Preparing Future Faculty for Inclusive Excellence Postdoctoral Program

Soheila (Sonia) Abachi-Hokmabadinazhad

Food, Nutrition, and Exercise Sciences

PFFIE 2023

PhD, Laval University, Canada

I have always been passionate about design and development of natural products whether as preservatives, additives and or natural health products for the prevention and treatment of infections, cancer and chronic diseases like metabolic impairments including diabetes and obesity or conditions as simple as chronic gastritis. My past research investigates the health effects of various natural materials on different disorders and diseases. My studies propose the beneficial effects of natural compounds on sore throat, gastritis, hypertension, and inflammation. I am generally interested in natural health products with particular emphasis on the phytochemicals and peptides, pre-, pro-, and post-biotics, and evaluation of their bioactivities in various experimental settings (including in-silico analysis) as well as product development. In particular, my future research interests are shaped by the emerging trend towards functional foods, nutraceuticals, and cosmeceuticals as well as drug design and discovery. Communities now more than ever are interested in health effects or multi-faceted character of what they ingest as food and drug or consume as cosmetics. Additionally, communities are interested in valorization of agricultural and food processing discards keeping the residual material and compounds in production and consumption.

Erik Amezquita Morataya (He/él)

Division of Plant Science & Technology

PFFIE 2023

PhD, Michigan State University

Erik was originally trained as a mathematician with some computer science sprinkled in between. His main interest is to draw tools from different math corners to describe, quantify,  and compare the shape of various 2D and 3D objects. He is especially interested in applying techniques from Topological Data Analysis (TDA) to understand the morphological diversity seen across plants and their various tissues. He is also interested in bringing this comprehensive shape quantification framework to high-throughput plant phenotyping pipelines.

Mulat Alubel Abtew

Textile and Apparel Management

PFFIE 2023

PhD, Université de Lille, Universitatea Tehnică 'Gheorghe Asachi' din Iași, and Soochow University

Dr. Abtew earned his PhD degree through the Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate Program from three institutions: Université de Lille, France (in Automation and Production), Universitatea Tehnică ‘Gheorghe Asachi’ din Iași, Romania (in Industrial Engineering), and Soochow University, China (in Textile Engineering).

Prior to joining MU, Mulat worked as a teaching and research associate at the School of Engineering, École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Et Industries Textiles (ENSAIT), Université de Lille, France. He also served as an Assistant Professor for one year at Bahir Dar University, EiTEX,Ethiopia.

His research interests revolve around addressing complex challenges related to functional and industrial apparel products, with a particular focus on protective clothing. He aimes to enhance their physical, quasi-static, and dynamic performance, while also considering factors such as fitness, comfort, and sustainability. His research spans multiple disciplines, including advanced textiles, fiber-reinforced composites, industrial engineering design, material optimizations, 3D CAD modeling, and principles of dynamic impact engineering. Furthermore, he holds a strong interest in understanding and developing textile materials and user-centric design-assisted adaptive apparel for individuals with special needs, including women, the elderly, and individuals with diverse ability or disability communities.

Sarah Balkissoon

School of Natural Resources

PFFIE 2023

PhD, University of Missouri

Dr. Balkissoon is currently taking a hiatus from the program to serve in her home country.  She is working as a postdoctoral fellow /Research Assistant contractor with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH).  Her research follows similar trajectories where she has undertaken the tasks of applying Machine Learning techniques to forecast wind speeds and applying Artificial Intelligence to climate problems in regions within the Caribbean. She is taking special interest in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) which are most vulnerable to climate change and thus need robust renewable energy systems. 

Nargiza Buranova (she/her)

Special Education

PFFIE 2023

PhD, University of Missouri

Dr. Buranova completed her Ph.D. in Special Education at the University of Missouri. She has worked on several federally funded research projects including the vSocial project that aimed to develop an immersive online social training environment for youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).Dr. Buranova’s research focuses on social skills intervention for students with autism spectrum disorder and technologies to support the social skills development of students. Dr. Buranova is also interested in studying the impact of social skills performance on mental health and the ways the interventions can be used to support these skills among adolescents with ASD.

