Current Fellows and Graduates

ELATES Class of 2025-2026

The ELATES at Drexel Class of 2025-2026 is a prestigious cohort of 41 faculty members and leaders across STEM disciplines from institutions across the U.S. and Canada. Each Fellow was nominated by their dean or provost and has significant administrative experience on top of their scholarly accomplishments.

2025-2026 ELATES at Drexel Fellows

• Lana Alagha, Robert H. Quenon Associate Professor, Mining Engineering and Associate Chair for Research, Missouri University of Science and Technology

• Arezoo Ardekani, Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Associate Head of Academic Affairs, Purdue University at West Lafayette

• Iris “Ruth” Bahar, Professor and Department Head, Computer Science, Colorado School of Mines

• Gretchen Bohnhoff, Professor, Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management, Milwaukee School of Engineering

• Lora Cavuoto, Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Director of Undergraduate Studies, State University of New York at Buffalo

• Heather Dillon, Professor and Chair of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Tacoma

• Ziqian “Cecilia” Dong, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, New York Institute of Technology

• Maria Emelianenko, Professor, Mathematical Science, George Mason University

• Jessica Fick, Assistant Dean, College of Engineering Mathematics and Science, Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Platteville

• Susan Fullerton-Shirey, Associate Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Vice Chair for Graduate Education, University of Pittsburgh

• Stephanie George, Interim Dean, Professor, ECU’s College of Engineering and Technology, East Carolina University

• Anne Goodchild, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Director, Supply Chain Transportation and Logistics Center, University of Washington

• Anju Gupta, Associate Professor, Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Toledo

• Fatemeh Hassanipour, Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Assistant Dean, Strategic Initiatives, UT Dallas

• Karuna Joshi, Associate Professor, Information Systems, University of Maryland Baltimore County

• Eva Kanso, Professor, ZH Kaprielian Fellow, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern California

• Anahita Khojandi, Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Heath Endowed Faculty Fellow, Business and Engineering, University of Tennessee at Knoxville

• Marisol Koslowski, Associate Dean, Global Engineering, Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University at West Lafayette

• Nancy Lape, Chair, Professor, Engineering Department, Harvey Mudd College

• Kaitlin Mallouk, Associate Professor, Experiential Engineering Education, Rowan University

• Michelle Marincel Payne, Chair, Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

• Maria Mayorga, Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Director/Chair, Operations Research, North Carolina State University

• Jillian McLeod, Assistant Professor, Mathematics, United States Coast Guard Academy

• Jennifer Munson, Professor, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

• Elizabeth Nance, Chair, Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering, University of Washington

• Jill Nelson, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Programs, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, George Mason University

• Kate Nooner, Senior Associate Dean, Faculty, Policy, Research and Innovation, Professor, Psychology, College of Science and Engineering, UNC Wilmington

• Christie Peebles, Professor, School of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, Colorado State University

• Amy Peterson, Associate Professor, Plastics Engineering, UMass Lowell

• Renata Ramos, Associate Dean, Academic Affairs, Associate Professor, Bioengineering, Rice University

• Shannon Roberts, Associate Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst

• Omowunmi "Wunmi" Sadik, Vice Provost, Faculty Affairs, Distinguished Professor, Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology

• Carolyn Seepersad, Professor, Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

• Sandra Shefelbine, Associate Dean, Space and Special Initiatives, Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Northeastern University

• Meera Singh, Associate Dean, Graduate Studies, Professor, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Calgary

• Virginia Smith, Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Director, Graduate Studies, Villanova University

• Katelyn Swindle-Reilly, Associate Chair, Associate Professor Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University

• Michelle Thompson, Associate Professor, Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University

• Andrea Vernengo, Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, Rowan University

• Hui “Claire” Xiong, Professor, Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University

• Min Zhang, Professor, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Director, Biostatistics Shared Resource, UCI Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Irvine

