Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math, Computer Science & Psychology
Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math, Computer Science & Psychology
Shawn Ahmed
Professor, Research Group Leader
School of Medicine – Department of Genetics, Biology
I have an American mother and a Kurdish father. I was born in Baghdad and raised primarily in the Middle East (Jordan, Syria, Bahrain, Lebanon and Sri Lanka) until age 11 when we moved to New York. While abroad, I attended American or English schools often with classmates from diplomatic families. While abroad, I was in developing countries and witnessed gross inequities in welfare and wealth that contrasted markedly with the safety and luxuries of America. My parents raised me with a strong belief in making the world a better place. Although I look like a white male, I always felt like a minority of sorts, even after I moved to America. I spent 5 years in Cambridge, England before moving to UNC in 2001, which broadened my understanding of balance and success in life. I have a professional background in biological sciences, with expertise in the biology of aging and in psychosocial stress, which affects both aging and personal well being. For many years at UNC, I have helped to guide undergraduates with career interests in medicine, medically-related professions and even theology. I have significant experience with supporting UNC undergraduates informally, and I would be happy to formally support Covenant Scholars with their goals and aspirations.
Todd Austell
Teaching Professor and Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies
Department of Chemistry
I’m a NC person through and through…born and raised in Shelby, NC. I attended UNC for both U’grad and Grad school….so yep, I’ve been here a very long time. As an u’grad I was any of several majors at one time or another: math, biology, pre-med, and finally chemistry. I almost went to med school, but had a last minute epiphany that led me in a different direction. Come ask me what happen sometime? I worked in the pharmaceutical industry for one year before grad school and have now been a prof at UNC for 21 years in the chem dept. I also have served as a prof for 2 years at the USAF Academy. At UNC I’ve served as an academic advisor for 25 years and work mainly with STEM and pre-health sci profession majors… but I’m happy to talk to anyone. My FAVORITE role is helping others navigate UNC to achieve high goals… and to help them avoid the mistakes I made as an u’grad. I LOVE YOU AND AM FOR YOU!
Joshua Beaver
Department of Chemistry
I love teaching chemistry and being a member of the UNC campus! Carolina is a wonderful place to live, grow, and learn and I truly enjoy getting to know the amazing students that go here. I am from a small town in central PA, a place known for its beautiful rolling hills, farmland, and horse-and-buggies. In undergrad I was pre-med all the way to being accepted (I know the struggle…), but I changed my mind and moved to Chapel Hill for graduate school and fell in love with Chapel Hill and UNC! I love teaching organic chemistry because it gives me an opportunity to help so many students overcome a big challenge and learn a lot about themselves along the way. I love to be outside, travel, dance hip-hop, and go on hikes, but I also enjoy cooking, video games, and a good show.
Gary Bishop
Computer Science, Health Sciences
I wasn’t born in NC but I got here as soon as I could. I’ve been a nerd since ’65, a computer nerd since ’74 and a professor since ’91. Programming is my favorite activity. I’m interested in using computers to help people (especially children) with disabilities. Check out https://tarheelreader.org/, https://tarheelgameplay.org/, and https://project-openaac.com/community/ for examples of our work. I’m now retired after GBS (look it up) but still active in Project Open AAC. I’m eager to reconnect with students who love computing for good.
Maribel Borger
Department of Chemistry
I am a first generation Latina UNC Carolina Covenant alum. I graduated from UNC in 2014. I received my PhD in organic chemistry at Florida State University in 2019 and currently work as an instructor of chemistry courses at UNC. I love teaching chemistry and working with thoughtful, bright and dynamic Carolina students – particularly, empowering Latina women in STEM like me. I love Chapel hill – best place in the whole world, pupusas con mi familia, hikes with my husband and 6.5 month old baby, and scrapbooking!
*Note: Only accepting mentees with the Rural Medicine Pathway Program (RMPP) at this time.
