Centre welcomes new faculty

DANVILLE, KY—Centre College hired 19 new full-time faculty members for the 2006- 07 academic year. "We are very pleased to have this group of new faculty members joining us," said Dean Stephanie Fabritius. "They bring with them new ideas and perspectives to both the curriculum and the Centre community."

Emily Bingham is visiting assistant professor of history. She graduated from Harvard with a degree in U.S. history, and earned her master's and Ph.D. in U.S. history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Melissa Burns-Cusato is assistant professor of psychology.  Burns-Cusato received a B.A. in animal behavior from Southwestern University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. Her teaching interests include animal behavior, learning and motivation, and comparative psychology.

Brian Cusato is assistant professor of psychology . Cusato received a B.A. in psychology from Muhlenberg College, a master’s degree from Bucknell University and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include the neurobiology of animal learning and comparative psychology.

Michael Fabritius is visiting professor of economics. He received a B.A. in economics from S.U.N.Y Fredonia, a master’s in economics from New Mexico State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas. Prior to joining Centre’s faculty, Fabritius was McBryde Professor of Finance and Economics at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. Dr. Fabritius’s scholarly interests include the savings and loan industry, economic history, money and banking, and economic education.

Stephanie Fabritius is a professor of biology and vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College. She holds a B.S. in biology from Pepperdine University and a Ph.D. from Purdue University. Fabritius' signature courses include biological diversity and interactions, ecology, animal behavior and evolution.

Ravi Gupta is assistant professor of religion. He received bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and applied mathematics from Boise State University, and earned a master’s in religion and Ph.D. in philosophy in Hinduism at Oxford. Gupta's current research involves the contribution of Caitanya Vaishnava to the realm of Indian philosophy.

Melanie Hauser is visiting assistant professor of chemistry. She received a B.S. in chemistry from The Pennsylvania State University, a master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Oregon. Her research interests include calcium chelation and RNA folding.

Jeffrey E. Janovetz is assistant professor of biology. Janovetz earned B.S. in biology from the University of Illinois, received a master’s degree from Washington State University and a master’s and Ph.D. in organismal biology and anatomy from the University of Chicago.

John Kinkade is visiting assistant professor of English. He graduated Centre College with degrees in English and government, and earned a master's and Ph.D. in English literature at the University of Texas at Austin.

Jason Leddington is visiting assistant professor of philosophy. He received B.A. degrees in philosophy and physics from Brown University, and is a Ph.D. candidate at Northwestern University. His research interests include philosophy of mind, philosophy of perception, and metaphysics and epistemology.

Jamus J. Lim is assistant professor of economics. Lim received a B.A. in economics and computer science from the University of Southern Queensland, a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a Ph.D. from the University of California. Lim's primary fields of interest include international finance, open-economy macro, and political economy.

Nathan Link is assistant professor of music. He graduated from Macalester College, and received an M.A. in music history from the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. from Yale University.

Kenneth McIntyre is assistant professor of government. He received a bachelor’s degree in politics from Princeton University, earned master’s degrees from both Tulane University and the University of Wales, and a Ph.D. in political science from Tulane.

Heather Morton is assistant professor of English. She graduated from Williams College with degrees in math and political science, and a master's and Ph.D. in English language and literature at the University of Virginia. Morton’s teaching interests include British literature from 1700-1900 with a focus on the Victorian period, and the history and theory of the novel.

Sarah Murray is instructor of education. She is a Ph.D. candidate in education at the University of Kentucky. Murray received her B.A. in mathematics from Western Kentucky University, and an M.A. in education from Eastern Kentucky University and Rank 1 from the University of Kentucky.

Jason Neiser is assistant professor of physics. He graduated from Centre College with degrees in physics and mathematics, and graduated from The Institute of Optics and earned a Ph.D. at the University of Rochester. His research interests include excitation and electronic control of optically-resonant periodic electrode structures, and optical investigations of dimensional stability in photopolymers.

Lee Patterson is visiting assistant professor of classics. Patterson graduated with a degree in English from Fairleigh Dickinson University, received master’s degrees from both Arkansas State University and the University of Mississippi, and a Ph.D. in classical studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia. His scholarly interests include Greek history, Roman history and classical mythology.

Paul Sikkel is visiting assistant professor of biology. He received a B.S. in biology from the University of California San Diego, and earned his master's and Ph.D. from Oregon State University. Sikkel's research interests include behavioral ecology, ecology of fishes and tropical reefs.

Penelope Wong is assistant professor of education. Wong received a B.A. in English from Mount Holyoke College, master’s degrees in cultural anthropology and teaching English as a second language from Northern Arizona University, and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from Northern Arizona University.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

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