Peterson is an assistant professor of chemical engineering. Before coming to WPI, Dr. Peterson was a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. Dr. Peterson earned a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Purvi Shah is an assistant professor of marketing in the School of Business. She is the former director of marketing for Eco-Car: The Next Challenge, a collegiate engineering competition sponsored by General Motors and the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Shah is a graduate of the University of Mumbai in India. She earned an MBA and a Ph.D. in marketing at Texas Tech University.

Patricia A. Stapleton is an assistant teaching professor of social science and policy studies. She is also the director of the university’s Science, Technology, and Policy Program. Dr. Stapleton is a graduate of Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. She earned a master’s degree in French literature from Rutgers University and a second master’s degree and a Ph.D. in political science from the City University of New York.

Karen L. Troy is an assistant professor of biomedical engineering. She was an assistant professor of kinesiology and nutrition and bioengineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Troy is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis. She earned a Ph.D. at the University of Iowa.

Shamsnaz S. Virani is an assistant teaching professor of electrical and computer engineering. She was an assistant professor at Pennsylvania State University and previously served on the faculty at the University of Texas at El Paso. Dr. Virani is a graduate of the University of Pune in India. She earned a master’s degree at Wright State University in Ohio and a Ph.D. in industrial and systems engineering at the University of Alabama at Huntsville.

Mei Yang is an assistant research professor in mechanical engineering. She was serving as a postdoctoral fellow at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Yang earned a master’s degree at Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.