From September 2, 2025, through September 1, 2026, the College of Arts and Science welcomed more than a dozen new faculty members. More than 30 A&S faculty members' excellence has been recognized through promotion. More than 20 A&S faculty were honored with high-profile awards from Mizzou and UM System leadership as well as endowments and external organizations. We also celebrate faculty who are advancing our programs and initiatives by taking on leadership roles. 

New faculty 

Instructor 

• Nergis Danis, English 
• Reina Drake, School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures 
• Jonathan Thompson, Architectural Studies 
• Alan Gibson, Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy and Truman School of Government and Public Affairs   

Visiting Assistant Professor 

• Liam Cassidy, School of Visual Studies 
• Matthew Chaldekas, Classics, Archaeology, and Religion 

Assistant Clinical Professor 

• Melanie Miller, Psychological Sciences 

Assistant Professional Practice Professor 

• Zachary Alley, Theatre and Performance Studies 

Assistant Teaching Professor 

• Sarah Greenland-White, Psychological Sciences 
• Sushmanth Jacob Akkarapakam, Mathematics 

Assistant Professor 

• Heather Carlquist Walser, History 
• William Coleman, History 
• Andrea Junqueira, Truman School of Government and Public Affairs 
• Austin Norrid, School of Music 

Donald L. and Lona Lewis Packwood Assistant Professor in Applied Physics 

• Elham Ghadiri, Physics and Astronomy 

Promoted faculty 

Teaching Professor 

• Amanda Durbak, Biological Sciences 
• Dennis Miller, Psychological Sciences 
• Hsin-I Sydney Yueh, Communication 

Associate Extension Professor  

• Robert Russell, Truman School of Government and Public Affairs 

Associate Teaching Professor 

• Carrie Ellis-Kalton, Psychological Sciences 
• Jaime Mestres, Textile and Apparel Management 
• Christian Noon, School of Music 
• Brian Ott, Sociology 
• Nick Potter, School of Visual Studies 
• Scott Taylor, School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures 
• Caroline Waldbuesser, Communication 
• Ramsay Wise, School of Visual Studies 

Associate Professor 

• Bernadette Broderick, Chemistry 
• Alyssa Carlson, Economics 
• Medeia Csoba DeHass, Anthropology 
• Marta Heckel, Philosophy 
• Sarah Jacquet, Geological Sciences 
• Maria Mills, Physics and Astronomy 
• Joseph Santin, Biological Sciences 
• Brittany Street, Economics 
• Song-yi Youn, Textile and Apparel Management 

Professor 

• Irma Arteaga, Truman School of Government and Public Affairs 
• Sounak Chakraborty, Statistics and Data Science 
• Libby Cowgill, Anthropology 
• Alice Dade, School of Music 
• Frances Dickey, English 
• Ian Gizer, Psychological Sciences 
• Sachin Handa, Chemistry 
• Haley Horstman, Communication 
• Lee Manion, English 
• Rebecca Meisenbach, Communication 
• Leo Saguiguit, School of Music 

Leadership Appointments 

Faculty Fellows 

• Caroline Waldbuesser, Faculty Fellow for AI in Teaching  
• Erika Waller, Faculty Lead for Career Readiness 

New Program Directors 

• Eileen Avery, Interdisciplinary Studies 
• Kerri McBee-Black, Health Humanities 

New Center and Institute Directors 

• Irma Arteaga, Institute of Public Policy 
• Clint Davis-Stober, Mizzou AI Education, Research and Infrastructure Center (AERI) 
• Phong Nguyen, Center for the Humanities 
• Chris Wikle, Center for Spatio-Temporal Statistics and AI 

New Department Chair and School Director Appointments 

• Brian Silvey, School of Music 
• Carlos Wexler, Physics and Astronomy 

Awards 

We also celebrate faculty excellence by highlighting A&S faculty who received internal and external awards during AY26. 

UM System Awards  

2025 Curators’ Distinguished Professorships 

• Scott Holan, Statistics and Data Science 
• Brian Silvey, School of Music 
    

External Awards  

Highly Prestigious  

American Academy of Arts and Science – Member  

• Deborah Pearsall, Anthropology  

National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship  

• Noah Heringman, English 

Prestigious  

Association for Psychological Science Fellow  

• Jordan A. Booker, Psychological Sciences  
• Nicholas Gaspelin, Psychological Sciences  

Sixteenth Century Society – Harold J. Grimm Prize  

• John Frymire, History 

Fulbright Scholar  
2025-26  

• Sachin Handa, Chemistry 

2024-25  

• Christina Carney, Black Studies, Women's and Gender Studies  
• Dan Edidin, Mathematics  
• Brian Silvey, School of Music  
• Robert Walker, Anthropology  

Internal Awards  

Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching  

• Amy M. Knopps, School of Music  

Provost’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Mentoring of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship – Arts & Humanities and Social & Behavioral Sciences  

• Ashley Groh, Psychological Sciences  

Provost’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Mentoring of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship – Life Science, Math, and Physical Science (STEM)  

• Elizabeth King, Biological Sciences 

Provost’s Award for Leadership in International Education  

• Marcello Mogetta, Classics, Archaeology, and Religion  

Provost’s Award for University Citizenship in Service  

• Eileen Avery, Sociology  

Provost’s Outstanding Junior Faculty Research and Creative Activity Award  

• Joseph Santin, Biological Sciences  

Provost’s Outstanding Junior Faculty Teaching Award  

• Bonnie McLarty, School of Music
• Doug Valentine, Sociology 

William T. Kemper Fellowships for Teaching Excellence 

• Jim Crozier, Classics, Archaeology, and Religion  
• Amanda Durbak, Biological Sciences  
• Karthik Panchanathan, Anthropology  
    

The new and promoted faculty listed above includes individuals whose hiring or promotion were documented in campus systems as of September 1, 2026. Awards are shared from the Provost's website. Please notify the college's communications and marketing team with corrections.