Carlye Chaney (she/her)

Anthropology

PFFIE 2023

PhD, Yale University

Carlye Chaney is a biosocial anthropologist who examines the interaction between biology, ecology, and culture in relation to reproductive health and development. Her ongoing research investigates environmental exposure disparities, with a particular focus on exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals during childhood and adolescence. Using both quantitative and qualitative approaches, her work aims to understand who experiences negative consequences from environmental contaminants, how climate change influences exposure, and what we can do to create a more equitable future.

Vaidehi Dixit

Statistics

PFFIE 2023

PhD, North Carolina State University

Vaidehi works in the robust area of mixture models. Particularly, her dissertation aimed at exploring estimation of a mixing distribution under a general mixture model via the predictive recursion (PR) algorithm. Her work focuses on both, the theory and applications of PR. The theory is based on solidifying the current results and computational improvement with the aim of broadening the scope of PR. The applications explore the implementation of PR in solving problems in different domains. After finishing her PhD at North Carolina State University, Vaidehi worked in the pharmaceutical industry for a year before joining Mizzou.

Donald Joseph (he/him)

Languages, Literatures, & Cultures

PFFIE 2023

PhD, University of Pittsburgh

Don Joseph received his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in French and Francophone studies with concentrations in Cultural Studies and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. Dr. Joseph studies migration, exile, (non)belonging, and masculinity in the Middle East and North Africa to understand the impact of movement and displacement on LGBTQIA+ migrants. His interdisciplinary research uses quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate transnational Mediterranean politics, sociocultural movements, and queer phenomenology.

Qin Li, (Sher/her/hers)

Communication

PFFIE 2024

PhD, The Ohio State University

Qin Li (PhD, The Ohio State University) examines both 1) the nature of (online) information landscape and 2) how both the information and social environment impact political beliefs. She frequently works with various kinds of data (e.g., panel surveys, digital trace data) and uses quantitative and computational methods. In her dissertation, she designed dyadic and triadic experiments to examine how trust and network closure can impact factual beliefs and (mis)information sharing. 

Thomas Love (he/they)

School of Visual Studies

PFFIE 2023

PhD, Northwestern University

Before joining the University of Missouri as a PFFIE postdoctoral fellow, Thomas Love received his PhD in Art History from Northwestern University. Love works at the intersection of contemporary art history, German studies, gender and sexuality studies, and critical race theory. His current book project, titled Queer Exoticism: Strategies of Self-Othering in West Germany, 1969–1994, analyzes queer art in post-’60s West Germany to show how representations of racial and ethnic difference became essential to the formation of contemporary queer identity. His writing has been published in Art in America, The Germanic Review, Texte zur Kunst and in the Art Institute of Chicago’s “Perspectives” series. 

So Young Park (she/her)

Human Development & Family Science

PFFIE 2023

JD/PhD, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

So Young’s interdisciplinary research bridges family science and law to explore how the two disciplines, together, can increase access to justice and equality for vulnerable populations, such as survivors of domestic violence and justice-involved youth and families. Her program of research examines the impact of family law and policy on diverse families particularly during critical transitions (e.g., divorce, childbirth, economic recession) from intersectional and ecological systems perspectives. So Young conducts her work from a multidisciplinary, multi-method approach.

Roberto Núñez

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and Mathematics

PFFIE 2023

PhD, University of Missouri

Roberto works on mathematical modeling of thermal systems. He is especially interested in the integration of machine learning techniques and differential equations. He is currently working on the development of predictive models for heat transfer devices known as oscillating heat pipes. 

