University of San Diego
AC-9: Research and Scholarship

College of Arts and Sciences:
1. Allison Wiese, MFA - Art, Architecture + Art History – Use of sustainable materials; environmentally-themed public art projects
2. Daniel López-Pérez, PhD - Art, Architecture + Art History – Use of sustainable materials and nature-related concepts in architectural design
3. Shannon Starkey - Art, Architecture + Art History He is lead researcher on the Future Living Project, an initiative that investigates the future of our domestic environment
4. Geoffrey Morse, PhD – Biology - Research in insect evolution and ecology, the goal of which is to understand how ecological interactions, environmental conditions, and geographic distributions have structured their impressive diversification.
5. Hugh Ellis, PhD – Biology - Research is focused on the temperature regulation and energetics of birds of several groups: herons, seabirds, rails, and jays including climate change impact on Artic marine birds
6. Kate Boersma, PhD – Biology – Research includes mechanisms promoting coexistence in closely-related taxa, resistance and resilience of communities following perturbations, and evolutionary adaptations of aquatic taxa to extreme droughts.
7. Lisa Baird, PhD – Biology - Baird’s research focuses on plant responses to environmental stresses, particularly pathogen invasion or insect predation.
8. Marie Simovich, PhD – Biology- Environmental stresses and population genetics of vernal pools.
9. Mary Sue Lowery, PhD – Biology -Comparative biology with particular interest in the effect of endurance swimming on the development of muscle in juvenile marine fishes and K-12 STEM education.
10. Michael Mayer, Phd – Biology – Research on ongoing projects tackling the evolution and biogeography of a large group of wildflowers of the mustard family native to much of the New World.
11. David De Haan, PhD - Chemistry and Biochemistry – Research using technology-rich approaches in analytical and environmental chemistry with particular emphasis on the study of chemical changes occurring in clouds and aerosol with impacts on greenhouse gases.
12. James Bolender, PhD - Chemistry and Biochemistry - Research in Uganda including the assessment of water issues like uranium at high concentrations in local groundwater sources and collaboration with Engineering to develop water filtration devices that are designed to use locally sourced materials.
13. Lauren Benz, PhD - Chemistry and Biochemistry - Currently, she is interested in probing the adsorptive and reactive properties of surface-supported metal organic frameworks. The goal of this project is to investigate the use of supported nanoporous frameworks for gas storage and pollution remediation.
14. Peter Iovine, PhD - Chemistry and Biochemistry- The Iovine group focuses on using the tools of organic chemistry to produce novel polymeric biomaterials including developing both sustainable polymers and chemical processes.
15. Eleanor Gillette, PhD - Chemistry and Biochemistry - Her research uses a variety of analytical techniques to understand the chemical reactions which enable electrochemical energy storage and conversion technologies like batteries and fuel cells.
16. Antonieta Mercado, PhD - Communication Studies - studies communications within indigenous groups to help foster a consciousness regarding diversity and global citizenship, as well as critical thinking skills and creativity in her students.
17. Esteban Del Río, PhD - Communication Studies – Research focused on the development of solidarity and social justice through personal and social transformation.
18. Jillian Tullis, PhD - Communication Studies – Research projects on contemporary health issues, including food and nutrition, the illness experience, and communication in health care organizations.
19. Leeva Chung, PhD - Communication Studies - Collaborative research in interpersonal communication to empower students by offering hands-on exercises to utilize their leadership, communication and problem solving skills on projects focused on sustainability.
20. Halina Duraj – English – Collaborative courses and research in fiction writing at the intersection of literature, science, and nature.
21. Bradley Melekian – English - His fiction focuses on man's interaction with nature and the modern world, most recently with his collection of short fiction, Following Sea: California Stories.
