Four Women in New Faculty Positions at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Susan Campbell has been named assistant professor of animal and poultry sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Her research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of altered synaptic communication that leads to the development of epilepsy and identifying targets that may serve as therapeutic targets for treatment.

Dr. Campbell holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and biology from the Binghamton University in New York and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Gillian Eastwood has been named assistant professor of entomology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Her area of expertise is the ecology of vector-borne disease, with a focus on the transmission cycles of mosquito-borne viruses and the emergence of infectious zoonotic diseases.

Dr. Eastwood holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and mathematics from the University of Birmingham in England, a master’s degree in environmental biology from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and a Ph.D. in disease and conservation ecology from the University of Leeds and the Zoological Society of London.

Kylie Allen has been named assistant professor of biochemistry in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Her research focuses on characterizing unusual enzymes and coenzymes in methanogenic archaea using enzymology and molecular genetics techniques.

Dr. Allen holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Eastern Washington University and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Washington State University.

Sally Entrekin has been named associate professor of entomology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Her research aims to understand how aquatic macroinvertebrates process and transfer energy in cycle material in streams and wetlands.

Dr. Entrekin holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Georgia Southwestern State University, a master’s degree in entomology from the University of Georgia, and a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.