Tenured and Tenure Track Faculty

USC Dornsife College

Biological Sciences – Human and Evolutionary Biology

Jill McNitt-Gray : Professor of Biological Sciences and Biomedical Engineering

Jill McNitt-Gray

Professor of Biological Sciences and Biomedical Engineering

Email: mcnitt@usc.edu
Dr. McNitt-Gray is the Director of the USC Biomechanics Research Laboratory and is a Fellow of the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB), International Society of Biomechanics (ISB), and the National Academy of Kinesiology. Dr. McNitt-Gray’s interdisciplinary research focuses on the neuromuscular control and dynamics of movement. She uses both experimental and dynamic modeling approaches to test research hypotheses specific to control priorities during well-practiced, goal-directed tasks.
Lindsey Schier : Gabilan Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences

Lindsey Schier

Gabilan Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences

Email: lschier@usc.edu
Lorraine Turcotte : Professor of Biological Sciences of Human and Evolutionary Biology

Lorraine Turcotte

Professor of Biological Sciences of Human and Evolutionary Biology

Email: turcotte@usc.edu
Lorraine Turcotte received her PhD from the University of California at Berkeley and was awarded post-doctoral fellowships to pursue her research at the August Krogh Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark. Since coming to USC, her research has focused on unraveling the mechanisms that regulate metabolism and that optimize human performance. She has received the Southwest American College of Sports Medicine Recognition Award as well as the Hanna Reisler Mentoring Award, the Inaugural WiSE Architect of Enduring Change Award and Melon Mentoring Awards for mentoring undergraduate and graduate students from USC.


Biological Sciences – Marine and Environmental Biology

Naomi M. Levine : Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Quantitative and Computational Biology and Earth Sciences

Naomi M. Levine

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Quantitative and Computational Biology and Earth Sciences

Email: n.levine@usc.edu
Dr. Levine received her BA in Geosciences from Princeton University and her PhD in Chemical Oceanography from the MIT-WHOI Joint Program. Her research focuses on understanding the interactions between climate and marine microbial ecosystem composition and function. The Levine Lab is developing innovative, interdisciplinary numerical models that allow them to understand how dynamics occurring at the scale of individual microbes impact large-scale ecosystem processes such as rates of global carbon cycling.
Julia Schwartzman : Gabilan Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences

Julia Schwartzman

Gabilan Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences

Email: julias21@usc.edu
Julia received her PhD in Microbiology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison studying how marine bacteria persist as animal symbionts. She subsequently trained as a Ruth Kirschstein Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard Medical School where she investigated the evolutionary diversification of animal-associated bacteria, and as a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT where her work focused on the ecological consequences of phenotypic heterogeneity in marine bacteria. At USC, Julia’s lab studies the microscale microbial interactions that shape life in marine environments.
Noelle Held : Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences

Noelle Held

Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences

Email:
Noelle Held is a microbial biogeochemist and oceanographer. Through proteomics and quantitative microscopy, Held studies the inner workings of microbial cells, and how this scales up to ecological function and global scale processes. Held received her Ph.D. in Chemical Oceanography and Microbial Biogeochemistry from MIT and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and was a postdoctoral fellow at ETH Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Sciences. She is also a registered yoga teacher.
Laura Melissa Guzman : Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences

Laura Melissa Guzman

Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences

Email: guzmanur@usc.edu
Laura Melissa Guzman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Science at USC. Her research links ecology, data science, and conservation, with a particular focus on the environmental drivers behind changes in pollinator distributions in North America.
Carly Kenkel : Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences

Carly Kenkel

Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences

Email: ckenkel@usc.edu
The Cnidarian Evolutionary Ecology Lab studies how organism-environment interactions induce or select for different phenotypes and how these ecological interactions influence and are influenced by the evolutionary trajectories of populations and species. We use a variety of methods to address these questions, ranging from field experiments to ecophysiology to genomic analyses. We also have a strong interest in “translational ecology” and prioritize questions with conservation and restoration applications.
Suzanne Edmands : Professor of Marine and Environmental Biology and Biological Sciences

Suzanne Edmands

Professor of Marine and Environmental Biology and Biological Sciences

Email: sedmands@usc.edu
The Edmands Lab is broadly interested in conservation, population and evolutionary genetics. Much of our work uses the crustacean Tigriopus californicus (“the Drosophila of the Sea”) as a model for understanding the genetic basis of fundamental biological processes including reproductive isolation, environmental stress tolerance and aging. Our lab also studies temporal and spatial genetic variation in organisms of concern for conservation and management, including current work on genetics and evolution of the island fox.