2024-2025 ELATES at Drexel Fellows

• Sara Atwood, Dean of Engineering and Computer Science and Professor of Engineering, Elizabethtown College
• Amanda Bao, Interim Department Chair and Professor, Program Director in Civil Engineering Technology, College of Engineering Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology
• Joule Bergerson, Professor, Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, Canada Research Chair in Energy Technology Assessment
• Nanette R. Boyle, Associate Professor and Interim Department Head, Chemical & Biological Engineering Director, Quantitative Biosciences & Engineering Interdisciplinary Graduate Program, Colorado School of Mines
• Maria-Isabel Carnasciali, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research, School of Engineering & Computational Sciences, Merrimack College
• Cynthia Chen, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington
• Yuejie Chi, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
• Annie Childers, Interim Associate Dean, Donaghey College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Associate Professor of Mathematics, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
• Mari S. Chinn, Professor and Head, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Oklahoma State University (OSU), Director, Biobased Product and Energy Center, OSU, Associate and Technical Director, South-Central Sun Grant Center
• Adrienne Decker, Associate Professor, Engineering Education, University at Buffalo
• Diane Foster, Director of the School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering, Professor of Mechanical and Ocean Engineering, University of New Hampshire
• Victoria Futch, Captain, United States Coast Guard, Associate Dean, School of Science, Math, & Humanities; United States Coast Guard Academy
• Konstantina (Nadia) Gkritza, Campus Director, ASPIRE NSF ERC, Professor and a Purdue University Faculty Scholar, Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
• Monique Head, Associate Professor | Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Delaware
• Belinda Heyne, Professor of Chemistry, Head of the Chemistry Department, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
• Guiping Hu, Professor and Head Donald & Cathey Humphreys Chair, School of Industrial Engineering and Management, Oklahoma State University
• Lisa G. Huettel, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, Professor of the Practice in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University
• Jana Kainerstorfer, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Associate Dept. Head for Faculty and Graduate Affairs, Carnegie Mellon University
• Nadia Kellam, Associate Professor of Engineering and the, Associate Director of Research Excellence within The Polytechnic School of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University (ASU)
• Tamara Kinzer-Ursem, Marta E. Gross Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Associate Dean of Graduate and Professional Programs in the College of Engineering, Purdue University
• Linda Kliment, Associate Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University, Director, Kansas Space Grant Consortium and Kansas NASA EPSCoR Program
• Jenny Liu, James A. Heidman Professor in Civil Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology
• Julie P. Martin, University of Georgia, Professor and Director Engineering Education Transformations Institute
• Caroline Masiello, W. Maurice Ewing Professor of Biogeochemistry, Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Professor of Chemistry and Biosciences, Director, Sustainability Institute, Rice University
• Brooke Mayer, Professor of Environmental Engineering, Marquette University
• Katie McConky, Department Head and Associate Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Kate Gleason College of Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology
• Leigh McCue-Weil, Professor and Chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering, George Mason University
• Jacqueline O’Connor, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, Associate Department Head for Faculty, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Associate Director, Penn State Climate Consortium
• Ekaterina Pomerantseva, Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Drexel University
• Alicyn M Rhoades, Vice Chancellor & Associate Dean of Research & Graduate Studies, Professor of Engineering, Plastics Engineering Technology / Polymer Engineering & Science, Penn State Behrend
• Gail Rosen, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Directors of the EESI Lab and Center for Bio-discovery from Big Data, Drexel University
• Kristin Sample-Lord, Associate Professor & Assistant Department Chair, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University
• Jessica D. Schiffman, Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Deputy Editor, ACS Applied Engineering Materials
• Meisha L. Shofner, Professor, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Parisa Shokouhi, Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics, Penn State University
• Caroline M. Solomon, Professor, Biology and Dean of the Faculty, Gallaudet University
• Jessica L. Sparks, Professor and Chair, Department of Chemical, Paper, and Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Computing, Miami University, OH
• Julie L. Swann, A. Doug Allison Distinguished Professor and Department Head, Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, North Carolina State University
• Lin Tan, Mary J. Elmore New Frontiers Professor, Computer Science, Purdue University
• Kristin Thoney Barletta, Professor and Interim Department Head, Department of Textile and Apparel, Technology & Management, North Carolina State University
• Heather Trajano, Associate Professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science, University of British Columbia (UBC)
• Thuy Vu, Department Assistant Chair, Edinburg, University Texas at Rio Grande Valley
• Xiaokun (Cara) Wang, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Cheryl Xu, Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, NC State University
• Katherine Yanhang Zhang, Professor of Mechanical, Biomedical, Materials Science & Engineering, Director, Center of Multiscale and Translational Mechanobiology, Boston University