USF Welcomes New Full-Time Faculty

College of Arts and Sciences

Sophie Archambeault
Assistant Professor
Biology

Archambeault holds a PhD in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Washington. She researches the threespine stickleback fish (Gasterosteus aculeatus), a leading model for studying the genetics of adaptation. Why USF? “I’m excited to join a community dedicated to training problem solvers with hands-on technical experience, critical thinking skills, and the ability to see multiple viewpoints.”

Rita Bullwinkel
Assistant Professor
English

Bullwinkel is the author of Headshot (forthcoming from Viking Penguin in spring 2024) and Belly Up, which garnered both a 2022 Whiting Award and the Believer Book Award. She is an editor-at-large for McSweeney’s, the deputy editor of The Believer, and a contributing editor for NOON. Why USF? “USF has been the home of countless scholar-activists and authors who have changed the ways I think about teaching and literature. I am greatly honored to be joining the USF community at this current moment where the importance and power of narrative has never been more clear.”

Mahesh Chaudhari
Assistant Professor
Data Science

Chaudhari, who holds a PhD in computer science and engineering from Arizona State University, researches big data, enterprise integration, and cloud computing. Why USF? “I can bring expertise and practical knowledge in data engineering and hybrid-cloud-based distributed autonomous computing to the students at the University of San Francisco.”

Paul Haskell
Assistant Professor
Computer Science

Haskell, who holds a PhD in electrical engineering and computer science from UC Berkeley, has worked in the video technology industry as a researcher and executive. Why USF? “I am transitioning from an adjunct role to full-time. I have been thrilled with the camaraderie and coaching I have received from the faculty in the computer science department. I am inspired by USF students' support for each other — students always help each other learn, collaborate on projects and school and social activities, and encourage each other.”

Sarah Hillenbrand
Assistant Professor
Psychology/Neuroscience

Hillenbrand holds a PhD in neuroscience from UC Berkeley. Why USF? “Right now, we are at a critical juncture in history where students have a tremendous opportunity to redefine the purpose of their education, and the even more tremendous responsibility to create a more socially just world — and the building of a more equitable society has always been at the forefront of USF's mission.”

Julia Kirkland
Assistant Professor
Advertising/Communication Studies

Kirkland holds a PhD in marketing-business administration from Oklahoma State University. Her research areas are organizational behavior, advertising, and targeted marketing. She has more than 25 years of professional experience. Why USF? “I am thrilled to join the University of San Francisco to build upon our mission to distinguish ourselves as a diverse, socially responsible learning community of rigor and scholarship. I look forward to contributing!”

Douglas Manning
Assistant Professor
Sport Management

Manning holds a PhD in sport administration from the University of New Mexico. His areas of interest are sport marketing, sport law, risk management, and esports. Why USF? “I was drawn to USF because of its mission to change the world for the better. My goal is to make a positive impact through our sport management program.”

Kae McCarty
Assistant Professor
Kinesiology

McCarty holds a PhD in kinesiology with a concentration in adapted physical activity from Oregon State University. She focuses on disability justice within kinesiology, specifically related to adaptive sports. Why USF? “At USF, I feel, hear, and see the intentionality in creating a better world for our students and I am thrilled at the opportunity to take part.”

Paul Nesbit
Assistant Professor
Environmental Science/Management

Nesbit holds a PhD in geography from the University of Calgary. His current research implements drone-based photogrammetry, remote sensing, deep learning image analysis, and 3D geovisualization for education and science communication using video game engines and web-based methods. Why USF?  “I am excited to collaborate within and across USF and the Geospatial Analysis Lab, which are uniquely situated to lead the development and application of cutting-edge technology in understanding dynamic natural ecosystems.”

Natalia Powers-Riggs
Assistant Professor
Chemistry

Powers-Riggs holds a PhD in chemistry and East Asian studies from Northwestern University. She served as a postdoctoral researcher for the solution phase chemistry group in the PULSE Institute at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, Calif. Why USF? “As someone born and raised in San Francisco, I'm thrilled to be joining a community dedicated to learning in the context of social justice.”