Biological Sciences – Molecular and Computational Biology

Irene Chiolo : Associate Professor of Biological Sciences

Irene Chiolo

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences

Email: chiolo@usc.edu
Susan Forsburg : Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences

Susan Forsburg

Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences

Email: forsburg@usc.edu
Susan Forsburg did her AB at UC Berkeley, her PhD at MIT, and her postdoc at ICRF/Oxford. She started her lab at the Salk Institute in 1993, and moved to USC in 2004. Her research uses a yeast model system to investigate genome instability following DNA replication stress.
Carolyn Phillips : Associate Professor of Biological Sciences

Carolyn Phillips

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences

Email: cphil@usc.edu
Carolyn was a PhD student with Abby Dernburg at UC Berkeley and a post-doctoral fellow with Gary Ruvkun at Harvard Medical School and Mass. General Hospital. She started her position at USC in January 2015, where the Phillips lab studies the role of small RNAs in the regulation of gene expression. Specifically, the Phillips lab is interested in how small RNA pathways are organized spatially, how they are regulated, and how they derive their specificity - all key factors in ensuring that essential genes are expressed and detrimental genes are silenced. Ultimately, these pathways are essential to promote organismal viability and fertility.


Biological Sciences – Neurobiology

Lauren McElvain : Gabilan Assistant Professor of Neurobiology

Lauren McElvain

Gabilan Assistant Professor of Neurobiology

Email: mcelvain@usc.edu

Lauren McElvain received a Sc.B. in Neuroscience from Brown University and a Ph.D. in Neurosciences from the University of California, San Diego and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. McElvain completed postdoctoral training as an international collaboration between the Department of Physics at the University of California, San Diego and the Neurosciences Programme at the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon, Portugal. Her research group investigates the neural circuits that control movement using multidisciplinary cellular and systems neuroscience approaches, including molecular biology, electrophysiology, behavior, and computational modeling. Her current research focuses on the organization and function of the basal ganglia and the circuit basis of common movement disorders, including Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases.

Sarah Bottjer : Professor of Biological Sciences and Psychology

Sarah Bottjer

Professor of Biological Sciences and Psychology

Email: bottjer@usc.edu
Emily Liman : Professor of Biological Sciences

Emily Liman

Professor of Biological Sciences

Email: liman@usc.edu
Judith Hirsch : Gabilan Distinguished Professorship in Science and Engineering and Professor of Biological Sciences

Judith Hirsch

Gabilan Distinguished Professorship in Science and Engineering and Professor of Biological Sciences

Email: jhirsch@usc.edu


Quantitative and Computational Biology

Jazlyn Mooney : Gabilan Assistant Professor of Quantitative and Computational Biology

Jazlyn Mooney

Gabilan Assistant Professor of Quantitative and Computational Biology

Email: jazlynmo@usc.edu
Jazlyn Mooney received her Ph.D. in Human Genetics from the University of California, Los Angeles where she studied the persistence of deleterious variation across multiple species. She then transitioned to Stanford University as an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow and Center for Computational, Evolutionary and Human Genomics (CEHG) Fellow, where she focused on mathematical models of population history. At USC, the Mooney lab will create new methods to conduct demographic inference focusing on diverse populations and continue to explore the persistence of deleterious variation across taxa using genomic segments that are inherited from recent shared ancestors.
Liang Chen : Professor of Biological Sciences

Liang Chen

Professor of Biological Sciences

Email: liang.chen@usc.edu


Chemistry

Kate White : Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Kate White

Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Email: katewhit@usc.edu
Our research aims to help bridge the gap between structural biology and physiology by pioneering new experimental and computational tools for multi-scale structural biology (atomic to cellular scales). A major focus is the multi-scale structure and function of pancreatic β-cells and the chemical environment of insulin vesicles. Our approach to cell mapping utilizes a combination of multi-modal imaging, biophysical approaches, and integrative modeling metamodeling to relate multi-scale structure to cell function.
Hanna Reisler : University Professor, Lloyd Armstrong, Jr. Chair in Science and Engineering and Professor of Chemistry

Hanna Reisler

University Professor, Lloyd Armstrong, Jr. Chair in Science and Engineering and Professor of Chemistry

Email: reisler@usc.edu
Hanna Reisler has been Professor of Chemistry at USC since 1987. Her research interests are in the area of chemical reaction dynamics. Specifically, she studies the photophysics, photochemistry and reaction mechanisms of molecules important in the atmosphere, combustion, and biology using sophisticated laser and imaging techniques often in collaboration with theory. Her recent work has focused also on the understanding bond breaking processes in networks of water and ice and the photochemical production of transient species relevant to atmospheric processes. She was appointed as University Professor at USC and elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2021. In 2002 she was appointed the inaugural holder of the Lloyd Armstrong Jr. Endowed Chair in Science and Engineering in recognition of her leadership role in advancing the careers of women in science and engineering.
Megan Fieser : Gabilan Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Megan Fieser

Gabilan Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Email: fieser@usc.edu
The Fieser group is interested in applying catalysis to address challenges in polymers sustainability. In the lab, this group works to improve the end of life of disposable polymer items through recycling and upcycing, as well as to synthesize degradable polymers as more sustainable substitutes. Outside the lab, the group organizes beach cleanups and educates the general public on consumer choices that can help solve the problems in polymer pollution.
Anna Krylov : Professor of Chemistry