22. Bethany O'Shea, PhD - Environmental and Ocean Sciences – Environmental Geochemistry including arsenic contamination of groundwater and its health implications
23. Drew Talley, PhD - Environmental and Ocean Sciences – long term ecological studies of ecosystem connections between land and sea
24. Jennifer Prairie, PhD - Environmental and Ocean Sciences – marine snow and carbon transport in the oceans
25. Michel Boudrias, PhD - Environmental and Ocean Sciences – long-term ecological impacts of marine pollution and climate change communication
26. Nathalie Reyns, PhD - Environmental and Ocean Sciences – long-term coastal ecological studies of larval transport and invasive species
27. Ronald Kaufmann, PhD - Environmental and Ocean Sciences- long-term marine ecological studies of urban coastal ecosystems and Antarctic systems
28. Sarah Gray, PhD - Environmental and Ocean Sciences – long-term sediment impacts in coral reef ecosystems and paleoclimatology research using forams
29. Suzanne Walther, PhD - Environmental and Ocean Sciences- fluvial geomorphologists studying human-nature interactions in rivers and coastal ecosystems
30. Zhi-Yong Yin, PhD - Environmental and Ocean Sciences – climatologist and hydrologist studying long-term precipitation patterns in China
31. Steve Searcy, PhD - Environmental and Ocean Sciences – coastal ecological studies of plastic in mole crabs and fish in urban ecosystems
32. Andy Nosal, PhD - Environmental and Ocean Sciences – long-term shark behavioral ecologist looking at coastal migration patterns; science communication
33. Eric Cathcart. Msc - Environmental and Ocean Sciences – environmental geologist studying the impacts of heavy metals on soils and coastal sediments
34. Alberto López Pulido, PhD - Ethnic Studies – Research projects focused on social and cultural components on the LatinX communities.
35. Jesse Mills, PhD - Ethnic Studies – Research projects in cultural studies, ethnography, and historiography in primarily African American communities.
36. Colin Fisher, PhD – History - Research efforts focused on U.S history, U.S. environmental history, history of food, and nature and visual culture.
37. David Harnish, PhD – Music - His research draws upon religion, politics, popular culture, music sustainability, and composition and performance
38. Gary Jones, PhD – Philosophy – Publication of several articles in the areas of philosophy of science and ethics, especially medical ethics.
39. Mark Woods, PhD – Philosophy - Research focuses on environmental philosophy, philosophical issues of war and peace, and the intersection of these two areas. Primary researcher in environmental ethics and environmental justice.
40. Andrew Tirrell - Political Science & International Relations - Research focuses on environmental justice, natural resource management, marine policy, and the Arctic. Active projects include research into environmental justice at the Mexico-U.S. border, fisheries management policy, and environmental impacts on the development of historical societies.
41. David Shirk, PhD - Political Science & International Relations - Research covers a wide range of topics in comparative politics and international relations, including Latin American politics, U.S. foreign policy, trans-national crime & terrorism, international political economy, immigration politics & policy, disaster and crisis management,
42. Randy Willoughby, PhD - Political Science & International Relations – Research topics include French nuclear testing, comparative nuclear proliferation, and global energy futures.
43. Rachel Blaser - Psychological Sciences – Studies the behavior of a variety of vertebrates and invertebrates to observe animals in their natural and not-so-natural habitats and collaborates on science communication.
44. Adina Batnitzky, PhD – Sociology - Interdisciplinary research draws from feminist geography, as well as cultural and economic perspectives in sociology with a focus on health including sustainable food and access to markets.
45. Greg Prieto, PhD – Sociology- Research areas include immigration, race, racism, legal violence, social movements with focus on US-Mexico border issues.
46. Julia Cantzler, PhD, JD – Sociology - Research examines the intersections of culture and politics, with a primary focus on international human rights, law, social movements, environmental justice and the rights of Indigenous peoples.
47. Thomas Ehrlich Reifer, PhD – Sociology – Research on social inequality, political systems studied in global, comparative world-historical perspective.
48. Evelyn Diaz Cruz, MFA – Theatre – Research projects in Theatre of Diversity, and a high-impact Theatre and Community that partners with local community organizations towards a final theatrical performance.