Sam Roven
Assistant Professor
Mathematics and Statistics

Roven ’16 holds a PhD in pure mathematics from the University of Washington. His areas of interest include the connections between number theory and geometry, in particular finding rational solutions to systems of multivariable polynomial equations. Why USF? “My time as a math major at USF helped shape me into the mathematician that I have become today and there is no other place that I would rather teach than the place where I learned to love math!”

Simon Scarpetta
Assistant Professor
Environmental Science

Scarpetta, who holds a PhD in geosciences from the University of Texas at Austin, is passionate about the natural world and making science accessible to all audiences. Why USF? “USF is a diverse, inclusive, and student-centered university in an amazing city. I am excited to take the next step in my academic career and I can't wait to teach here.”

Fatemeh Tashakori
Assistant Professor
Art + Architecture, Art History and Museum Studies

Tashakori holds a PhD in art history and aesthetics from the University of Texas at Dallas. Her research focuses on 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century artistic exchanges between the Islamic world, particularly Iran, with the West. Why USF? “Teaching in the art history and museum studies programs at USF fulfills my passion for inspiring students' appreciation for art's historical significance and nurturing their curatorial expertise in a vibrant academic community.”

Ian Tewksbury
Assistant Professor
Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

Tewksbury holds a PhD in classics from Stanford University. He specializes in the political history of labor, democracy, and Homeric epic poetry. Why USF? “As a lifelong resident of the Bay Area, I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the history and promise of San Francisco’s oldest university. Furthermore, I am inspired by USF’s message of cura personalis and the ideal it sets for higher education’s role in the struggle for an equitable, diverse, and inclusive future.”

Kelsey Urgo
Assistant Professor
Computer Science

Urgo holds a PhD in information and library sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She conducts research on information retrieval, human-computer interaction, interactive information retrieval, and search as learning. Why USF? “I value the importance USF places on connecting with and serving the broader community.”

Ellen Veomett
Associate Professor
Computer Science

Veomett holds a PhD in mathematics from the University of Michigan. She studies combinatorics and computational geometry, in particular mathematical and computational techniques to detect gerrymandering. Why USF? “I'm excited to join the active multidisciplinary research community at USF, along with other scholars who are committed to using their expertise to better our society.”

School of Management

Mana Azarm
Assistant Professor
Business Analytics and Information Systems

Azarm, who holds a PhD in electronic business from the University of Ottawa, has dedicated her career to the development of scalable data pipelines for intelligent decision-making. Why USF? “USF is located at the epicenter of technology and business. The university provides students with a unique learning opportunity that is perfectly aligned with the surrounding ecosystem.”

Matt Meister
Assistant Professor
Marketing

Meister, who holds a PhD in marketing from the University of Colorado Boulder, studies consumer judgment and decision-making. Why USF? “I was really impressed by the caliber and care of people at USF first and foremost. It's also great to teach in an important, super relevant program.”

Allegra Chen-Carrell
Assistant Professor
Humanistic Management and Hospitality

Chen-Carrell holds a PhD in social-organizational psychology from Columbia University. Her research focused on the intersection of conflict resolution and social justice in the workplace. Why USF? “I love the commitment to building community and the energy of USF’s students, faculty, and staff.”

Jerome Stewart
Assistant Professor
Humanistic Management and Hospitality

Stewart holds a PhD in organizational science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Currently, he is working on projects on corporate misconduct, discrimination in higher education, and critical business pedagogy. Why USF? “To pursue justice and to serve the common good. The Bay Area is home, and opportunities at USF do not come along frequently.”

Bilgehan Yildiz
Assistant Professor
Business Analytics

Yildiz holds a PhD in technology management from Portland State University. He worked at Tesla from 2015 to 2018 in program/project management roles. He then moved to Meta in 2018 as a QA lead and UX Researcher conducting research on elections, hate speech, misinformation, and post-COVID connectedness. Why USF? “It’s been my dream working in academia since day one.”

