Fourteen new tenure-track professors will start teaching at Smith this fall across various disciplines, including economics, Jewish studies, and biological sciences. At a ceremony on September 8, President Sarah Willie-LeBreton welcomed them, urging newcomers to utilize available resources and support from their colleagues to inspire students.
The college recently said goodbye to Suk Massey, a senior lecturer in East Asian languages and cultures, who retired after 20 years. Massey was notable for creating the Korean Language Series and expanding Korean studies within the Five Colleges network.
Here are brief biographies of the new faculty:
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Gabriel Bloomfield (Assistant Professor of English Language and Literature): Ph.D. from Columbia University, focusing on early-modern lyric poetry with interests in religion, gender, and sexuality studies.
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Clarissa Chevalier (Assistant Professor in Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies): Ph.D. in art history, specializing in feminist science and technology studies to examine environmental issues.
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Dong Woo Hahm (Assistant Professor of Economics): Ph.D. from Columbia University, researching applied microeconomics with a focus on education and decision-making.
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Sara Kirshbaum (Assistant Professor of Government and Statistical and Data Sciences): Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University, studying American political behavior, especially in elections.
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Michael George Lerner (Associate Professor of Physics): A computational biophysicist exploring cancer metastasis, with a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.
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Maytal Mark (Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies): Ph.D. in Hebrew/Judaic studies, researching Jewish intellectual responses to the Zionist movement.
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Genae Matthews (Assistant Professor of Philosophy): Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina, researching epistemology and social philosophy with an aim to make philosophy more inclusive.
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Sophia Monegro (Assistant Professor of Africana Studies): Ph.D. from the University of Texas, examining Black women’s intellectual history and digital humanities.
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Jacqueline Pelham (Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences): Ph.D. in biochemistry and biophysics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, focused on circadian timekeeping.
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Yujie Pu (Assistant Professor of History): Ph.D. in East Asian studies, studying intersections of medicine and law in China.
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Juliana Restrepo Sanin (Assistant Professor of Government): Ph.D. from Rutgers University, researching gendered violence in Latin America.
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María Verónica San Martín (Assistant Professor of Art): Multidisciplinary artist with a focus on history, memory, and trauma, holds an M.F.A. from George Washington University.
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Haider Shahbaz (Assistant Professor of World Literatures): Ph.D. in comparative literature from UCLA, focusing on South Asian and Black literatures and translation studies.
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Kimberly Soriano (Assistant Professor of Latin American and Latino/a Studies): Researches Latinx experiences with community engagement and cultural production.
These additions signify Smith’s commitment to enriching its academic community with diverse perspectives and expertise.
