Santa Clara University

SCU Stories - Faculty and staff profiles

SCU Stories

Faculty and staff profiles

Professor Christopher Kitts

To the seas and skies with robots

Associate Professor Christopher Kitts
Mechanical Engineering, Director of the SCU Robotics Lab
Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Christopher Kitts teaches students how to design and build robots. Read the full profile »
Professor Angel Islas

Identifying the causes of cancer

Associate Professor Ángel Islas
Department of Biology, Director of Biotechnology Program
Professor Ángel Islas, director of SCU's biotechnology program, is working to identify why some cells stay healthy and others don't. Read the full profile »
Terry Beers

Bringing literature to light

English Professor Terry Beers
Director of the California Legacy Project
Professor Terry Beers brings California literature to light as Director of the California Legacy Project. Read the full profile »
Ramos

Living and learning together

Anthony Ramos
Resident Director, Loyola RLC
Anthony Ramos' says cooperative learning is what the RLCs are all about. Read the full profile »
Martin

Working with professionals

Lecturer Joanne Martin
Costume shop supervisor, Theatre and Dance Department
Lecturer Joanne Martin often gets to teach students something entirely new. Read the full profile »
Kahan

Studying the sleeping mind

Associate Professor Tracey Kahan
Director of the Santa Clara Sleep Lab, Psychology Department
Tracey Kahan directs a sleep lab to study the sleeping mind. Read the full profile »
Aldo Billingslea

Inspiring change from center stage

Associate Professor Aldo Billingslea
Theatre and Dance Department
Aldo Billingslea inspires students to act for change. Read the full profile »
David Popalisky

Finding meaning in motion

Assistant Professor David Popalisky
Director, Santa Clara Dance Program
Dance as an art form involves more than just putting steps together, says David Popalisky; he guides students toward finding meaning in motion. Read the full profile »
Steven Suljak

Learning skills for fighting disease

Assistant Professor Steven Suljak
Chemistry and Biochemistry Department
Students working in the lab of Assistant Chemistry Professor Steven Suljak learn essential research techniques. And they have a weekly costume day. Read the full profile »
Professor George Chacko

The cost of having it now

Finance Professor George Chacko
Leavey School of Business
Professor George Chacko has developed a way to pinpoint the cost of doing business 24/7. Read the full profile »
Professor Sanjiv Das

The risk factor

Finance Professor Sanjiv R. Das
Leavey School of Business
Professor Sanjiv Das has developed more accurate ways to assess risks for investors. Read the full profile »
Professor Hersh Shefrin

Revealing the illusion of control

Professor Hersh Shefrin
Leavey School of Business
Business Professor Hersh Shefrin examines how optimism and delusion can lead to bad business decisions. Read the full profile »
Professor Meir Statman

Is it right to do that?

Finance Professor Meir Statman
Leavey School of Business
Professor Meir Statman knows that ethical values can shift depending on your age, and where you are in the world. Read the full profile »
SCUStories_Seal3

Working to save endangered plants

Assistant Professor Justen Whittall
Biology Department
Justen Whittall discovered a love of botany and fieldwork as an undergraduate at SCU and returned to teach in the biology department.  Read the full profile »
Father Jack Treacy

Fostering imagination

Jack Treacy , S.J.
Director of Campus Ministry
Campus Minster Jack Treacy sees his role as helping students to discover and articulate their vision, values, and principles. Read the full profile »
Cary Yang

Next-generation efforts on tiny technology

Professor Cary Yang
Director, Center for Nanostructures
Professor Cary Yang works with an interdisciplinary group of faculty and students to develop the next generation of chip technology. Read the full profile »
Amelia Fuller

The shape of health

Assistant Professor Amelia Fuller
Chemistry and Biochemistry Department
Amelia Fuller studies how proteins form their specific shapes. Read the full profile »
Students at work on SCU's entry in the 2007 Solar Decathlon
Solar Decathlon
Santa Clara's secret to success: thoughtful design and a fighting spirit
Santa Clara's Secret to Success: Thoughtful Design and a Fighting Spirit Read the full profile »
Prof. Steven Chiesa, civil engineering
Steven Chiesa
Close encounters with faculty who care
An open-door policy allows for individual help with challenging concepts Read the full profile »
Prof. Silvia Figueira, computer engineering
Silvia Figueira
Opening doors to further education
Encouraging students to go beyond a bachelor's degree Read the full profile »
Professor Samiha Mourad creates community among Ph.D. students.
Samiha Mourad
A less isolating approach to earning a Ph.D.
Creating a sense of community among Ph.D. students. Read the full profile »
Marian Stetson-Rodriguez, engineering adjunct lecturer, teaches the art of global team building.
Marian Stetson-Rodriguez
Working with a global perspective
Teaching the art of global team building Read the full profile »
Patti Simone

Appreciating the aging mind

Patricia Simone
Associate Professor, Psychology Department; Director, Gerontology Program
Patricia Simone is interested in how the brain stays nimble as we age. Her specialty in the psychology department is cognitive aging. Read the full profile »
Manoochehr Ghiassi

Modeling the future

Professor Manoochehr Ghiassi
Operations & Management Information Systems
Predicting the future is easy for Manoochehr Ghiassi. All you need is the right algorithm. Read the full profile »
Andrea Pappas

Art and the real world

Associate Professor Andrea Pappas
Art and Art History Department
Andrea Pappas gives students a backstage view of museum shows. Read the full profile »
Richard Scott

Watching students get it

Associate Professor Richard Scott '88
Mathematics and Computer Science Department
Mathematics professor Rick Scott helps students understand abstract concepts. Read the full profile »
Ed Schaefer

Math in the developing world

Professor Ed Schaefer
Mathematics and Computer Science Department
Ed Schaefer specializes in cryptography and teaches over the summer in Africa. Read the full profile »
Michelle Bezanson

Doing fieldwork in the rainforest

Assistant Professor Michelle Bezanson
Department of Anthropology
Michelle Bezanson, an anthropology professor who specializes in studying primates, encourages students to get out in the field. Read the full profile »
Russel Skowronek

Uncovering Mission history

Associate Professor Russell Skowronek
Campus Archaeologist
Pottery from California’s past told Russell Skowronek about the state’s history. Read the full profile »
Leilani Miller

How do cells make decisions?

Associate Professor Leilani Miller
Biology Department
Each cell in an organism has to decide what type of cell to become. Professor Leilani Miller studies how this decision is made. Read the full profile »
Laura Nichols

Understanding the role of social class and cultural capital

Associate Sociology Professor Laura Nichols
Sociology Department
Sociologist Laura Nichols studies what first-generation students can teach us about social class and life outcomes. Read the full profile »

SCU Stories

David Popalisky
Assistant Professor David Popalisky

Finding meaning in motion

Dance as an art form involves more than just putting steps together, says David Popalisky; he guides students toward finding meaning in motion.

Read the full profile »