49. Monica Stufft, MFA – Theatre- Her specializations include popular culture, theatre historiography, writing, as well as cultural, gender, and performance theory as well as projects using theatre to tell the story of science.
50. Aaron Gross - Theology and Religious Studies – Research centers on the study of animals and religion, and food and religion, and his theoretical approach emphasizes insights from animal studies, ecofeminism, and race theory.
51. Christopher Carter - Theology and Religious Studies – Research projects include Christianity and environmental justice, food inequality, and connections between environmental issues and racial justice.
52. Emily Reimer-Barry - Theology and Religious Studies - Research interests include women’s experiences of HIV and AIDS, reproductive justice, and the intersection of public health and Catholic social teachings
53. Karma Lekshe Tsomo - Theology and Religious Studies - Research interests include women in Buddhism, Buddhism and bioethics, religion and politics, and Buddhist social ethics.
54. Lance Nelson - Theology and Religious Studies - Research specialization in Hindu religious history and the relation between Hindu religious practice and environmental concern.
55. Mary Doak - Theology and Religious Studies - Research focus on the political and practical implications of Christian faith, especially in the contemporary context of the United States and connected to Care for Our Common Home.
56. Susie Babka, PhD - Theology and Religious Studies – Research includes aesthetics as a medium for interreligious dialogue and the relation between science and religion.
57. Meaghan Weatherdon - Theology and Religious Studies – Research interests include intersections between Indigenous religions and spiritualties, youth self-determination, environmental justice, Indigenous governance, critical geography, and settler colonial studies.
School of Business:
58. Craig Barkacs – Management, Law and Ethics – Corporate Social Responsibility
59. Andrew Narwold – Economics and Business Economics – Green Building
60. Deborah Kelly - Economics and Business Economics – cultural awareness in business; works with global institutions to help rate them on their entrepreneurship, effectiveness and social impact.
61. Denise Dimon - Economics and Business Economics – Globalization, International Development, International Women’s Labor issues
62. Abby Berk - Economics and Business Economics – Corporate Social Responsibility, Social Entrepreneurship
63. Jeremy Gabe – Finance & Real Estate - his applied research includes the value of urban design, adoption of sustainable building practices and housing affordability.
64. Charles Tu - Finance & Real Estate - smart growth and the new urbanism.
65. Manzur Rahman - Finance & Real Estate – corporate governance, including diversity and stakeholder rights issues.
66. Norm Miller - Finance & Real Estate – sustainable real estate, green building, sustainable business strategies
67. Marc Lampe - Management, Law and Ethics – ethics in business, corporate social responsibility
68. Miriam Rothman - Management, Law and Ethics – international labor relations
69. Patricia Marquez - Management, Law and Ethics - research has focused on the intersection of business and social value creation, with an emphasis on poverty alleviation through market mechanisms.
70. Tara Salinas - Management, Law and Ethics – sustainable entrepreneurship, ethical decision-making and emotions in the workplace.
71. Alexander Kull – Marketing - democratization of power relations and value creation between brands and their stakeholders, corporate social responsibility
72. Justine Rapp Farrell – Marketing - research interests focus on the domain of consumer welfare, more specifically on the marketing implications of public policy on underrepresented groups.
73. Kenneth Bates – Marketing – how cultural perspectives affect marketing
74. Priya Kannan-Narasimhan – Management, Law and Ethics - research focuses on how entrepreneurs negotiate constraints in their environmental contexts by engaging in creative resourcing to accomplish their innovations
75. Maria Kniazeva – Marketing - cross-cultural consumption in the global marketplace and storytelling on food packages and beverage bottles. Moving in the first direction, she centers her research on the theme of the Easternization of the West. In particular, Kniazeva is interested in the concept of authenticity. With her second stream of research, she explores how marketing stories, like those on bottled water affect and reflect consumer behavior.
