BHSEC Queens faculty members are experienced college professors with a special interest in working with younger students; some come to BHSEC from high schools in New York and others from colleges and universities. Approximately two-thirds of full-time faculty members hold a Ph.D. in their discipline, and all permanent, full-time faculty are certified by New York State. Some college electives are taught by adjunct faculty. The faculty to student ratio is 15:1, with an average class size between 20 and 22.
Social Studies Faculty
B.A., American Studies, Wesleyan Univerity; M.A. and Ph.D., U.S. History, Columbia University.
Doctoral dissertation, “Bottom-Up Management: Participative Philosophy and Humanistic Psychology in American Organizational Culture, 1930-1970,” explores the transformation of American corporate culture in the years surrounding World War II, when people started talking about teams and their feelings in the workplace. Research interests include popular psychology, 20th-century religion, consumer culture, and business history. Advised the Queer Straight Alliance and helped lead impromptu knitting tutorials at BHSEC Queens.
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Science Faculty
B.S., Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Ph.D., Physics, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.
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Language Faculty
B.A., Spanish Language and Literature / Latin American & US Latino Studies, Fordham University; Ph.D., Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Literatures, New York University.
Doctoral dissertation: “Las diosas de América: Concealed Symbols of the Great Mother in Latin American Literature.” Areas of Inquiry include Latin American Literature, Pre-Hispanic Myth in Contemporary Literature, Mutterecht, Indigenous cosmogonies (Andean, Mexican, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian, Amazonian), Trans-national-Trans-cultural Visual Culture, and U.S. Latino/a Literature and Translation. Taught at New York University and John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY). Former multi-lingual recruiter and executive headhunter with interpreting and translation experience in corporate, academic, entertainment, legal and diplomatic arenas.
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Mathematics & Computer Science Faculty
B.S., Electrical Engineering, Columbia University; M.S., Electrical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley; M.A., Teaching Secondary Mathematics, Bard College; 2010 Math for America Fellow.
Previous teaching experience at International Community High School in the Bronx; East Side Community High School in Manhattan; and University of California, Berkeley, as a graduate student instructor. Publications on 3D modeling of indoor and outdoor environments using camera and laser data have appeared in IEEE conferences, including 3D Processing, Visualization, and Transmission and International Conference on Image Processing. Co-inventor on a pending patent for asynchronous digital circuits, including arbitration and routing primitives.
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Arts Faculty
B.M., Music Education, Piano and Voice, University of Dayton; M.M., Jazz Studies, Purchase College SUNY, Conservatory of Music.
Teaching appointments include the New York City public school system; University of Dayton; and The Miami Valley School. Courses taught include Choir, Music Theory, Jazz Ensemble, Music Fundamentals, Improvisation, Piano, and Voice.
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Mathematics Faculty
B.A. Mathematics, Cornell University; M.S. Mathematics Education, St. John’s University; New York City Teaching Fellows; 2017 Math for America Fellow. Taught mathematics at the Lehman Alternative Community School and New Roots Charter School. Worked as Academic Advisor at the University of Georgia.
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Social Studies Faculty
B.A., Politics, Law, and Society, Bard College at Simon’s Rock; M.A. and Ph.D., Government, The University of Texas.
Research on international conflict; international political economy; the relationship between domestic and international politics; political methodology and econometrics and game theory. Dissertation used statistical analysis and formal models to explore the role of US and Iraqi domestic politics in the 2003 war in Iraq. Served in the Peace Corps in Kazakhstan from 2000 to 2002.
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Social Studies Faculty
B.A., History, Duke University. Ph.D., US History, Yale University.
Particular interests in urban history; his thesis examined the affordable housing policy and politics in the city of Philadelphia from the Civil Rights-era to the era of Welfare Reform. At Yale, Zane also gained three years of experience as a teaching fellow.
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Mathematics Faculty
B.S., Electrical Engineering, University of Cincinnati; S.M. & Ph.D., Applied Mathematics, Harvard University; M.A., Mathematics Education, New York University.
Chartered Financial Analyst; 2009 Math for America Fellow. Worked for fifteen years in the financial industry. Taught mathematics at Ohio University. Research interests include applications of mathematics to finance and electromagnetic phenomena.
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Special Education Faculty
B.A. Psychology, Elon University; M.A. Urban Adolescent Special Education, Long Island University.