Sarah Poor (She/Her)

Learning, Teaching, & Curriculum

PFFIE 2024

PhD, Texas A&M University

Sarah has a PhD in Curriculum & Instruction from Texas A&M University with an emphasis in Science Education. Her work bridges scholarship in the science education and science communication fields and focuses on understanding and improving peoples’ engagement with socioscientific issues, which are science issues that require consideration of scientific, moral, social, and environmental facets. She approaches this topic through two complementary lines of research: (a) investigating the factors (e.g., cognitive, affective, and sociocultural) associated with how people engage in SSI; and (b) examining how science, particularly the nature of science (NOS), can be communicated to the public in various forms to support informed and equitable public socioscientific decision-making.

Pallavi Raonka

Women’s & Gender Studies

PFFIE 2023

PhD, Virginia Tech

I earned my Ph.D. in Sociology from Virginia Tech. My research and teaching interests revolve around the political ecology of land, forests, and animals, Adivasi studies, ethnography, gender politics, and South Asia studies. Prior to joining the University of Missouri, I worked as an Assistant Professor of Sociology at DePauw University. I’ve been actively involved in advocacy work related to food security and sovereignty with grassroots groups, specifically, Adivasi and Dalit communities in rural India. My teaching and research focus on understanding people and communities through their own experiences. I emphasize the importance of sharing lived experiences in the classroom, using research to analyze social-political issues, and involving students in inquiry processes to create a collaborative learning environment. Currently, I’m working on my book manuscript, which examines the question of indigeneity and the ongoing political struggle of the Munda Adivasi (indigenous) communities to protect their land in Jharkhand, India. This work is based on over eight years of politically engaged research and advocacy work with Munda Adivasi communities, covering topics like Munda politics, food sovereignty, gender politics, and development. I have received support for this research, including the Joseph Frank Hunker Memorial Scholarship ($35,000). My research has contributed to scholarly discussions in South Asian studies, particularly in areas such as postcolonial feminism, critical development studies, Adivasi women, and food sovereignty.

Allison M Roth

Biological Sciences

PFFIE 2023

DPhil, University of Oxford

Animals do not exist in a vacuum, and social interactions can have important consequences for survival and reproduction. Using California quail and three-spined stickleback, Allison’s research integrates across multiple biological levels to explore the evolutionary implications and selective consequences of animal sociality. Furthermore, Allison draws on sociality research to examine questions related to disease ecology, sexual selection, and animal personality (i.e., consistent between individual variation in behavior).

Tanushree Sarkar (she/her)

Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis

PFFIE 2023

Vanderbilt University

Tanushree Sarkar received her PhD in Community Research and Action from the Department of Human and Organizational Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University. Dr. Sarkar studies the global spread of educational theories, policies, and practices and its implications for inclusive education in the global South. She uses critical qualitative and participatory methods to examine how policies and teacher practices can best serve children excluded from educational systems.

Justin Van Goor

Biological Sciences

PFFIE 2023

PhD, Iowa State University

I am an evolutionary ecologist broadly interested in the maintenance and interactions of biological community associates, mostly using nematodes as a focal taxon. My research program seeks to utilize the fig-fig wasp mutualism, as well as the multitude of other organisms (notably Parasitodiplogaster nematodes) that interact with these partners as a model to better understand how communities are structured and are modulated over evolutionary timescales. I seek to combine “classical” fieldwork, genomics/phylogenomics, greenhouse manipulations, and laboratory-based experiments to develop a multifaceted research program capable of addressing interesting and lasting questions in the biological sciences.

Karry Weston (she/her)

Nursing

PFFIE 2024

PhD, University of Missouri

Dr. Weston is passionate about the health of rural Americans, especially mothers and babies. Her research is particularly focused on rural childbearing women’s uptake of health promoting behaviors, such as breastfeeding, health screenings, mental health services, and prescription use that could impact the health of rural communities overall. She is interested in understanding how the concept of habitus, or community and contextual factors that impact socialization and group norms, influence rural women’s worldview, and impact their health-related decision making.

