Middlebury College Welcomes New Faculty Members

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – The undergraduate College has welcomed 36 new full- and part-time faculty members this fall. New faculty arrived on campus August 29 for their orientation before the September 12 start of classes.

“We are thrilled to welcome this new group to campus,” said Andi Lloyd, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty. “We have 12 new tenure track colleagues in 10 different departments, and 24 term faculty, including the three members of our third cohort of postdoctoral fellows in the Creating Connections Consortium. They are an exceptionally talented group of teachers, scholars, and artists, and we are delighted that they are here!”

Following is a list of new tenure track faculty for the 2016-2017 academic year:

American Studies

Jessyka (J) Finley, assistant professor of American Studies, joins the faculty after a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Middlebury through the Creating Connections Consortium (C3). Finley earned her M.A. and PhD in African diaspora studies at the University of California, Berkeley and her B.A. in Black studies and legal studies at Hampshire College. Her research and teaching interests include Black women’s history, performance theory, feminism, popular culture, identity formation, transnational cultural studies, ethnography, and fieldwork.

Arabic

Dima Ayoub, assistant professor of Arabic, earned her PhD in Islamic Studies and her M.A. in English literature from McGill University. She earned her B.A. in English literature and philosophy from University of Windsor in Ontario. Ayoub comes to Middlebury from Georgetown University, where she has been visiting assistant professor in the department of Arabic and Islamic studies since 2012.

Robert Greeley, assistant professor of Arabic, has taught at Middlebury as a visiting instructor in Arabic since 2012. Greeley earned his PhD in geography from the University of South Carolina. He earned his M.A. in Arabic literature from University of California, Berkeley, and his B.A. in Arabic language and literature from the University of Utah.

Computer Science

Peter Johnson, assistant professor of computer science, has served as visiting assistant professor of computer science at Middlebury since 2014. He earned his PhD in computer science from Dartmouth College and his B.S. in computer science from the University of California, San Diego. Johnson has taught courses at Middlebury in computer networks, computer architecture, mathematical foundations of computer science, and a senior seminar in computer science.

Michael Linderman, assistant professor of computer science, earned his PhD and M.S. in electrical engineering from Stanford University. He earned his B.S. in engineering from Harvey Mudd College. Linderman comes to Middlebury from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he has been assistant professor in teaching and research since 2011.

Economics

David Munro, instructor in economics, is completing his PhD in economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He earned his M.S. in economic systems design from Chapman University and his bachelor’s in applied science in geological engineering from University of British Columbia. Munro’s research interests include macroeconomics, labor economics, mechanism design, and experimental economics.

Obie Porteous, assistant professor of economics, earned his PhD in agricultural and resource economics from the University of California, Berkeley. He also earned his M.S. in agricultural and resource economics from Berkeley. Porteous earned his B.A. in international studies and biology from the University of Chicago. His research interests include international trade, development economics, agricultural economics, and environmental and resource economics.

Geography

Jessica L’Roe, instructor in geography, is completing her PhD in geography from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She also earned her M.A. in agriculture and applied economics and her M.S. in conservation biology from UW, Madison. L’Roe earned her B.S. in environmental biological sciences from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her research interests include measuring outcomes of conservation interventions; finding fair and effective ways to support diversity in rapidly changing environments; and engaging students through experience-based teaching and learning.

Religion

Jennifer Ortegren, assistant professor of religion, comes to Middlebury from High Point University, where she has served as assistant professor of religion since 2015. Ortegren earned her PhD in religion from Emory University; her M.T.S. in religion from Harvard Divinity School; and her B.A. in religion from Nebraska Wesleyan University. She has taught courses on Hinduism, world religions, South Asian religions, and the Qur’an.

Sociology/Anthropology

Matthew Lawrence, assistant professor of sociology/anthropology, comes to Middlebury with teaching and research interests in education, inequality, mobility, and quantitative methods. He earned his PhD, MPhil, and M.A. in sociology from Yale University. Lawrence earned his EdM in education policy and management from Harvard and his B.A. in American Studies and English from Stanford. In recent years, he has taught at Reed College and at Princeton.

Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies

Carly Thomsen, assistant professor of gender, sexuality, and feminist studies, arrives at Middlebury having recently completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Rice University’s Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality. She earned her PhD in feminist studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara and her M.A. in women’s studies from the University of Arizona. Thomsen earned her B.A. in rhetoric and applied writing at St. Cloud State University.

Geology

Kristina Walowski will join the Middlebury geology department in January, 2017 as assistant professor of geology. Walowski earned her PhD in geological sciences from the University of Oregon and her B.S. in geology from the University of California, Los Angeles. Most recently, Walowski completed a postdoctoral research assistantship at University of Edinburgh School of Geoscience.