Anna Krylov

Professor of Chemistry

Email: krylov@usc.edu

Anna Krylov is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Southern California. Born and raised in Donetsk, Ukraine (then USSR), Krylov received her M.Sc. from Moscow State University (1990) and her Ph.D. from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (1996, with Benny Gerber). Following postdoctoral training at the University of California, Berkeley with Martin Head-Gordon, she joined USC's chemistry department in 1998. Krylov's research is focused on theoretical and computational quantum chemistry. She develops theoretical methods and software for open-shell and electronically excited species, including metastable states. Using computational chemistry, Krylov investigates the role of radicals and electronically excited species in combustion, solar energy, bioimaging, spectroscopy, and quantum information science. Krylov is active in the promotion of gender equality in STEM fields. She created and maintains the web directory Women in Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Material Science, and Biochemistry. Krylov is also an outspoken advocate of freedom of speech and academic freedom. She is a founding member of the Academic Freedom Alliance and a member of its academic leadership committee. Her paper "The Peril of Politicizing Science," which launched a national conversation among scientists and the general public on the growing influence of political ideology over STEM, has received over 100,000 views. Krylov’s writings have been translated into French, Polish, and Estonian.

Smaranda Marinescu : Gabilan Associate Professor of Chemistry

Smaranda Marinescu

Gabilan Associate Professor of Chemistry

Email: smarines@usc.edu


Earth Sciences

Caroline Seyler : Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences

Caroline Seyler

Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences

Email: seyler@usc.edu
Caroline Seyler received her Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from McGill University in 2021 and has since been a postdoc at the University of Texas and an NSF postdoctoral fellow at the University of Minnesota. She is interested in the deformation of rocks at tectonic plate boundaries from fast earthquakes to slow creep. Seyler's work focuses on the rheology of faults and shear zones using a combination of field, experimental and microanalytical methods to determine how deformation mechanisms operating at the atomic scale control plate tectonics and influence seismic hazard.
Heidi Houston : Professor of Earth Sciences

Heidi Houston

Professor of Earth Sciences

Email: heidi.houston@gmail.com
Karen Lloyd : Professor of Earth Sciences

Karen Lloyd

Professor of Earth Sciences

Email:
Sarah Feakins : Professor of Earth Sciences

Sarah Feakins

Professor of Earth Sciences

Email: feakins@usc.edu
Professor Sarah Feakins studies past climate using techniques of organic geochemistry, extracting molecular fossils from soils, lakes, and ocean sediments. The molecular fossils provide clues to past vegetation and climate. Research projects are currently underway in the western US, South America, and Africa, including warm times of the past with lessons for environments of human origins and our future climate.


Mathematics

Susan Montgomery : Gabilan Distinguished Professorship in Science and Engineering and Professor of Mathematics

Susan Montgomery

Gabilan Distinguished Professorship in Science and Engineering and Professor of Mathematics

Email: smontgom@math.usc.edu
Sami Assaf : Professor of Mathematics

Sami Assaf

Professor of Mathematics

Email: shassaf@usc.edu
Professor Sami Assaf is a full Professor of Mathematics and a Gabilan Distinguished Professor of Science and Engineering. Her research in combinatorics, geometry, and probability is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the Simons Foundation. Professor Assaf is recipient of a USC Mentoring Award for Faculty Mentoring Undergraduates, directs a local Math Circle for elementary school students, and currently serves as Director of Graduate Studies for the Department of Mathematics where she works to foster a culture of inclusivity, diversity, and excellence for all students.
Susan Friedlander : Professor of Mathematics

Susan Friedlander

Professor of Mathematics

Email: susanfri@usc.edu
Juhi Jang : Professor of Mathematics

Juhi Jang

Professor of Mathematics

Email: juhijang@usc.edu
Greta Panova : Gabilan Distinguished Professor of Science and Engineering

Greta Panova

Gabilan Distinguished Professor of Science and Engineering

Email: gpanova@usc.edu
Greta Panova obtained her PhD in Mathematics in 2011 from Harvard University. Since then she has been on the faculty of UCLA and University of Pennsylvania before joining USC in 2018. Her research is in mathematics (Algebraic Combinatorics with connections to Integrable Probability and Representation Theory) with interactions with Theoretical Computer Science; and, separately, modeling in molecular biology. She is the recipient of the 2020 IMI Award of the Bulgarian Academy of Science, invited speaker at the Current Developments in Mathematics 2023 conference and an editor for the Electronic Journal of Combinatorics and the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical competition.


Physics and Astronomy

Kelly Luo : Gabilan Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Kelly Luo

Gabilan Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Email: yunqiuke@usc.edu
We are passionate about understanding interactions between the quantum degrees of freedom in solid-state systems such as electron spins, photons, and magnons. We investigate their couplings, propagations, and non-equilibrium dynamics, and explore new device concepts for spin-based quantum information processing. Our experimental toolkits include ultrafast optical microscopy, Sagnac interferometry, microwave and precision measurements, as well as time-resolved X-ray and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy at external facilities.
Vera Gluscevic : Gabilan Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Vera Gluscevic