Karolina Wisniewska

Philosophy

PFFIE 2024

PhD, University of Arizona

Dr. Karolina Wisniewska earned her PhD in Philosophy from the University of Arizona in 2024. Her research interests range across political, legal, and social philosophy. At present, her research focuses on issues of meritocracy and discrimination as they relate to equality of opportunity, and in particular, how these concepts relate to the justifiability of affirmative action policies in hiring and college admissions.

Publications: “Merit and Reaction Qualifications,” Political Philosophy

Rowena Aba Woode (she/her/hers)

Veterinary Medicine

PFFIE 2023

DVM, PhD, University of Missouri

Rowena Woode is a PFFIE postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She received both her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Biomedical Sciences at MU. Her research explores the gastrointestinal manifestations of the genetic disease cystic fibrosis. Specifically, she is interested in the molecular mechanisms by which cystic fibrosis-causing mutations lead to intestinal barrier dysfunction, inflammation, and increased gastrointestinal cancer risk.

Adaobi Anakwe

Assistant Professor, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University

PFFFD 2021

Ph.D., St. Louis University

Adaobi’s research interests are in the preconception health of men and women with the goal of improving the health of families and communities. Specifically, her work applies a social determinants of health and health equity lens to examine Black men’s health prior to having pregnancies with their partner(s), how their health changes across the life course, and what implications these changes have for maternal and child health.

Jaime Barros

Assistant Professor, Plant Science and Technology, University of Missouri

PFFFD 2022

PhD, University of Vigo

Jaime Barros studies several aspects of the metabolism of plants using a wide array of techniques from biochemistry through molecular biology to genomics, coupled with isotope labeling and mathematical modeling approaches. Ultimately, his research aims to explore how plants’ metabolism works and use this knowledge to help address global challenges such as food security, climate change, and sustainable production of energy and commodity chemicals. 

Loren Bauerband

Assistant Professor, Educational, School & Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri

PFFFD 2017

Ph.D., University of Rhode Island

Health Sciences

Loren’s research investigates healthcare disparities among LGBT individuals as well as the impact of minority stress on health behaviors and lifestyle patterns of transgender and sexual minorities.

Rowan Bell

Assistant Professor, Philosophy, University of Guelph, Canada

PFFFD 2022

PhD, Syracuse University

Rowan Bell primarily works at the intersection of feminist philosophy, trans philosophy, metaethics, and social epistemology. They also draw on decolonial theory, critical race theory, and sociology. They seek to understand the normative nature of non-ideal social norms, such as gender norms, and their role in our practical deliberations as agents. As a non-binary trans person, Rowan is committed to theorizing with, not about, his community; his primary goal is to articulate hermeneutical resources that marginalized people can use to make sense of themselves. 

Ruchi Bhattacharya

Assistant Professor, Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Cleveland State University

PFFFD 2017

Ph.D., University of Arkansas

Natural Resources

Ruchi’s research is developing an interdisciplinary and holistic approach to understand aquatic biochemical processes relevant for water quality and quantity issues influenced by anthropogenic modifications and climate causes.

Fiorella Carlos Chavez

Assistant Professor, Nursing & Health Innovation, Arizona State University

PFFFD 2018

Ph.D., Florida State University

Human Development & Family Science

Fiorella’s research examines the health impact of stressors among Latinx individuals and families as well as the acculturative stress on Latinx college students’ psychosocial outcomes. Her dissertation work studied Latinx migrant farmworkers and contributes to understanding of how family decisions and relationships help Latinx youth manage life challenges.

Merve Fezjula

Assistant Professor, History, University of Missouri

PFFFD 2019

Ph.D., Cambridge University

Merve’s research is situated at the crossroads of scholarship on African intellectual history, black Atlantic studies, and black internationalism, and adopts an interdisciplinary methodology drawn from anthropology, politics, and literary studies. Merve examines the unknown intellectual history of the Anglophone dissemination of negritude, the movement for race consciousness long associated with the Francophone world. Merve studies the way in which racial belonging was given meaning among African and diasporic subjects during the height of decolonization and desegregation.