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Assistant Professor of Biology
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Student Support
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Special Education Faculty
B.A. Art History, Bard College; M.A. Special Education, Long Island University. 10 years experience as a special education ICT teacher in English.
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Mathematics Faculty
Sc.B., Applied Mathematics, Brown University; M.A., Mathematics of Finance, Columbia University; M.A., Secondary Mathematics Education, City College of New York; 2013 Math for America Fellow.
Prior teaching experience at The Urban Assembly School for Law and Justice; and Vanguard High School. Worked in financial services for five years as a risk management consultant and equities trading analyst.
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Mathematics Faculty
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Science Faculty
B.S., Neuroscience, Brandeis University; Ph.D., Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Hartwell Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan; Postdoctoral Associate at Weill Cornell Medical College.
Mentored students in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) at the University of Michigan; mentored graduate students at Weill Cornell; and taught genetics curriculum in the New York Academy of Science STEM afterschool program to middle school students. Publications have appeared in the Journal of Comparative Neurology; Journal of Neuroscience; Developmental Biology; and as a chapter in the textbook Principles of Developmental Genetics. Research interests include neural crest specification; axon guidance; and neuromuscular junction formation. Fellowships include: Math for America Master Teacher Fellowship (2017-present) and Sci-ed Innovator Fellowship (2019).
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Literature Faculty
B.A., Near Eastern Studies (Arabic language and literature concentration), University of California, Berkeley; M.A. and Ph.D., Comparative Literature, New York University.
Taught Arabic at Columbia University and Comparative Literature at New York University. Editor, Arab Studies Journal, 2002-2007. Fellowship at the American Research Center in Egypt, researching the history of children’s literature in Egypt, 2007-2008. Research interests include contemporary Arabic literature; immigrant literature in France; and representations of childhood.
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Language Faculty
Taught English in Oaxaca, Mexico, 2007-2010. Recognized as one of ten Teachers Who Make a Difference by The New York Times in 2016. Coordinator of Undocufriendly BHSECQ and supervisor of the Dream Team, two organizations that support (un)documented immigrant students and their families at BHSECQ. Manages the HOPE Scholarship, which provides financial assistance for undocumented BHSECQ graduates towards finishing their Bachelor’s degree at their next college. Faculty editor of Immigrant Voices, a print magazine and blog featuring writing, art, and music about the immigrant experience from the Bard network. Articles on politics in Mexico have appeared in La Voz, Bard’s Spanish-language magazine. Research interests include U.S.-Mexico relations and indigenous self-governance in Mexico.
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Literature Department
B.Sc. Economics Kinnaird College for Women Lahore, Pakistan (2010). B.A. Literature and Politics, Bard College Berlin (2015). MPhil, Arts Education, Ph.D, German Literature and Performance Studies, University of Cambridge (2020). Research interests include: Western classical drama; theory and performance, Intercultural theatre, interaction of Islamic and Western literature, humanities based education. Select publications: Khan and Wagner, “This dust bowl is better than the lofty paradise:” Reconstructing the Foundations of Faith through Storytelling in Muhammad Iqbal’s Javid Nama and G.E. Lessing’s Nathan“, Journal of Literature and Theology Oxford University Press. Artistic portfolio: www.mariakhan.work
Language Faculty
B.A., American Literature and Psychology, Hunter College; M.S., Education, City College; M.S., Chinese Linguistics, East China Normal University, Shanghai.
Research interests: Social linguistic research and analysis of the signs in New York City; modern Chinese literature. Taught in New York public schools and in the Middlebury College summer language program. Chinese calligraphy writings shown at numerous exhibitions in New York City and Canada. Board of Directors of The Association of Chinese Calligraphy in America; Member: Hua Xia Chinese Calligraphy and Overseas Chinese Instrumentalist Orchestra.
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Physical Education & Philosophy Faculty
B.A., Philosophy and Mathematics, St. John’s College, Annapolis; M.A., Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania, Ph.D., Philosophy and Sports Administration, Union Graduate School. Bacon Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania.
Coached college basketball, soccer, and tennis in California, Florida, and Connecticut. Coached high school basketball, soccer, baseball, and tennis in California and New York. Taught public and independent high school physical education, English, and philosophy in California and New York. Taught philosophy as a fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. Author of Let’s Kill ‘Em: Understanding and Controlling Violence in Sports (University Press of America, 1999); Short Term Trading (McGraw-Hill, 2002).