Gabilan Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Email: gluscevi@usc.edu
Professor Gluscevic studies dark matter in the universe, using particle physics theory, cosmological observations, and simulations. Gluscevic got her undergraduate degree in astrophysics in Belgrade (Serbia) and her PhD at Caltech (Pasadena, California). She was a postdoctoral scholar at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, before joining USC in 2019. Gluscevic has previously co-led dark matter science teams for the Simons Observatory and CMB-S4 collaborations, and she currently serves on NASA Physics of the Cosmos executive committee. Her work was recognized through the Cottrell Scholars Award, NSF CAREER award, and the USC Raubenheimer Outstanding Junior Faculty Award. In addition to research, she works with the USC Center for Excellence in Teaching to create active and inclusive learning experiences in physics classrooms at USC.
Rosa Di Felice : Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Quantitative and Computational Biology

Rosa Di Felice

Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Quantitative and Computational Biology

Email: difelice@usc.edu
I got my B.S. (1992) and Ph.D. (1996) degrees from the University of Rome "Tor Vergata". After a postdoc at Xerox PARC, I started my career as a researcher in the Italian National Research Council in 1998. I joined USC in 2013 as a research faculty and switched to a tenure track in 2018, was tenured in 2020 and promoted to full Professor in 2022. My research focuses on computational studies of the physicochemical properties of materials and molecules, with impact in nanotechnologies and health sciences.
Elena Pierpaoli : Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Elena Pierpaoli

Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Email: pierpaol@usc.edu
I am a cosmologist interested in understanding the composition and evolution of the Universe. My work focuses on the interpretation of survey data in various wavelengths in order to understand the properties of dark matter and dark energy, as well as the early Universe physical processes that set the seeds for what we observe around us. I primarily work on the cosmic microwave background - the relic radiation produced after the Big Bang - and galaxy clusters - the largest gravitationally bound objects in our Universe.
Grace Lu : Professor of Physics and Electrical and Computer Engineering

Grace Lu

Professor of Physics and Electrical and Computer Engineering

Email: jialu@usc.edu


USC Viterbi School of Engineering

Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

Neda Maghsoodi : WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

Neda Maghsoodi

WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

Email: maghsoodi@usc.edu
Neda received her PhD in Mechanical Engineering and MS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Before joining USC, Neda did her postdoctoral research at Harvard University and then CalTech. Neda’s research lies at the interface of solid mechanics, materials science, and biology. Her research group uses a combination of theory, experiment, and computation to study mechanics of soft structures and materials in biology and engineering.
Alejandra Uranga : WISE Gabilan Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

Alejandra Uranga

WISE Gabilan Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

Email: auranga@usc.edu

Alejandra Uranga is an Assistant Professor at the USC Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. Before joining USC in 2016, she was a Postdoctoral Associate (1 year) and then a Research Engineer (4 years) in the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department at MIT. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Florida Tech, a Master of Applied Sciences in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Victoria, BC, Canada, and a PhD degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT. Dr. Uranga's research interests are in aerodynamics, novel aircraft design, and integrated propulsion systems, for which she favors a combined computational and experimental approach. Her work aims to help achieve environmentally sustainable aviation.

Eva Kanso : Zohrab A. Kaprielian Fellow in Engineering and Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

Eva Kanso

Zohrab A. Kaprielian Fellow in Engineering and Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

Email: kanso@usc.edu

Eva Kanso is a professor and the Z.H. Kaprielian Fellow in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Southern California. While at USC, Kanso joined the Division of Civil, Mechanical & Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) of the National Science Foundation (NSF) as an IPA rotator in Fall 2021. Prior to joining USC in 2005, Kanso held a two-year postdoctoral position in Computing and Mathematical Sciences at Caltech. She received a Ph.D. degree in 2003 and an M.S. degree in 1999 in Mechanical Engineering, as well as an M.A. degree in 2002 in Mathematics, all from the University of California at Berkeley. She obtained her Bachelor of Engineering degree from the American University of Beirut with distinction. Kanso held visiting positions at Princeton University in 2004, the Laboratoire LadHyX at the Ecole Polytechnique in 2015, the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences in 2016-2017, the Simons Foundation in 2016-2017, and the Ecole Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles in 2021. Her research interests concern fundamental problems in the biophysics of cellular and subcellular processes and the physics of animal behavior, both at the individual and collection levels. A central theme in her work is the role of the mechanical environment, specifically the fluid medium and fluid-structure interactions, in shaping and driving biological functions.


Biomedical Engineering

Eun Ji Chung : Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Eun Ji Chung

Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Email: eunchung@usc.edu
Eun Ji Chung is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Southern California and the Dr. Karl Jacob Jr. and Karl Jacob III Early Career Chair. She has a courtesy appointment in Chemical Engineering, Medicine (Nephrology and Hypertension), and Surgery (Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Repair), and is an affiliated faculty at the Norris Cancer Center and the Stem Cells department. Her laboratory is interested in harnessing molecular design and self-assembly to develop nano- to macroscale biomaterials that can be utilized in medicine. Dr. Chung received her B.A. with honors in Molecular Biology from Scripps College, her Ph.D. from the Department of Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University, and her postdoctoral training from the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago.
Maral Mousavi : Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Maral Mousavi

Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Email: mousavi.maral@usc.edu

