Columbian College Faculty Out Front

Arnaud Martin working with a butterfly sample in a lab — Assistant Professor of Biology Arnaud Martin uses CRISPR genome-editing technology on butterflies to make groundbreaking discoveries about how genes drive physical distinctions between species. His research offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to witness evolution in action.

Columbian College faculty are prolific authors, award-winning scholars and noted innovators and artists. They are recipients of Pulitzers, Guggenheims and NEH fellowships, and their impactful work represents the breadth of the engaged liberal arts.

These highlights reflect a sampling of our faculty stars.

An assistant professor in the Department of Statistics, Fang Jin specializes in machine learning and deep learning models — AIs that perform predictive tasks in language processing, image analysis and other fields. She recently received a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award to further her research on eliminating AI bias in medical imaging.

Associate Professor of Sociology and Epidemiology Antwan Jones’ work focuses on the relationship between where people live and their health outcomes — from studying diabetes in Appalachia to obesity among immigrant children in U.S. cities. Most recently, Jones analyzed COVID’s psychological toll.

Assistant Research Professor of Psychology Ana María del Río-González advocates for public health in the transgender community. Her pioneering work promotes HIV prevention in particular among Latina transgender women.

Vera Kuklina in front of a geography map

Melting ice and snow and thawing permafrost are evidence of Arctic climate change, which has implications on a global scale. Geography Research Professor Vera Kuklina received $3 million from the National Science Foundation to reveal how Arctic climate change affects Indigenous peoples and local communities.

For nearly a decade, Associate Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs Alexander Dent has studied cell phones. He is the principal investigator of the Cellular Connections Project, a National Science Foundation-funded research initiative studying the effects of cellular technology on teens.

In her popular TED Talk, Assistant Professor of Psychology Fallon Goodman explains how social anxiety disorder prevents people from “living the lives they want to live.” Her research lab examines how people overcome social anxiety, and her work has been featured in CNN, The Washington Post and Harvard Business Review.

Chryssa Kouveliotou, former NASA senior scientist

Professor of Physics Chryssa Kouveliotou, a former NASA senior scientist and a leading expert on gamma-ray bursts, is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest professional honors among scientists, engineers and doctors.

Associate Professor of Anthropology Sarah Wagner

Sarah Wagner, an associate professor of anthropology, explores the long-term impact of war and other destructive forces. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, her projects include an effort to identify and memorialize MIA Vietnam War soldiers.

Assistant Professor of Media and Public Affairs Ethan Porter is among the first researchers to examine how fact-checking can combat misinformation. Across a broad array of topics — including COVID-19, local politics, crime and the economy — Porter is getting to the bottom of bad information around the world.

Professor of Political Science Sarah Binder is widely recognized for her work on government affairs, serving as a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and an inductee to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Recipient of Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, Professor of English Gayle Wald

A recipient of Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships, Professor of American Studies Gayle Wald is noted for her frontline research on cultural representations of gender and race, particularly in literature and popular music.

Professor of History Angela Zimmerman is a Guggenheim Fellow whose research uncovers novel interpretations of empires and revolutions, including a rethinking of the political and religious implications of the American Civil War.