New Faculty
The College of Social Sciences welcomes new chairs Travis Boyce, Paul Knepper and twelve new faculty members, Amy August, Soma de Bourbon, Jacquelyn Brady, Jalylah Burrell, Michael R. Fisher Jr., T. William Lester, Kerry Rohrmeier’s, Amanda Stasiewicz, Christina Tzeng, Patralekha Ukil, Yolanda Wiggins, Ahoura Zandiatashbar.
| Photo | Biography |
|---|---|
 |
Travis BoyceChair, Department of African American Studies As the fall semester began and Travis Boyce settled in as the new chair of the Department of African American Studies, he contemplated how to incorporate the events of what he calls "the cruel summer" into the fabric of the department. Continue reading |
 |
Paul KnepperChair, Justice Studies This year, two things about Justice Studies are fresh and new. The department has moved the college of health and human sciences to the College of Social Sciences and Justice Studies has a new chair - Professor Paul Knepper. Continue reading |
 |
Amy AugustAssociate Professor, Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences It’s no surprise that Amy August, a new associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, has focused her scholarship on sports and education. Continue reading |
 |
Soma de BourbonAssistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences After seven years as a lecturer in the College of Social Sciences, Soma de Bourbon
has joined the Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences as an
assistant professor. Continue reading
|
 |
Jacquelyn BradyAssistant Professor, Psychology JBetter bosses make happier and healthier employees—and that helps businesses and
organizations thrive. And Jacquelyn Brady, a new assistant professor of psychology
at San Jose State, has the research to prove it. Continue reading
|
 |
Jalylah BurrellAssistant Professor, Department of African American Studies More than once, Jalylah Burrell has described her academic field to a seatmate on
an airplane and been met with snorts of derision. “They’ll start laughing - and not
in a good way,” says Burrell. Continue reading
|
 |
Michael R. Fisher Jr.Assistant Professor, African American Studies Michael R. Fisher Jr. is spending the year on a postdoctoral fellowship at American
University in Washington, D.C., his hometown, and will begin teaching as an assistant
professor in the Department of African American Studies at San José State in Fall
2021. Continue reading
|
 |
T. William LesterAssociate Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning Growing up in Hyde Park on Chicago’s South Side, T. William Lester came to understand
geography and concepts of urban planning almost innately. Continue reading
|
 |
Kerry RohrmeierAssistant Professor, Geography Kerry Rohrmeier’s first academic inquiry focused on Black Rock City, the temporary
metropolis erected in the Nevada desert to host Burning Man each year. That broadened
to other experimental communities built in hard desert landscapes. Continue reading
|
 |
Amanda StasiewiczAssistant Professor, Environmental Studies Amanda Stasiewicz is probably the only incoming faculty member in the College of Social
Sciences who has been trained to fight a wildfire. Continue reading
|
 |
Christina TzengAssistant Professor, Psychology Christina Tzeng, who joined the Department of Psychology this year as an assistant
professor of cognitive psychology, is calling her new research center the Spoken Language
Perception Lab. Continue reading
|
 |
Patralekha UkilAssistant Professor, Economics The light went on for Patralekha Ukil in an introduction to economics class her freshman
year in high school in her native India. Her teacher had a knack for explaining abstract
concepts and relating them to the human experience. Continue reading
|
 |
Yolanda WigginsAssistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences Yolanda Wiggins has focused her research on a question germane to colleges and universities
as they work toward building a level playing field for students of all races and economic
backgrounds. Continue reading
|
 |
Ahoura ZandiatashbarAssistant Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning Ahoura Zandiatashbar applies his expertise in geospatial data science and mapping
to probe the connections between urban planning and public policy and the knowledge
economy. Continue reading
|
 |
Bo YangAssistant Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning Bo Yang is an Assistant Professor in Department of Urban & Regional Planning at San José State University. He has interdisciplinary education background with a B.S. in Applied Mathematics, an M.S. in Computer Science, and Ph.D. in Geography. Continue reading |