Maral Mousavi joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering at USC in 2019 as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Mousavi’s research experiences and interests span from point-of-care diagnostics, to electrochemical sensors, wearable devices, neural probes, and tools for precision medicine. She received her B.S. from Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, Iran. She completed her PhD studies in 2016 at the University of Minnesota, under the advisement of Professor Philippe Buhlmann, who is one of the world leaders in supramolecular electrochemical ion sensing. In her doctorate studies, she worked on electrochemical devices for sensing and energy storage, and use of fluorous compounds as novel materials for improving selectivity of potentiometric sensors. From 2016-2019, Maral was a postdoctoral fellow in the research group of Professor George Whitesides at Harvard University, and Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, working on affordable diagnostic devices to make healthcare and analysis accessible to all. Professor Mousavi is the recipient of NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, 3M Nontenured Faculty Award, Powell Research Award, Zumberge Diversity and Inclusion Research Award, the Grand Prize for the Maseeh Entrepreneurship Research Competition, the University of Minnesota Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, Graham N. Gleysteen Fellowship for Academic Excellence, and two Graduate Student Research Awards from Eastern Analytical Symposium, and Society for Electroanalytical Chemistry.

Ellis Meng : Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering

Ellis Meng

Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering

Email: ellis.meng@usc.edu
Ellis Meng directs the Biomedical Microsystems Laboratory which focuses on developing novel micro- and nanotechnologies for biomedical applications. In particular, we are interested in the integration of multiple modalities (e.g. electrical, mechanical, and chemical) in miniaturized devices measuring no more than a few millimeters for use in fundamental scientific research, biomedical diagnostics, monitoring, and therapy.
Jennifer Treweek : WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Jennifer Treweek

WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Email: jtreweek@usc.edu
Cristina Zavaleta : Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Cristina Zavaleta

Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Email: czavalet@usc.edu
Dr. Zavaleta was born and raised in a small border town in South Texas, near Mexico. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Medicine at the University of Incarnate Word, a small private university in San Antonio. After graduating, she started in the Medical Physics graduate program at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio where she focused on utilizing radioactive nanoparticles for the treatment of ovarian cancer. After receiving her Ph.D., she began a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University under the guidance of Dr. Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, where she helped pioneer a new molecular imaging strategy that utilizes Raman nanoparticles for cancer detection. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California in the department of Biomedical Engineering. Her lab focuses on providing physicians with new nano-based molecular imaging tools to improve cancer detection and treatment.
Stacey Finley : Nichole A. and Thuan Q. Pham Professor and Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Stacey Finley

Nichole A. and Thuan Q. Pham Professor and Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Email: sfinley@usc.edu
Dr. Stacey Finley is holder of the Nichole A. and Thuan Q. Pham Professorship and Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Southern California. Dr. Finley received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Florida A & M University and obtained her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University. She completed postdoctoral training at Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Finley joined the faculty at USC in 2013, and she leads the Computational Systems Biology Laboratory.
Megan McCain : Chonette Early Career Chair and Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine

Megan McCain

Chonette Early Career Chair and Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine

Email: mlmccain@usc.edu
Megan L. McCain is the PI of the Laboratory for Living Systems Engineering, an interdisciplinary research group that engineers "Organ on Chip" models of human tissues for disease modeling and mechanobiology. Megan is a dedicated research mentor (as recognized by the WiSE Hanna Reisler Mentorship Award) and also teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on tissue engineering with hands-on lab experiences. Megan has received many recognitions, including selection as a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and the NSF CAREER Award. Prior to joining USC in 2014, Megan was a PhD student and postdoc at Harvard University and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering.
Jill McNitt-Gray : Professor of Biological Sciences and Biomedical Engineering

Jill McNitt-Gray

Professor of Biological Sciences and Biomedical Engineering

Email: mcnitt@usc.edu
Dr. McNitt-Gray is the Director of the USC Biomechanics Research Laboratory and is a Fellow of the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB), International Society of Biomechanics (ISB), and the National Academy of Kinesiology. Dr. McNitt-Gray’s interdisciplinary research focuses on the neuromuscular control and dynamics of movement. She uses both experimental and dynamic modeling approaches to test research hypotheses specific to control priorities during well-practiced, goal-directed tasks.


Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

Katherine Shing : Associate Professor Emeritus

Katherine Shing

Associate Professor Emeritus

Email:
Shaama Sharada : Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Chemistry

Shaama Sharada

Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Chemistry

Email: ssharada@usc.edu
Prof. Shaama Mallikarjun Sharada is an Associate Professor in the Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Southern California. Her research interests span the development and application of quantum chemistry methods to design catalysts for sustainable chemistry. Her group is developing efficient algorithms, inspired from signal processing, for advancing sophisticated rate theories in catalysis. The group is also establishing frameworks for catalyst design and discovery towards efficient natural gas conversion and light-driven carbon dioxide utilization.
Andrea Armani : Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

Andrea Armani

Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

Email: armani@usc.edu
Andrea Hodge : Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

Andrea Hodge

Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

Email: ahodge@usc.edu
Andrea Hodge holds the Arthur B. Freeman Professorship of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. She received her Ph.D. degree in Materials Science from Northwestern University. Prof. Hodge served as the Vice Provost for undergraduate programs at USC from July 2016 to June 2020 and is currently the Chair in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. Her research focus is on the synthesis of engineered metallic microstructures with nanoscale precision, which allows for tailored properties and/or functionality. Dr. Hodge is the recipient several prestigious research awards including: NSF CAREER Award, ONR Young Investigator Program (YIP) Award and DARPA Young Faculty Award (YFA).
Malancha Gupta : Jack Munushian Early Career Chair and Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Chemistry