Alejandro Figueroa

Assistant Professor, Anthropology, University of Missouri

PFFFD 2021

Ph.D., Southern Methodist University

Alejandro’s research examines how humans interact with and give meaning to their surroundings. He approaches this topic from a variety of perspectives including the reconstruction of ancient landscapes and human-environment dynamics using zooarchaeology and geoarchaeology, landscape studies of modern placemaking, and iconographic and statistical analyses of Mesoamerican rock art imagery. Alejandro is also passionate about community engagement and science communication both in the US and in his home country of Honduras.

Sarah Fischer

Project Chemist, US Army Corps of Engineers

PFFFD 2021

Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park

“Sarah Fischer is a PFFFD postdoctoral fellow in Civil and Environmental Engineering and the School of Natural Resources. Her research interests include the chemistry of organic matter and contaminants, water quality, and field probe optimization. Sarah also values equitable and accessible STEM education.”

Rasha Gargees

Assistant Professor, Computer Science, Central Michigan University

PFFFD 2020

Ph.D., University of Missouri-Columbia

Rasha’s research interests include leveraging cloud computing and high-performance parallel distributed systems for multi-stage big data analytics utilizing intelligent agents and deep convolutional neural networks (DCNN). To this end, she has developed a scalable, dynamic, and secure framework, which can be employed in smart cities. Rasha’s research explores data from various heterogeneous independent sources, accommodating both stream data and batch workloads, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) sensor data and Big Geospatial data.

Johana Goyes Vallejos

Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences, University of Missouri

PFFFD 2019

Ph.D., University of Connecticut

Johana’s research interests include sexual selection and mating systems, with a particular interest in species that exhibit parental care behavior. In her research, Johana has used frogs as her study system. For her dissertation work, she focused on elucidating the parental care behavior of the smooth guardian frog of Borneo (Limnonectes palavanensis), an unusual species about which very little was known when she began her work. She is interested in understanding this species’ mating system and what behavioral and ecological factors shaped its evolution.

Les Gray

Assistant Professor, Department of Theatre, University of Missouri

PFFFD 2020

Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park

Les Gray’s research focuses on Black cultural production and its relationship to trauma and terror with examples ranging from blues dancing to police brutality videos. They are interested in performances of spectacular Black pain as well as the potential for joy, healing, and solidarity.

Aída Guhlincozzi

Assistant Professor, Geography, University of Missouri

PFFFD 2021

Ph.D., University of Illinois

Aída R. Guhlincozzi studies healthcare accessibility for Spanish-speaking and non-Spanish-speaking Latinas in the Chicago suburbs. Her work incorporates community geography, Latinx geographies, feminist geographies, and qualitative GIS theory and methodologies.

Rachael Hernandez

Assistant Professor, Communication, University of Missouri

PFFFD 2019

Ph.D., Indiana University Purdue University – Indianapolis

Communication and Public Health

Rachael’s research explores communication about sensitive health-related topics. Currently, her research focuses primarily on 1) interpersonal communication surrounding sexual health, and 2) how implicit biases against social groups (e.g. along the lines of race, gender, and age) have the potential to shape physician-patient communication.

Sarah Jacquet

Assistant Professor, Geological Sciences, University of Missouri

PFFFD 2017

PhD., Macquarie University

Geological Sciences

Sarah’s research interests reside in palaeobiology, systematics, and sedimentology. She uses high-powered imaging, field, petrographic, and geochemical techniques to examine the emergence and diversification of complex animal body plan through the Palaeozoic.