School of Education

Patricia Rojas-Zambrano
Assistant Professor
Rojas-Zambrano, a graduate of the School of Education, holds an EdD in international and multicultural education. Her research explores decolonization issues in education and mental health using somatic and arts-based methods. Why USF? “My values align with those of the University of San Francisco, especially the School of Education's ideal of advancing social justice through education.”

School of Law

Lindsay Harris
Professor and Director, Frank C. Newman International Human Rights Law Clinic

Harris holds a JD from Berkeley Law. She has directed the Immigration and Human Rights Clinic as associate dean of clinical and experiential programs at the University of the District of Columbia School of Law. Why USF? “The focus on cura personalis — caring for the whole person — very much resonates with my research and thinking on building sustainable careers in law practice. At the same time, I am very much looking forward to connecting with the wider university and building community to advance human rights.”

Juan Carlos Ibarra
Associate Professor

Ibarra, who holds a JD from Columbia Law School, teaches students how to analyze legal issues in a range of subjects, including property law, wills, and trusts. Why USF? “Given the many challenges faced in our world today, helping to train my students as attorneys and leaders in the legal profession is one of the most meaningful things I can do through my work. It is a privilege and pleasure to work with the USF community.”

Tiffany Li
Associate Professor

Li holds a JD from Georgetown University Law Center. She teaches intellectual property and technology law courses. She is also a fellow at Yale Law School’s Information Society Project. Why USF?  “I believe the study of law can empower individuals and communities, and I am excited to teach at an institution dedicated to social justice and making the world a better place.”

Michael Muehe
Research Librarian and Assistant Professor

Muehe, who holds an MS in library and information science from Simmons University in Boston and a JD from Roger Williams University School of Law in Rhode Island, teaches first-year and advanced legal research courses. Why USF? “I joined USF because its core mission, passion for social justice, and its belief in cura personalis aligns wholly with what I believe legal education needs most, where students become empowered to not only take care of others but also themselves as part of a greater global community.”

Michele Benedetto Neitz
Professor and Founding Director, Blockchain Law for Social Good Center

Neitz, who holds a JD from New York University School of Law, is the founder and academic director of the Blockchain Law for Social Good Center, the first of its kind in the United States. She teaches Blockchain Technology and the Law, Corporate Law, and other classes. Why USF? “I moved the Blockchain Law for Social Good Center to USF Law because of all that USF offers: the chance to do interdisciplinary work between schools, USF's focus on social justice, and the university's location in the world's center of technology and innovation.”

Duane Rudolph
Associate Professor

Rudolph, who holds a JD from Harvard Law School and a PhD from Cornell University, works on remedies, legal philosophy, and civil rights. Why USF? “I’m drawn to USF’s commitment to service, education, and human dignity and to the meanings of cura personalis in my own life and in the lives of those it is my calling to serve.”

Gabby Sergi
Assistant Professor and Supervising Attorney, Racial Justice Clinic

Sergi holds a JD from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. Why USF? “I went to USF as an undergrad student because of its deep social justice roots. My mom attended UCA in El Salvador and some of her professors were murdered for speaking out against various injustices. USF now honors the six Jesuit priests with a memorial on Lone Mountain, a constant reminder for me to always be a zealous advocate. I wanted to return to USF as faculty because of the Racial Justice Clinic’s groundbreaking work representing the most marginalized members of our community, notably currently and formerly incarcerated folks.”

Allison Wang
Associate Professor and Director, Externship Programs

Wang, who holds a JD from the USF School of Law, oversees the judicial, civil, externship, tax, and summer international externship programs. She is passionate about giving law students the tools they need to become successful lawyers. Why USF? “I think experience is one of the most powerful ways to learn the law and learn about who you want to be as a lawyer. As a clinical professor, my passion is teaching students how to learn from experience through externships.”

School of Nursing and Health Professions

Deepika Goyal
Professor
Doctor of Nursing Practice

Goyal holds a PhD in nursing from the University of California, San Francisco and a master’s degree and family nurse practitioner certificate from San José State University. Goyal also maintains a clinical practice in the OB/GYN department at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. Why USF? “Nursing leadership at USF listened to me and saw my potential as an educator, researcher, and clinician — the answer is why not sooner!”