Malancha Gupta

Jack Munushian Early Career Chair and Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Chemistry

Email: malanchg@usc.edu


Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Kandis Leslie Abdul-Aziz : Gabilan Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Kandis Leslie Abdul-Aziz

Gabilan Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Email:
Kandis Leslie Gilliard-AbdulAziz will join the USC Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering as a Gabilan Assistant Professor in January 2024. She currently leads the Sustainable Catalysis and Materials laboratory (the-sustainable-lab.com) at the University of California, Riverside in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering. Abdul-Aziz received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Before joining UC Riverside, she was a Provost postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. She has also worked previously as a Forensic scientist for the Philadelphia police department and as a Refinery chemist at Sunoco Chemicals in Philadelphia after receiving a B.S. in Chemistry from Temple University. Her research group develops sustainable catalytic processes using an interdisciplinary toolset from chemistry, materials and chemical engineering. Abdul-Aziz is a 2021 Scialog Negative Emissions Science and National Academy Frontiers of Engineering fellow. She was recently awarded a 2022 NSF Career Award for developing specialized catalysts for CO2 capture and utilization.
Jiachen Zhang : Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Jiachen Zhang

Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Email: jiachen.zhang@usc.edu

Dr. Jiachen Zhang will be joining the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the USC as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Spring 2024. Her research group investigates the interactions of air quality, climate, and society, quantifying the impacts of strategies aimed at mitigating climate change and air pollution. Dr. Zhang holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from USC and a B.S. in Atmospheric Sciences from Peking University. Currently, Dr. Zhang is the manager of the Mobile Source Technology Assessment and Modeling Section at the California Air Resources Board, where she leads a team of scientists and engineers to conduct original research projects, develop emissions inventory, and inform first-of-their-kind policies aimed at promoting electric vehicles and reducing air pollution emissions.

Ruolin Li : Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Ruolin Li

Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Email:
Burcin Becerik-Gerber : Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Burcin Becerik-Gerber

Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Email: becerik@usc.edu

Dr. Burcin Becerik-Gerber is a professor and Chair of Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and founder and the Director of USC Center for Intelligent Environments (CENTIENTS). During the last 15 years, her research focused on advanced data acquisition, modeling, visualization for design, construction, and control of user-centered responsive and adaptive built environments. She pioneered a new field: Human-Building Interaction (HBI), which is a convergent field that represents the growing complexities of the dynamic interplay between human experience and intelligence within built environments.

Audrey Olivier : Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Audrey Olivier

Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Email: audreyol@usc.edu
Amy Childress : Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Amy Childress

Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Email: amyec@usc.edu
I am a Professor and Director of the ReWater (Water Reuse and Resource Recovery) Center in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Southern California. My research and scholarly interests are in the areas of desalination, wastewater reuse, and the water-energy nexus. Most recently, I have investigated membrane processes for innovative solutions to contaminant and energy challenges; conceptual analyses of innovative configurations of shared/integrated facilities; colloidal and interfacial aspects of membrane processes; and brine reduction and energy recovery. I am a past president of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors, a Board-Certified Environmental Engineering member, and a recent Fulbright US scholar. I chair National Water Research Institute independent advisory panels on potable reuse and seawater desalination projects and serve on the external audit panel for Singapore Public Utilities Board. I am co-editor of Desalination and on the advisory boards of several technical journals.
Kelly Sanders : Dr. Teh Fu Yen Early Career Chair and Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Spatial Sciences

Kelly Sanders

Dr. Teh Fu Yen Early Career Chair and Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Spatial Sciences

Email: ktsanders@usc.edu


Computer Science

Jieyu Zhao : WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Jieyu Zhao

WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Email: jieyuz@usc.edu
Jieyu Zhao is a WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor of Computer Science at USC. Her research interest lies in fairness of ML/NLP models. Her research has been recognized widely by the community: she has won best paper award from EMNLP, got the Microsoft PhD Fellowship and was selected as the EECS Rising Star. More details can be found at https://jyzhao.net/.
Souti Chattopadhyay : Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Souti Chattopadhyay

Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Email: schattop@usc.edu

Souti “Rini” Chattopadhyay received her Ph.D. in Computer Science from Oregon State University. She works at the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction, Software Engineering, and Cognitive Science. Her work is focused on understanding how humans make decisions when interacting with interfaces, specifically programming interfaces. She is an intern alum of Microsoft Research and continues working with them to broaden the participation of future generations in computing. Some of her works were awarded best papers and honorable mentions by ACM and IEEE, including understanding cognitive biases in programmers, and exploring a plethora of challenges data scientists face. Chattopadhyay's work on cognitive biases was also recognized as research highlights by CACM and that on supporting data scientists was featured in Nature articles.