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Science Faculty
B.S., Chemistry, University of the Philippines, Diliman; Ph.D., Inorganic Chemistry, Syracuse University. Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Mount Holyoke College and University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 2008-2010. Future Professoriate Program Participant, Syracuse University, 2007.
Taught organic chemistry laboratory courses at Mount Holyoke College, 2010-2012; teaching assistant at Syracuse University, 2002-2007; laboratory instructor and coordinator at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, 1998-2002. Research articles published in Langmuir; Chemistry – a European Journal; Inorganic Chemistry. Research interests include organometallic chemistry; polymer science; and surface chemistry.
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Language Faculty
B.A., Letters, University of Oklahoma; M.A., Classical Philology, University of Cincinnati. Graduate student instructor at the University of Cincinnati.
Adjunct instructor at Xavier University; taught Latin 1-4 at Nottingham and Hamilton West High Schools, Hamilton, NJ. Member of the American Classical League; President of the New Jersey Classical Association. Interests include Lucretius; didactic poetry; and Aristophanes.
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Visual Arts & Theater Faculty
B.A., Theater, Mount Holyoke College; MsEd., Leadership & Technology in the Arts: Visual Arts Focus, Bank Street Graduate College of Education & Parson School of Design/New School. Taught visual arts and theater to K-post secondary students in Washington, DC and Westport, CT in both public and private schools. Practicing visual artist with a particular interest in site-specific video installation projects. Work held in both public and private collections.
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Science Faculty
B.A., Chemistry, Goucher College; Ph.D., Biophysics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Articles published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science; and the Journal of Physical Chemistry A. Research interests include the role of dynamics in catalysis; and finding new methods for identification of the reaction coordinate.
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Language Faculty
B.A. Ancient Greek and Latin Literature and Classical History, Boston University; PhD, Ancient Greek and Latin Literature, The Graduate Center, CUNY. Melissa taught ancient literature in translation, receptions of the ancient Mediterranean, Ancient Greek and Roman civilization, writing, and Latin for ten years at CUNY (Brooklyn, Hunter, and Queens Colleges) and Ancient Greek and Latin for four years at the Riverdale Country School before coming to Bard Queens. Her doctoral research explored the representations of sexualized violence, victim-blaming, and lateral violence among women in the Roman poet Ovid’s corpus, parts of which have been published by Bloomsbury Press. She has also recently published on feminist pedagogy and feminist receptions of the ancient Mediterranean for Classical Outlook. Her current research project focuses on the reception of ancient Greek mythology in the musician Joanna Newsom’s corpus.
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Science Faculty
B.S., Ecology, University of Georgia; Ph.D., Biology, Wesleyan University.
Dissertation: studied the interactions and defenses of herbivores, plants and insects. Post-doctoral fellow at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where she continued work on the interactions between plants, the insects that feed on them, and the predators, parasites and pathogens that attack the insects. She has taught both Animal Behavior (Purchase College) and Evolutionary Biology (University of Colorado).
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Learning Specialist Mathematics, Science
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Social Studies Faculty
A.B. cum laude, Modern European History, Harvard University; M.A. mit Auszeichnung, Medieval and Modern European History, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität; Ph.D., Modern European History, Harvard University.
Taught at Harvard College; Boston University; M.I.T.; Colorado School of Mines; and Dowling College, as well as at several middle schools in an exchange program in Japan. Published the book Optimizing the German Workforce: Labor Administration from Bismarck to the Economic Miracle in 2010. Articles, reviews, and chapters on economics in Germany, the history of psychology, and intellectual history have appeared in the journals Critical Review; Essays in Economic and Business History; German History; The Historical Society; and History of Psychology. He is currently working on a book that proposes a revision of historical method.
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Social Studies Faculty
B.A., History and Classics, San Francisco State; M.A. and Ph.D., History, University of California at Berkeley.
Taught at Stanford University; Oberlin College; and the University of Melbourne, Australia. Areas of research include European intellectual history, notably medieval theology and the recurrence of Aristotelianism.
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Literature Faculty
B.A., English and Music, Knox College; M.F.A., Fiction, Sarah Lawrence College.
Taught at Hofstra University and Knox College. Copy Chief at Random House; Senior Production Editor at Doubleday; Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Published in Growing Up Gay/Growing Up Lesbian: A Literary Anthology, and in several journals, most recently Hobart and the Emerging Writer’s Network. Currently at work on a novel and a collection of essays.