76. Seth Ellis – Marketing - the green marketing movement in regional and national corporations.
77. Aarti Ivanic – Marketing - effects of status hierarchies and race/ethnicity on purchasing behavior
78. Amit Kakkad - Operations, SCM and ITM - Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Impact Entrepreneurship, Environmental, Social, and (Corporate) Governance, Sustainable Social Enterprise.
79. Daniel Lin - Operations, SCM and ITM - environmentally and socially responsible operations. In particular, he looks into the impact of various instruments, including eco-friendly labels, government regulations and blockchain technology, on firms' product design, pricing and sourcing decisions.
80. David Pyke - Operations, SCM and ITM – global sourcing issues.
81. John Hanson - Operations, SCM and ITM – corporate strategy including environmental management.
82. Ruixia Shi - Operations, SCM and ITM - Responsible Sourcing Strategies.
83. Simon Croom - Operations, SCM and ITM - Sustainable and Responsible Supply Chain Operations.
School of Leadership and Education Sciences:
84. Susan Zgliczynski - Counseling & Marital and Family Therapy - Counselor Education, Global Cultural Competence Training, Diversity Development and Training
85. Afsaneh Nahavandi - Leadership Studies – connections among cultural diversity, leadership and organizational behavior.
86. Cheryl Getz - Leadership Studies - the exploration of college student social identity, the development of inclusive and integrated leadership development, and strengthening cultural competence through international travel and exchanges.
87. Christopher Newman - Leadership Studies - His research focuses primarily on outcomes, inequities and undergraduate student experiences in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). He also studies college readiness and pathways into postsecondary education for underrepresented students.
88. Hans Schmitz - Leadership Studies - governance and effectiveness of international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), digital advocacy, rights-based approaches to development, and global efforts to address noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
89. Marcus Lam - Leadership Studies - research focuses on identifying strategies for the sustainability of health and human service nonprofit organizations. Specifically, his program of research advances two interrelated domains: 1) the effect of organizational and environmental factors on nonprofit sustainable resources and 2) the influence of resources on organizational programs, services, and client outcomes.
90. Paula Cordeiro - Leadership Studies - social innovation & entrepreneurship, educational leadership, international education development, and philanthropy.
91. Robert Donmoyer - Leadership Studies – use of research and evaluation findings in policymaking and practice, including researching leadership social justice.
92. Zachary Green - Leadership Studies - diversity, equity and inclusion, including the study of unconscious organizational processes related to race and identity.
93. Sandra Buczynski - Learning and Teaching – STEM curriculum and instruction
94. Emily Young - Director Non-Profit Institute – leads development of the Non-Profit Institute’s Quality of Life Dashboard that measures and benchmarks environmental and economic trends throughout the region.
Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering:
95. Venkat Shastri – Electrical Engineering – Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, De Sanctis Professor of Engineering and Entrepreneurship, and Director of Industry Partnership – Sustainability, including alternative energy and waste minimization.
96. Caroline Baillie – Integrated Engineering – Director of Engineering Justice. She is interested in ways that engineers can work with other professionals and local community groups to co-create solutions for the environment as well as social problems.
97. Susan Lord – Integrated Engineering - the study and promotion of diversity in engineering including student pathways, diverse populations including Latinos and military veterans, and cross-cultural studies with non U.S. students. She is part of the USD team working on “Developing Changemaking Engineers”, funded by the NSF Revolutionizing Engineering Departments (RED) program.
98. Jae Kim - Industrial and Systems Engineering - renewable energy, energy policy, and data analytics.
99. Gordon Hoople – Integrated Engineering - developing pedagogies that help students develop a critical understanding of the ways in which engineers impact society. He is the principal investigator on the National Science Foundation Grant “Reimagining Energy: Exploring Inclusive Practices for Teaching Energy Concepts to Undergraduate Engineering Majors.”
100. Odesma Dalrymple - Industrial and Systems Engineering - seeks to identify, develop and evaluate tools, techniques and pathways that can facilitate deep learning and sustained interest in engineering and other STEAM fields, particularly for populations that have been historically under-represented in the STEM workforce in the United States.
