The University of Pittsburgh welcomed Dr. Jennifer Laaser in 2016 as an assistant professor in the Chemistry Department. Dr. Laaser runs the Laaser Lab at Pitt which studies the intersections between physical chemistry, polymer physics, and polymeric materials. The lab is open to graduate students at the University.
Geri Allen (A&S ’82) was an American Jazz pianist, composer, and Associate Professor and Director of Jazz Studies in the Music department in the Dietrich School.
Japa Pallikkathayil is an Associate Professor of Philosophy in the Dietrich School. She started working for Pitt in 2012 as an assistant professor, and previously taught at NYU starting in 2008 while finishing her PhD at Harvard.
Evan Schneider is an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the Dietrich School. Schneider specializes in computational astrophysics focusing on galaxy evolution and numerical methodology.
Li Yinhe (A&S ’88) graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with her PhD in sociology. Li’s interest in sociology, human sexuality, and gender studies led her to become a prominent advocate for LGBTQ+ Rights in China. She is one of the first sociologists in the People’s Republic of China to research and publish on topics of homosexuality and diverse sexual practices.
Dr. Emily Elliott is an advocate of sustainability, diversity, and inclusion in the geosciences. She is a professor in the Geology and Environmental Science Department in the Dietrich School in addition to running the Pitt Isotope Tracers Lab which aims to explore the impact of humans on the environment. She is also the co-founder and emeritus director of the Pittsburgh Collaboratory for Water Research, Education, and Outreach.
Founder and director of the Racial Justice and Health Equity Research and Education Collaborative (RJHEREC), Dr. Kamesha Spates, is also the William S. Dietrich II Chair and professor in the Department of African Studies in the Dietrich school. Through RJHEREC she trains students, health equity scholars, and community members to work toward addressing the mental and physical impacts of structural oppression on black communities.
Dr. Lise Vesterlund is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Economics at the University of Pittsburgh, a behavioral and experimental economist, and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Dr. Vesterlund focuses her research on charitable giving and gender differences in the labor market.
Award-winning author, co-founder and editor of Aster(ix), and professor are just a few of the titles Angie Cruz holds. Cruz is currently an Associate Professor in the English Department in the Dietrich School as well as an affiliate of the Center for African American Poetry and Poetics.
A librarian and outspoken advocate of the freedom of speech, Judith Krug (A&S ’62) actively criticized censorship. Born in Pittsburgh, Krug earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pittsburgh in 1962. She later received her Master of Arts from the University of Chicago.