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Science Faculty
B.Sc., Chemistry, Brooklyn College; M.A., Science Education (Chemistry), Brooklyn College; M.P.H., Health Science, University of North Texas School of Public Health; Ed.M., Organization and Leadership, Teachers College of Columbia University; Ph.D., Health Studies, University of North Texas.
Administrative Internship, Teachers College of Columbia University. Worked as academic team leader and served on the curriculum and oral defense committee at Middle College High School at LaGuardia Community College; served as department chair and lead teacher in Dallas Independent School; served as coach for students preparing for national and international science competitions. Presented papers at conferences on international AIDs (Bangok, Thailand ) and Infectious disease (Argentina). Publications include “The Role of Geographic Information System in Syphilis Prevention and Elimination,” Journal of Urban Health, and “Geographic Information System and Case Studies in Health,” Interactive Teaching and Learning across Disciplines and Cultures. Research interests include health disparities; social determinants of health; and geographic information systems and disease.
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Science Faculty
B. Sc., Chemistry, University of Guyana; M.A., Chemistry, Queens College; Ph.D., Organic Chemistry, The Graduate Center, City University of New York.
Dissertation: “Chiral sulfurization for synthesis of antisense oligonucleotides.” Post-doctoral Research Fellow: research conducted at Queens College (CUNY) and Brookhaven National Laboratory; Project title “Synthesis and Characterization of Cyclic Phosphonium Ionic Liquids.” Taught at Queens College and LaGuardia Community College. Research articles in Inorganica Chimica Acta; Journal of Sulfur Chemistry; Nucleosides, Nucleotides & Nucleic Acids; and Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry. Research interest: Investigation of chiral ammonium-based and phosphonium-based ionic liquids for potential use as solvents in stereoselective organic reactions.
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Literature Faculty
A.A., Literary Studies, Simon’s Rock College; B.A., Sarah Lawrence College; M.A., Rutgers University; Ph.D., Rutgers University.
Taught at Rutgers University and Sarah Lawrence College. Research interests include Henry James; 19th century American literature; the history and theory of the novel. Currently at work on a memoir involving family history.
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Arts Faculty
B.A., summa cum laude, Bard College at Simon’s Rock; M.F.A, Playwriting, Actor’s Studio Drama School at The New School, where he was a Jacob K Javits Fellow in the Arts.
Taught at Bard College at Simon’s Rock and in an after school program in the Bronx through NYU’s Metro Center. Co-Founding Artistic Director of Bazaar Productions, which presents The Berkshire Fringe, a three-week festival of theater by emerging artists, in the Berkshires. Has worked as an actor, playwright and director with companies throughout the Northeast, including MassMoCA, TheaterFaction, Geek Ink, Personal Space Theatrics, Theater for the New City, and KickWheel Ensemble. His play, “DARK: An End of the World Play with Music and an Exercise Bike” had its world premiere at the Daniel Arts Center in Great Barrington in 2013.
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Science Faculty
Dr. Paroly obtained her BS and MS degrees in Zoology from University of Madras, India. She then came to Wesleyan University, CT to pursue her Ph.D. degree in the laboratory of Prof. Michael Weir in the Biology Department. Her thesis research involved studying function of the protein, Ppa during Drosophila embryonic development. She joined the laboratory of Prof. Cathy Mendelsohn at Columbia University, NY for her post-doctoral training. There, she focused on studying genes that are involved in embryonic kidney development in the mouse model. Currently a biology faculty at BHSECQ, Dr. Paroly continues to develop her research interest in cancer biology. She collaborates with the laboratory of Dr. Sanjai Pathak at Queens College, CUNY where her research has focused on studying proteins involved in the development of metastatic cancers. She recruits and engages BHSECQ students in her collaborative research projects at Queens College, especially during the summer months. Dr. Paroly is a recipient of Math for America (MFA) Master Teacher fellowship cohort of 2017.
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Literature Faculty
B.A., University of King’s College; M.A. and Ph.D., English, University of Toronto.
Taught at Tufts; New York University; The New School; and The Cooper Union. Expertise in twentieth-century poetry. Has been published in Twentieth-Century Literature; American Literature; and American Literary History. Authored a scholarly study of the poet, Elizabeth Bishop.
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Mathematics Faculty
B.S., Mathematics, The University of Chicago; M.A., Teaching of Secondary Mathematics, Bard College; 2011 Math for America NYC Fellow.