Weihang Wang : Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Weihang Wang

Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Email: weihangw@usc.edu

Weihang Wang's research interests are in software engineering. Before joining USC, Wang was an Assistant Professor at University at Buffalo, from 2018 to 2022. She received her Ph.D. in Computer Science from Purdue University in 2018. Wang was awarded an NSF CAREER Award, a University at Buffalo Exceptional Scholar - Young Investigator Award, a Maurice H. Halstead Memorial Research Award, a Facebook Testing and Verification Research Award, and a Mozilla Research Award.

Ruishan Liu : Assistant Professor Computer Science

Ruishan Liu

Assistant Professor Computer Science

Email: ruishanl@usc.edu
Ruishan Liu will join USC as an assistant professor of computer science in January 2024. She completed her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University in 2022 and is primarily interested in machine learning for healthcare and biomedicine. Liu is currently a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford in the Department of Biomedical Data Science. She was a recipient of Rising Star in Data Science, Rising Star in Engineering in Health, Next Generation in Biomedicine, and finalist for the Reuters Events Global Pharma Awards.
Paraskevi Micha : Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Paraskevi Micha

Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Email:
Swabha Swayamdipta : Gabilan Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Swabha Swayamdipta

Gabilan Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Email: swabhas@usc.edu
Swabha Swayamdipta is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science and a Gabilan Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California. Her research interests are in natural language processing and machine learning, with a primary interest in the estimation of dataset quality, the semi-automatic collection of impactful data, and evaluating how human biases affect dataset construction and model decisions. At USC, Swabha has launched the Data, Interpretability, Language and Learning (DILL) Lab. Her work has received outstanding paper awards at ICML 2022, NeurIPS 2021 and an honorable mention for the best paper at ACL 2020, and is supported by awards from the Allen Institute for AI and Intel Labs.
Bistra Dilkina : Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Early Career Chair and Associate Professor of Computer Science and Industrial & Systems Engineering

Bistra Dilkina

Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Early Career Chair and Associate Professor of Computer Science and Industrial & Systems Engineering

Email: dilkina@usc.edu
Dr. Bistra Dilkina is an associate professor of computer science at the University of Southern California, co-director of the USC Center of AI in Society, and the inaugural Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Early Career Chair at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Her research and teaching center around the integration of machine learning and discrete optimization, with a strong focus on AI applications in computational sustainability and social good. She received her Ph.D. from Cornell University in 2012 and was a post-doctoral associate at the Institute for Computational Sustainability. Her research has contributed significant advances to machine-learning-guided combinatorial solving including mathematical programming and planning, as well as decision-focused learning where combinatorial reasoning is integrated in machine learning pipelines. Her applied research in Computational Sustainability spans using AI for wildlife conservation planning, using AI to understand the impacts of climate change in terms of energy, water, habitat and human migration, and using AI to optimize fortification of lifeline infrastructures for disaster resilience. She has over 90 publications and has co-organized or served as a chair to numerous workshops, tutorials, and special tracks at major conferences.
Heather Culbertson : WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Heather Culbertson

WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Email: hculbert@usc.edu
Heather Culbertson’s research focuses on the design and control of haptic devices and rendering systems, human-robot interaction, and virtual reality. Previously, she was a research scientist in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University where she worked in the Collaborative Haptics and Robotics in Medicine (CHARM) Lab. She received her PhD in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM) at the University of Pennsylvania in 2015 working in the Haptics Group, part of the General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception (GRASP) Laboratory. Her awards include the NSF CAREER Award, IEEE Technical Committee on Haptics Early Career Award, citation for meritorious service as a reviewer for the IEEE Transactions on Haptics, Best Paper at UIST 2017, and the Best Hands-On Demonstration Award at IEEE World Haptics 2013.
Yan Liu : Professor of Computer Science

Yan Liu

Professor of Computer Science

Email: liu32@usc.edu
Prof. Yan Liu works on machine learning, artificial intelligence, and their applications to address societal challenges, such as health care, sustainability, and misinformation. She got her PhD from Carnegie Mellon University and worked as a research staff member at IBM research before joining USC in 2010.
Maja Mataric : Chan Soon-Shiong Chair and Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, Neuroscience, and Pediatrics

Maja Mataric

Chan Soon-Shiong Chair and Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, Neuroscience, and Pediatrics

Email: mataric@usc.edu

Maja received her Ph.D. from MIT in Computer Science & AI. She has been at USC since 1997 and is a Chaired and Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, with appointments in Neuroscience and Pediatrics.  She has served as the USC President if the Faculty, Viterbi Dean of Research, and USC Vice President of Research. Her is a pioneer of the field of socially assistive robotics, which creates human-machine interaction interventions; her lab has worked with children with autism, stroke and dementia patients, and with students with anxiety and/or depression.  She is a member of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences, Fellow of AAAS, AAAI, ACM, and IEEE, and received a Presidential mentoring award from President Obama.


Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering

Leana Golubchik : Stephen and Etta Varra Professor and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science

Leana Golubchik

Stephen and Etta Varra Professor and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science

Email: leana@usc.edu
Leana Golubchik is the Stephen and Etta Varra Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science at USC. She also serves as the Director of the Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) program. Prior to that, she was on the faculty at the University of Maryland and Columbia University. Leana received her Ph.D. from UCLA. Her research interests are broadly in the design and evaluation of large scale distributed systems, including deep learning systems, hybrid clouds and data centers, and their applications in machine learning and data analytics as well as privacy and security. Leana is the Editor-in-Chief of the ACM Transactions on Modeling and Performance Evaluation of Computing Systems. She is the recipient of the IBM Faculty Award, the NSF CAREER Award, the Okawa Foundation Award, the WTS-LA Diversity Leadership Award, the USC Remarkable Women Award, and the USC Mellon Culture of Mentoring Award. She is a Fellow of AAAS.
Paria Rashidinejad : Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Paria Rashidinejad

Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Email:
Feifei Qian : Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor

Feifei Qian

Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor

Email: feifeiqi@usc.edu
Mengjie Yu : WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Mengjie Yu

WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Email: mengjiey@usc.edu
Mengjie is Ambassador of the Optical Society (Optica), associate editor of npj nanophotonics and advanced photonics and guest editor of photonic research, JOSA B and optical material express. She received DARPA young faculty award 2023, Maiman and Emil Wolf awards. She serves as subcommittee of CLEO, OFC, FiO, ACP international optical conferences.
Michelle Povinelli : Dean's Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering - Electrophysics, Professor of Physics & Astronomy

Michelle Povinelli

Dean's Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering - Electrophysics, Professor of Physics & Astronomy

Email: povinell@usc.edu
Dr. Michelle Lynn Povinelli is Professor of Electrical Engineering and Physics and Astronomy at the University Southern California. She is a Fellow of the OSA and the SPIE. Povinelli is a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award, the Army Research Office Young Investigator Award, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), and the TR35 Award for innovators under age 35 from MIT's Technology Review magazine. Her research has been funded by a variety of sources including NSF, ARO, NASA, DARPA, NGA, DOE, private companies, and foundations, and she was a member of the 2018-19 class of the Defense Science Study Group.
Mahta Moghaddam : Ming Hsieh Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering-Electrophysics and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Mahta Moghaddam

Ming Hsieh Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering-Electrophysics and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Email: mahta@usc.edu
Mercedeh Khajavikhan : Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Mercedeh Khajavikhan

Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Email: khajavik@usc.edu
Grace Lu : Professor of Physics and Electrical and Computer Engineering

Grace Lu

Professor of Physics and Electrical and Computer Engineering

Email: jialu@usc.edu
Urbashi Mitra : Gordon S. Marshall Chair in Engineering and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Urbashi Mitra

Gordon S. Marshall Chair in Engineering and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Email: ubli@usc.edu

Urbashi Mitra received her B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley and her Ph.D. from Princeton University. Previous appointments include the Ohio State University and Bellcore. Her research interests are in: wireless communications, communication and sensor networks, biological communication systems, underwater acoustic communication, detection and estimation and the interface of communication, sensing and control. Dr. Mitra actively collaborates with domain experts in microbiology, underwater acoustics, quantum chemistry and epidemiology.

Alice Parker : Dean's Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Emeritus

Alice Parker

Dean's Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Emeritus

Email: parker@eve.usc.edu
Maryam Shanechi : Dean's Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Biomedical Engineering

Maryam Shanechi

Dean's Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Biomedical Engineering

Email: shanechi@usc.edu


Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering

Renyuan Xu : WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering; WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor

Renyuan Xu

WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering; WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor

Email: renyuanx@usc.edu

I am currently a WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor in the Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Southern California. From 2019-2021 I was a Hooke Research Fellow in the Mathematical Institute at the University of Oxford, and before that I completed my Ph.D. in 2019 at the University of California, Berkeley in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research. My research interests include stochastic analysis, stochastic controls and games, machine learning theory, and mathematical finance. I am also interested in interdisciplinary topics that integrate methodologies in multiple fields such as applied probability, statistics, and optimization, along with their applications in addressing high-stake decision-making problems in modern large-scale systems.

Victoria Stodden : Associate Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering

Victoria Stodden

Associate Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering

Email: stodden@usc.edu

 

 

Sze-Chuan Suen : WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering

Sze-Chuan Suen

WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering

Email: ssuen@usc.edu
Sze-chuan Suen is a WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor in the Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Southern California. Her research interests include developing applied mathematical models to identify epidemiological trends and evaluate health policies to support informed decision-making. Her previous work has examined the optimal management of COVID-19, tuberculosis, HIV, as well as chronic diseases.
Julie Higle : Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering Emeritus

Julie Higle

Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering Emeritus

Email: julie.higle@usc.edu
Phebe Vayanos : Associate Professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering and Computer Science

Phebe Vayanos

Associate Professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering and Computer Science

Email: phebe.vayanos@usc.edu
I am an Associate Professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Southern California, and a Co-Director of the CAIS Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society. I hold a Viterbi Early Career Chair in Engineering and before that held a WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professorship. Through my research, I aim to advance integer, stochastic, and robust optimization, and their interface with machine learning, causal inference, and economics to enable the design of predictive and prescriptive models that are robust, interpretable, and fair, being suitable to deploy in high-stakes settings.