Duane Deardorff
Director of Undergraduate Laboratories
Department of Physics and Astronomy
I was born in Quito, Ecuador and grew up in Dayton, Ohio but have now lived in the Triangle area of North Carolina longer than any other place. My dissertation research at NCSU was on students’ treatment of measurement uncertainty, and I enjoy teaching physics and directing our teaching labs here at UNC. My hobbies include juggling and kite flying, and I have traveled to over 40 countries.
Jean DeSaix
Department of Biology
My family has been in NC for generations, mostly Davidson County, though I grew up in the Eastern part of the state, graduating from Williamston High School with a graduating class of 72 students. I also went to a small college, Catawba College, so the transition to graduate school here where I got my PhD was not an easy one. I have taught intro biology and advised health professions students, but now am involved with courses about the health professions (Biology 117 & 118). I love having groups of Covenant Scholars come to my home or a local restaurant for meals and am also available to chat about choosing a health profession or applying to a health professions school. I’m a huge fan of Carolina Basketball. Go Heels!
Saba Eskandarian
Department of Computer Science
My research and teaching focus on cryptography, privacy, and cybersecurity. I’m especially excited by how cryptography uses ideas from theoretical computer science and math to solve real-world problems and secure our private communications. If you’re curious about this, we should talk! I’m of course happy to talk about anything else Computer Science or UNC-related as well.
I grew up in Virginia and went to college at the University of Virginia before doing my PhD at Stanford. I’m very excited to be back on the east coast at UNC, where I started in fall 2021.
Bob Goldstein
Department of Biology
I’m a Biology professor and I also co-teach an unusual course that bridges science and studio art. I love tinkering and making things. I run workshops all over North Carolina to teach elementary school teachers to build microscopes. It’s been a thrill to get to other parts of the state, meet people, experience diverse cultures, and I love that I can share something that teachers and their students really enjoy. I run a research lab in the Biology Department, and I love thinking about solving complex problems as a team with people in the lab. In past years I’ve gathered scholars I mentor for mens basketball games, womens soccer games, chats over coffee, shooting my blood cells with a laser on a microscope in the lab (no kidding, it’s fun, I swear!), and dinners at Top of the Hill.
Oscar Gonzalez
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
I am originally from Monterrey, Mexico, but my family immigrated to Los Fresnos, TX (a border town near the Gulf of Mexico) when I was 11. I was the first in my family to be English-fluent and the first one to go to college. I was nowhere close to being prepared for the academic demands in college, so I bounced majors until I found my home in the area of psychology. I graduated debt-free from the University of Notre Dame on a program similar to the Carolina Covenant, and then I went on to earn my PhD on Quantitative Methods from Arizona State University. I have been an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience since the Fall of 2018, and my research is on how to develop reliable, valid, and fair assessments used in clinical or prevention settings. I know what it is like to be in your shoes… Let’s chat – I’m here to help!
Leslie Hicks
Department of Chemistry
I am a first-generation college graduate originally from rural West Virginia. While math and science came easily, I was not interested in chemistry as a career until my first undergraduate research experience at Marshall University. After earning a PhD in Chemistry at UIUC, I pursed a non-traditional academic career track, forgoing a post-doc and going to a research institute for several years before coming to UNC. During this time, my family began traveling extensively and backcountry hiking – doing several long trips in the Badlands, Glacier National Park and hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro. I really enjoy interacting with and mentoring students and helping them define and achieve the career trajectory that interests them most!
Brian Hogan
Teaching Professor and Vice Chair of Education
Department of Chemistry
**Rural Medicine Pathway Program (RMPP) scholars only**
I love teaching biology and chemistry and being part of the vibrant UNC community! My wife and I are UNC alumna and my two kids are Tar Heels born and bred. I’m a first generation college student (originally from NJ) and the first in my family to get a PhD. I’d be happy to talk with any student about “how to do college”. Outside of teaching, I have a lot of diverse interests. I’ve been trying to learn Spanish for the past decade, I started playing guitar again at age 40, and I’m a big fan of the Harry Potter books.