Prior teaching experience at The Bronx Academy of Letters and MS 223: The Laboratory School for Finance and Technology.
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Social Studies Faculty
B.A., Bard College; M.A., Asian Cultures and Languages; and Ph.D., Media Studies, Department of Radio-TV-Film, University of Texas at Austin. Suzanne has received fellowships from the American Institute of Indian Studies, the Fulbright Foundation, the ACLS-Mellon Foundation and the University Film and Video Association. She has published book chapters and journal articles on the intersection between politics and film in India and has translated Hindi writer Amritlal Nagar’s writing on film. Suzanne has a background in documentary film production and is currently pursuing an M.F.A. in Integrated Media Arts at Hunter College. She has taught at the University of Texas, Baruch College and the Language and Thinking Program at Bard College.
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718-361-3133 x7706
Social Studies Faculty
B.A., History, Columbia College; M.P.A., Princeton University; Ph.D., African History, The University of Michigan.
Taught history at The University of Michigan, University of Oregon, University of California, San Marcos, Queens College (CUNY), and Yeshiva University High School for Boys.
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Science Faculty
Sc.B., Mathematics and Physics, Brown University; Ph.D., Physics, University of Pennsylvania.
Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Chemistry, New York University, 2017 Math for America Fellow.
William Sherman did his PhD research in surface science before switching to what became his main area of interest: structural DNA nanotechnology – using the natural tendency of DNA strands to wind together to build very small structures and machines. He worked in this area as a postdoctoral researcher at New York University, and then as a staff scientist in the Center for Functional Nanomaterials at Brookhaven National Laboratory. His most noted work was building a walking DNA construct that held the world record for smallest robot. Has one patent, and has published in Nature Nanotechnology; Nano Letters; Science; Biophysical Journal; Physical Review B; Journal of Computational Chemistry; and Surface Science. He mentored a prize-winning postdoctoral researcher; a prize-winning high school student; and numerous high school and undergraduate students. Hobbies include social, competitive, and performance ballroom and salsa dancing.
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718-361-3133 x6917
Special Education Faculty
BA International Relations and Spanish, French Minor; MS Teaching Urban Adolescents with Disabilities; Bilingual ExtensionPrior to working in the Department of Education, Brittany was a founding member of the Great Oaks Charter School Tutor Corps. She then decided to join the NYC Teaching Fellows to pursue a degree in Special Education. Brittany worked as a middle school bilingual special education teacher for eight years in Washington Heights before joining BHSEC Queens. She is currently working on her second Masters in Educational Leadership at Hunter College and aspires to be a school leader.
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Arts Faculty
B.A., Music, Bard College; M.M, Music, Yale University; Ph.D, Music, Princeton University. Taught at Princeton, Juilliard, and The City College of New York. The New York Times described his music as “personal, moody and skillfully wrought.” His work has been included in the Guggenheim Museum’s Works & Process series, commissioned by American Opera Projects, Bang on a Can, and featured on The Wendy Williams Show. His opera Darkling toured Europe and was released on Albany Records. His opera Fade premiered in London. The Wall Street Journal said his opera The Scarlet Ibis was “subtly subversive, and its production groundbreaking.” He is a recipient of awards from the MAP Fund Grant, Meet the Composer, SCI, ASCAP, and the American Music Center. Recordings of his work available from New Amsterdam Records and Albany Records.
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Social Studies Faculty
B.A., History, McGill University; M.A., Journalism, New York University; Ph.D., History, Columbia University. Teaching Fellow, Columbia University, 2006-2012.
Areas of research include New York City history; American political history; Canadian-American relations; and the welfare state. Formerly a newspaper editor; writing has appeared in The Nation; The Daily; and Bookforum; as well as the International Journal of Canadian Studies.
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Literature Faculty
B.A., French and Russian, Smith College; M.A., Slavic Languages and Literatures (specializing in linguistics) and Ph.D., Russian Literature, Yale University.
Recipient of Giles Whiting Fellowship in the Humanities; and Edward H. Butler Fellowship. Taught Russian language at Sarah Lawrence College; Russian language and literature at Yale University; published on Anna Akhmatova; worked as editor and writer for edf.org and non-profit foundations preserving Russian culture and history; translator and contributor for New York Review of Books Blog; research interests include feminist criticism; gender theory; Russian women poets.
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