Gaurav Kandlikar

Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University

PFFFD 2020

Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles

Gaurav uses mathematical modeling, field studies, and greenhouse experiments to study the processes that influence species diversity and dynamics in plant communities. In his dissertation, Gaurav studied how species diversity in southern California grasslands is influenced by the abiotic environment and by soil microorganisms. His research will continue to build towards a more mechanistic and general understanding of how plant-microbe interactions scale up and interact with other processes to influence plant communities.

Hector Lamadrid

Assistant Professor, Geological Sciences, University of Missouri

PFFFD 2018

Ph.D., Virginia Tech

Geological Sciences

Hector’s research examines fluid-rock interactions in natural systems. He has made methodological advancements in fluid inclusion analysis techniques, specifically in relation to Roman spectroscopy as a way to determine fluid inclusion in minderals. Hector’s research advances understanding of the roles of fluids in chemical reactions in Earth’s deep interior.

Current position: Assistant Professor, School of Geosciences, University of Oklahoma

Michelangelo Landgrave

Assistant Professor, Public Affairs & Political Science, University of Missouri

PFFFD 2021

Ph.D., University of California Riverside

Michelangelo’s research interests are race, ethnic & immigration politics (REIP), state & local politics, and legislative studies. His current research includes developing a theory on when state legislative staffers serve as substantive representatives to traditionally underrepresented populations, and developing experimental nudges to promote equitable service delivery by bureaucracies. 

Current position: Assistant Professor, Political Science, University of Colorado Boulder

Knoo Lee

Assistant Professor, Nursing, University of Missouri

PFFFD 2021

Ph.D., University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Lee researches how data-driven, hypothesis-free data analytics can be used to better analyze/interpret nursing data (e.g., nursing homes monitoring data, nursing records, electronic health records). Specifically, his work has examined secondary school students’ chronic absenteeism behavior with social determinants of health using Causal Discovery Analysis (CDA) with machine learning – prediction models comparison.

Qingli Lei

Bridge to Faculty Fellow, University of Illinois Chicago

PFFFD 2022

PhD, Purdue University

Dr. Qingli Lei received her doctoral degree in Educational Studies from Purdue University and coordinated a multi-year evidence-based problem-solving project funded by the National Science Foundation. Her research is directed toward developing instructional scaffoldings as components of interventions to improve the mathematics and literacy performance of struggling English learners. She is also interested in analyzing teacher-student discourse moves to empower students’ mathematics reasoning and problem solving.

Kaleea Lewis

Assistant Professor, Public Health, University of Missouri

PFFFD 2018

Ph.D., University of South Carolina

Public Health and Women’s & Gender Studies

Kaleea’s research intersects with public health, sociology, and psychology. She examines racism within the institution of higher education, specifically the challenges faced by Black students and faculty as well as the psychosocial well-being of minority students. Her research takes an intersectional approach to studying experiences and perceptions of practices within higher education.

Yang Li

Assistant Professor, Nursing, University of Texas at Austin

PFFFD 2018

Ph.D., University of Michigan

Nursing

Yang researches the impact of maternal childhood maltreatment and trauma-related psychopathology on perinatal outcomes. Specifically, her work has examined the concept of Allostatic Load as a physiologic manifestation of multiple systems among the mothers and how they relate to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and childbearing outcomes.

Guadalupe (Lupita) Madrigal

Assistant Professor, Communication, University of California, Santa Barbara

PFFFD 2022

PhD, University of Michigan. 

Guadalupe (who also goes by “Lupita”) researches topics related to political communication, with a particular interest in media, race, and immigration. Her dissertation focuses on news media portrayals of immigrant children in the news over the past 30 years, and the consequences of these representations in contemporary politics. She also has a vested interest in Chicana/o and Latina/o studies. 

Quinnehtukqut McLamore

Assistant Professor, Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri

PFFFD 2022

PhD, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Dr. Quinnehtukqut McLamore received their PhD in Social Psychology from the Psychology of Peace and Violence Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Their research is strongly multimethod and wide-spanning: in general, they focus on “common knowledge,” narratives, extremism, and processes related to group identification. More specifically, they use survey research, lab studies, and psychophysiology research to explore different aspects of questions related to these areas.