Andrea Hussong
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
I grew up in Indiana before attending Indiana University and then Arizona State University for graduate school. I bounced around majors in undergrad as I tried to learn the lay of the land as a first generation student before finding Psychology. I have been on the UNC Psychology faculty for over 20 years.
Corey Johnson
Department of Biology
I grew up in a lower-middle class, small blue collar town in Wisconsin. I am a first generation college student, who fell in love with the sciences and the natural world at a young age. I teach courses in human anatomy and physiology. When not teaching I love to spend time fishing, hiking, or otherwise enjoying the outdoors.
Amy Maddox
Professor, Honors Director, Associate Chair
Department of Biology, Academic Affairs
I am curious about the natural world and passionate about sharing my knowledge and my questions with others. I study the biology of cells and am intrigued by how their minuscule inner machines work together to create active matter, and how cells work together to create a population, a body, or an ecosystem. I love to look for patterns and make new conceptual connections, so I enjoy getting to know people from a wide range of backgrounds. I’m sure that a diversity of viewpoints and lived experiences will accelerate research and all the missions we share here at UNC. I mainly teach senior Biology majors in my Honors Thesis course, so I’m excited to get to know more students across majors and years. I am happy to provide my experience on the department and getting into and doing reasearch, and connect Covenant scholars to my research lab and other folks I know on (and off) campus. I will do what I can to listen and be an advocate for all my mentees.
John Majikes
Department of Computer Science
I grew up in a town with a coal mine and railroad repair depot. I was the first in my family to go to college. When I did apply for college, I thought an engineer was the guy with a striped hat on the front of a train. My father worked two jobs and my mother worked one to get me through college. Even when I graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science, I had no role models so I didn’t know how to pay for graduate school and so I went directly to work. After 35+ years as a software engineer, I got my PhD in my 50s and have been teaching Computer Science ever since.
I’ve ridden across Death Valley, California, Montana, Arizona, from Raleigh to Richmond, and still have plans for a Pittsburgh to D.C. trip in the summer. My PhD was in computer training dogs and my long term plan would be to have computers train service dogs. Lastly, I’m very passionate about using computers differently within classrooms. For example, for our database class we have an “escape room” game and for all my classes, when students get an exam question correct, the test acknowledges the correct answer.
Keely Muscatell
Assistant Professor, Psychology & Neuroscience
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
My “official” professional bio is that I am an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at UNC, where I conduct research on why and how social experiences, like rejection, loneliness, discrimination, and social support, affect our health and well-being. I also teach classes on social neuroscience and psychoneuroimmunology, and I love working together with undergraduate students in research! My “unofficial” bio is that I love reading fiction books (especially dystopian YA sci-fi and literary fiction by female authors), collecting vinyl records (mainly jazz and indie rock), and hanging out with my three-legged bunny rabbit, Crouton. I still struggle with feeling like I belong in research and academia, as I come from a lower-class background and never thought I would end up as scientist/professor.
Nikhil Nagabandi
Graduate Teaching Fellow
Department of Mathematics
I grew up in Tampa, Florida and went to undergrad at a very small school, Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I majored in Chemistry and Mathematics, but didn’t know what to do at first. I eventually decided on math graduate school, but was super unaware of what I would need to do to apply for a PhD program and didn’t fully know what a PhD program entails, since I’m the first in my family to do a PhD. I also at some points didn’t think I was capable. However, I am now a Mathematics PhD student at UNC, and I continue to learn more about how to do lots of work while keeping a balance with other hobbies.
Don Porter
Department of Computer Science
I work on problems related to the design of computer systems – especially how design choices affect performance, security, or usability. I particularly like projects that have the potential to make real peoples’ lives better. I also love teaching and helping other people succeed. I love being in a liberal arts program and consider myself a broadly curious person, with hobbies and interests in music, religion, literature, and the outdoors.
I grew up in Arkansas and did my undergraduate degree at Hendrix College. I worked as a software engineer for a few years before going to graduate school at UT Austin. I have had a few stints in the software industry since then, and help maintain an open-source project called Gramine.
