2023

Welcome New Faculty

Thirteen new full-time educators join Muhlenberg this fall, including tenure-track and visiting faculty members.

 Friday, September 29, 2023 02:37 PM

A picture of Haas Bell Tower among trees with fall foliage

A headshot of Eduardo Azzati, who has glasses and facial hair and is wearing a suitEduardo Azzati, Visiting Assistant Professor of Music, Choral Conducting (he/him)

Azzati has been an adjunct professor at Muhlenberg teaching voice lessons for the past six years. He has also taught at Moravian and Lehigh Universities, directed the Moravian College Women’s Chorus and served as director of music at Yardley United Methodist Church; he continues to serve as chorus master with the Allentown Symphony Chorus. Prior to immigrating to the U.S., he worked for 10 years as a choral director in Argentina. Azzati received his master’s of music in voice performance and pedagogy from Rider University and his bachelor’s of music in conducting from Juan José Castro State Conservatory in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

A headshot of Kiah Bennett, who has short dark hair and is wearing a blue bandana tied around itKiah Bennett, Visiting Assistant Professor of Media & Communication (she/her)

Bennett is joining Muhlenberg following her role as a visiting assistant professor at Bucknell University.  She received a Ph.D. in communication studies from Colorado State University, a  master’s in communication and rhetorical studies from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s in communication from the University of Minnesota.  Her research interests include media studies, media industry studies, race, disability, gender and feminism, comedy studies, cultural studies, film and television and rhetorical criticism.  

A headshot of Haley Brown, who has long, straight, dark hairHaley Brown, Lecturer in Theatre,  Lighting Design (she/her)

Brown received her MFA in theatrical design and technology from the University of Georgia and her B.A. in theatre arts and religious studies from Furman University. She has guest lectured for UGA's theatre department and Georgia State University-Perimeter College. She was a freelance lighting designer based locally in Bethlehem and previously worked at Lehigh University’s Zoellner Arts Center as its assistant lighting coordinator.  Brown has a passion for horror theatre and for works that are written by and/or speak to the modern Indigenous experience, as well as new works.  Her creative activities highlight numerous lighting designs for both theatrical and dance productions as well as concerts and film. 

A headshot of Katie Bucher, who has glasses and long brown hair pulled backKatie Bucher, Associate Professor of Education (she/her)

Bucher, who will be joining the College in January 2024, is a tenured assistant professor of education at the Community College of Philadelphia, where she works with a diverse student body including first-generation, international and English language learner (ELL) students from a range of socioeconomic, cultural, racial and ethnic backgrounds.  Her instruction includes courses in the early childhood and middle/secondary level teacher education programs including social foundations, curriculum and instruction, educational psychology and teaching English to speakers of other languages. Bucher has a Ph.D. in education and an M.S. in international and comparative education from Indiana University, an M.S. in elementary education from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in Spanish language and literature & Latin American studies from the University of Delaware.  

A headshot of Jessie Dean, who has chin-length brown hairJessica Dean, Visiting Professor of Theatre, Directing (she/her)

Dean joined Muhlenberg as an adjunct in 2020 and brings over 20 years of professional theatre experience to the department. Originally from Atlanta, she spent over nine years working in New York acting, directing, producing and writing and held the position of associate artistic director of Moliere in the Park, Brooklyn’s first free outdoor theatre. Most recently, she directed Love and Information on campus in January 2023. She holds an MFA in classical acting from Illinois State University and a B.A. in theatre from Oglethorpe University. Dean studied Shakespeare’s canon at both the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon and the Globe Theatre in London.

A headshot of Ashupta Farjana, who is wearing a white headscarfAshupta Farjana, Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics & Finance (she/her)

Ashupta Farjana completed her Ph.D. in finance in Spring 2023 at the University of North Texas, where she also earned her M.S. in economics. She received her B.S. in economics (with a dual major in finance and accounting) from North South University in Bangladesh. Farjana is deeply passionate about teaching and enjoys teaching a wide range of finance and economics courses. Her research interests include geopolitical risk, corporate political connection, corporate litigation, corporate environmental social governance (ESG) performance and climate risk. Her research work has been published in reputable academic journals, underscoring her dedication to advancing knowledge in her areas of expertise.