101. Rick Olson - Industrial and Systems Engineering - applied operations research, with particular academic interest in modeling, heuristic optimization and sustainability.
102. Truc Ngo - Industrial and Systems Engineering – creating sustainable solutions in the areas of water, energy and wastes to help improve the living conditions in developing nations.
103. Daniel Codd - Mechanical Engineering - renewable energy systems, advanced manufacturing and precision mechanical design.
104. Matthew McGarry - Mechanical Engineering - heat transfer enhancement via natural and forced convection and alternate energy systems.
105. Frank Jacobitz - Mechanical Engineering – water resources and technology.
106. Diana Chen - Integrated Engineering - engineering education that contextualizes engineering sciences and design, exploring engineering boundaries for inclusive pedagogy, and sustainability and bio-inspired design in the built environment.
Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science:
107. Jane Georges - Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science - palliative and end of life care, elimination of health disparities, and the provision of health equity to marginalized populations.
108. Kathy James - Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science - childhood and adult obesity, perinatal weight control, and community health. She has conducted studies in elementary, middle schools and with USD students assessing wellness habits. Her research focus is childhood obesity prevention through interventions with mothers. She completed a community study with Latino mothers and used the NIH Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and Nutrition [WECAN] program which promotes mother as role model to prevent childhood obesity.
109. Mary Barger - Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science - Dr. Barger’s research interests concern improving women’s health throughout the lifespan with a special emphasis on the perinatal period.
110. Michael Terry - Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science - integration of primary care and behavioral health and public/community mental health, including in remote areas (E.g., the Aleutian Chain). He is particularly interested in the application of narrative and storytelling in clinical practice and incorporates his background as a professional clown to focus on improvisation and humor in health care settings.
111. Semira Semino-Asaro - Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science – health disparities in underserved and/or immigrant communities.
112. Sharon Boothe-Kepple Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science - American Indian women’s health perceptions and health promotion behaviors.
Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies:
113. Topher McDougal - Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies - research focuses on the microeconomic causes and consequences of armed violence and disasters, illicit trades (especially in small arms), and environmental peacebuilding.
114. Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick - Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies - his work focuses on politics, culture, technology, and social change, including social movements & protest.
115. Michael Fryer - Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies - focus on grassroots peace leadership and resilience, the role of creativity and the arts in peacebuilding, and peace education.
116. Juan Roche - Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies – research interest is in corporate social responsibility and organizational behavior and culture.
117. Dustin Sharp - Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies – research interest is in corporate social responsibility and organizational behavior and culture.
118. Ami Carpenter - Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies – her research focuses on interethnic conflict resolution, community resilience to violence and the criminal dimensions of political conflicts. Currently, Carpenter is researching vulnerability and resilience to conflict in Iraqi and Guatemalan communities, the connection between transnational gangs and criminal networks in Central America, and gang involvement in sex trafficking in San Diego County.
School of Law:
119. Dov Fox - School of Law - bioethics and health law.
120. John H. Minan - School of Law - legal problems associated with the development of solar energy, socialist legal systems, commercial law and water law.
121. Roy L. Brooks – School of Law - Civil Rights, International Human Rights, Employment and Labor Law, Employment Discrimination, Public Interest/Public Law and Regulation, Race and Gender Identity.
122. Robert Fellmeth – School of Law - Child Advocacy/Children's Rights, Legal Ethics & Professional Responsibility, and Public Interest Law & Regulation.
123. Miranda Perry Fleischer – School of Law – Universal Basic Income.
124. Ariel Jurow Kleiman – School of Law - Income inequality and welfare policy.
125. Miranda McGowan – School of Law - employment discrimination, constitutional law, and race and gender identity.

This was completed by reviewing faculty biographies (chairs, deans, faculty, assistant faculty) and a conducting a keyword search (consistent with AC-1) as an initial filter. The list was then ranked according to the number of hits and reviewed by a small committee of faculty, staff and students.

In the future, USD could confirm findings with faculty individually.