I am happy to help students navigate both the undergraduate degree program in computer science, as well as the job market after graduation — or just to talk about how best to pursue your personal goals.
Mark and Diane Pozefsky
Professor
Department of Computer Science
We came to Chapel Hill 50 years ago for graduate school, became diehard Tarheels, and never left. After we earned our PhDs in Computer Science, we went to work for IBM where we worked in a variety of areas centered around networking. After 25 years, Diane decided to come back to UNC as a professor (and then DUS) to work with students and, after 30 years, Mark chose to go into consulting. We are both now fully retired. We both went to Brown for undergrad, but we got there from different places. While both of our families were strong proponents of education, both Mark’s parents had advanced degrees while Diane was the first in her family to go to college. We continue to enjoy exciting people (including our grandson) about technology, as well as watching Carolina sports, traveling (we’ve visited all 7 continents), and reading a good book.
Jeff Sekelsky
Department of Biology, School of Medicine – Integrative Program for Biological and Genome Science
Although I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin and did my school and training there, on the East Coast, and on the West Coast, I’ve live in North Carolina longer than anywhere else and I love it here. UNC is not unlike Univ. Wisc. – they’re both large and lots of things to offer, but it can be hard to figure out which is right for you or sometimes even to find the information. I’ve had multiple trainings in mentorship and won several awards. My research laboratory has published numerous papers on the genetics and molecular biology of DNA repair, but my greatest accomplishment is all of the former students that gone on to diverse careers.
Gidi Shemer
Department of Biology
Coming from Israel to Carolina only at the age of 40, I quickly found myself a devoted Tar Heel. In fact, my three daughters all went to UNC, including my youngest who joins Tar Heel nation this semester. I am a teaching professor in the biology department and also the faculty advisor of the biology majors and the one responsible for undergrad research. I love the nature here and often go kayaking and hiking in the area. Cooking (vegan) is another way I like to spend my time.
Domenic Tiani
Department of Chemistry
I am originally from Pittsburgh, PA but consider myself a North Carolinian. I graduated from N.C. State, I worked at Lab Corp (Burlington, NC), and after finishing my graduate work was very excited to come back from Arizona to North Carolina to join the Carolina family. I am a first generation student myself and am always excited to help students throughout their undergraduate experience at Carolina. I have served as a pre-health adviser for a number of years, I am a faculty adviser in The Department of Chemistry, and I teach a wide array of chemistry classes and labs. All of these roles help me better serve our students and help them achieve their own goals, as well as get the most out of their Carolina Experience. In my free time I love to hike, camp, and work in my home Wood Shop.
Jen Weinberg-Wolf
Department of Physics and Astronomy
I was born in the midwest (outside of Chicago), spent some time on the East Coast in the North for college, but then came to UNC for graduate school and just stayed in the area, for decades! I love teaching intro physics and seeing students move from a fear of a difficult concept to awe and wonder about the world around us and how we describe it. Outside of work, I love to spend time with my family – cooking new recipes or trying new restaurants, read (mostly mystery and sci-fi) and watch way too much tv!
Lillian Zwemer
Department of Biology
I am a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology. What does that mean? It means I love teaching so much that I let go of my research so I could focus on teaching full-time. I am a huge fan of most things that are wholesome and dorky like YMCA summer camp, arts and crafts, cooking, biking, bird watching and jigsaw puzzles (at this point in my life, I have learned to just own it). I live in Chapel Hill with my husband, our two young children and our dog. I have a long-standing fascination with science and society, and with the ways we bring our whole selves (our values, assumption, biases, hopes, fears) to our study of the natural world, and the interplay between the two. I’m excited to get to know UNC students as individuals and help support their growth as life-long learners, regardless of their discipline of interest. In my own life, I’ve realized just how many shapes professional success can take, and the key role of community in all of them. In my time in academia, I’ve realized that so much about students success hinges not on raw talent, but rather on knowing how to navigate the system, how to ask for the help that is needed, and how to leverage the opportunities for growth.