Terrell Morton

Assistant Professor, Learning, Teaching, & Curriculum, University of Missouri

PFFFD 2017

Ph.D., UNC Chapel-Hill

Learning, Teaching, & Curriculum

Terrell’s research focuses on student retention and matriculation in postsecondary education. He examines STEM retention for Black females in undergraduate research experiences and the influence of identity development and expression on student engagement.

Current position: Assistant Professor, Identity and Justice in STEM Education, University of Illinois at Chicago

Stephen C. Mukembo

Assistant Professor, Applied Social Sciences, University of Missouri

PFFFD 2022

PhD, Oklahoma State University

Stephen completed his Ph.D. in Agricultural Education at Oklahoma State University (OSU). His doctoral research focused on integrating agricultural and entrepreneurship education to improve community livelihoods through project-based learning and Youth-Adult Partnerships. Stephen’s research interests include entrepreneurship and innovation in agriculture (agripreneurship), food systems, international agriculture, rural entrepreneurship, and youth and agriculture development.

Josh Parmenter

Assistant Professor, Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri

PFFFD 2022

PhD, Utah State University

“Joshua’s program of research uses an intersectional framework to quantitatively and qualitatively examine how experiences of inequity (e.g., discrimination, inequitable structural barriers) or protective factors (e.g., internal and community resilience) influence health outcomes among those with multiple marginalized identities, such as LGBTQ+ Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Joshua’s research not only seeks to inform psychotherapy, but also ways mental health practitioners can engage in resistance to transform oppressive social structures and racist policies that perpetuate health disparities among LGBTQ+ BIPOC.” 

Martha (Sofia) Ortega Obando

Assistant Professor, Animal Sciences, University of Missouri

PFFFD 2017

Ph.D., University of Florida

Animal Sciences

Sofia researches bovine reproductive physiology. She is particularly interested in the underlying genomics of fertility regulation, which are players driving maternal-embryo interactions, and how to regulate them to improve reproductive performance in mammals.

Current position: Assistant Professor, Reproductive Physiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Laura Ridenour

Assistant Professor, Information Science & Learning Technologies, University of Missouri

PFFFD 2021

Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Laura’s research is centered on the philosophy of information and data science, spanning information organization, informetrics, and information retrieval. She is particularly interested in conceptual overlap and divergence in interdisciplinary areas of research.

Roy Anthony Thompson

Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Hunter College Bellevue

PFFFD 2022

PhD, Duke University

Dr. Roy Anthony Thompson was born and raised in Jamaica. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with First Class Honors (Summa Cum Laude) in 2009, and a Master of Science degree in Advance Nursing Education in 2013 from The UWI School of Nursing, University of the West Indies, Jamaica. Prior to graduate school he worked as a registered nurse (RN) in the Post-Anesthetic Care Units and Intensive Care Units from 2008-2013. Dr. Thompson also lectured at the University of the West Indies from 2013-2016. Dr. Thompson earned his doctorate at the Duke University School of Nursing and the Global Health Doctoral Certificate from the Duke Global Health Institute. His doctoral dissertation employed both quantitative and qualitative methods to examine employment-related outcomes between Foreign Educated Nurses (FENs) and US Educated Nurses, including an exploration of barriers and facilitators to FENs providing quality care in LTC settings. Dr. Thompson received a Teaching for Equity Fellowship from the Duke School of Nursing. Dr. Thompson was a subject matter expert on the National Commission Against Racism in Nursing, and an Emerging Diversity Leader for AcademyHealth’s Interdisciplinary Research Group on Nursing Issues (IRGNI). Dr. Thompson’s program of research is focused on improving care of older adults and their health-related outcomes, health policies, strengthening Long-term care (LTC) systems, and enhancing LTC health workforce capacity to improve quality of care for older adults.