A headshot of Apoorva Ghosh, who has short dark hair and glasses and wears a brown blazerApoorva Ghosh, Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology (he/him)

Ghosh is a sociologist who studies the factors shaping LGBTQ identities and activism from intersectional and transnational perspectives. His research appears in Socio-Economic Review; Gender, Work & Organization; Sexualities; and other peer-reviewed journals. He teaches a variety of topics such as introductory sociology, social problems, social movements, sexualities, race & health and gender & society. He was a Fulbright Doctoral and Professional Research Fellow (2012-13) and a recipient of the James Harvey Scholar Award 2020 for his works on sexualities and social movements. He has an M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology, M.S. in quality management and B.E. in mechanical engineering

A headshot of Hunter Holt, who has short brown hair and facial hair and glassesHunter Holt, Assistant Professor of Education (he/him)

Holt recently defended his dissertation in the social foundations of education program at the University of Virginia, where his research centered around the history of education, educational policy and urban studies and he taught undergraduate courses on U.S. society, civil rights and education.  Following his undergraduate degree, he taught high school science in an underserved community in Mississippi and then transitioned to work for the University of Mississippi coordinating a master's program in curriculum and instruction, which he completed himself.  He credits this work with learning how to better support teachers and students. 

A headshot of Lilianne Lugo Herrera, who has long brown hair and glassesLilianne Lugo Herrera, Assistant Professor of Spanish (she/her)

Lugo Herrera received her Ph.D. in literary, cultural and linguistic studies at the University of Miami. Before coming to Muhlenberg she was a postdoctoral research associate and lecturer in Latin American studies at Princeton University. Her current book project, Women's Archipelagic Theaters: Performance and Media Across Borders, uses the notion of the mediated archipelago to explore the ways in which works by women playwrights rely on mediations to engage in issues of politics, gender, race and posthumanism. Her research is devoted to women writers and playwrights in the Caribbean and Latin America and Latinx in the United States.  Lugo Herrera also has a BFA in playwriting from the Universidad de las Artes in Havana, Cuba. Most recently, her play Zizek en el pantano premiered in Miami in 2023. 

A headshot of Joseph Meadows, who is bald with dark facial hair and wears glassesJoseph Meadows, Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry (they/them)

Meadows joins Muhlenberg from the University of Michigan Department of Chemistry, where their lab mate was a Muhlenberg alum.  They earned their Ph.D. and M.S. in chemistry from Michigan, where they were a graduate student instructor of general chemistry, physical chemistry and biophysical chemistry.  Meadows’ research focused on two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy of homometallic and heterometallic transition metal carbonyl complexes with key points of interest centered on ligand-dependent vibronic structure changes and their relationship to ultrafast vibrational coherence transfer phenomena.

A headshot of Proyash Podder, who has short black hair, glasses, and a dark collared shirtProyash Podder, Assistant Professor of Computer Science (he/him)

Podder earned his Ph.D. in computer science from Florida International University in 2023 and holds a bachelor's degree in computer science and engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). His research domain broadly is network security with a specialization in the automation of security tools for Named Data Networking (NDN), with his work during his Ph.D. published in 10 different prestigious conferences. He actively contributes to academia as a reviewer and recently chaired a program for a prominent information-centric networking conference. Podder has also been an enthusiastic proponent of cultural exchange. During his doctoral studies, he was an active member of the Bangladeshi Students Organization and orchestrated events that introduced Bangladeshi culture to the diverse university community.

A headshot of Emily Potts, who wears glasses and has long, curly blonde/brown hairEmily Potts, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art, Sculpture (she/her)

Potts joins the art department from Graceland University in Iowa, where she served as visiting artist lecturer for sculpture, senior exhibition capstone course, special topics course and photography, as well as serving at the gallery coordinator.  Potts received her MFA in studio art with a concentration in sculpture at the University of North Texas and a BFA from Texas State University.  She describes herself as an interdisciplinary artist researching the relationship between the brain, the mind and the body with a focus on dysfunctional familial relationships and memory, working to reimagine childhood experiences.  In her artwork, Emily utilizes a combination of materials from ceramics, steel, bronze, wood and fibers and  unconventional materials like paper pulp, gloop and bubble gum.

A headshot of James Stabp, who has dark hair and a collared shirt under a blazer onJames Stabp, Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre (he/him)

Stabp has been an adjunct professor with the theatre department since Fall 2019, teaching Acting the Song and various special topics courses including Fundamentals of Musical Theatre Performance, a course he developed. Stabp has a private studio focusing on audition and role preparation.  He earned his MFA in musical theatre from The Boston Conservatory and his B.A. in musical theatre from DeSales University.