Alumni Headlines and Author Bookshelf
Enjoy these news updates received in the Alumni Office. To submit your own news, please email graduateschool.alumni@yale.edu
Alumni Headlines
Lisa Fastenberg, '96 PhD (Mathematics)
| Lisa Fastenberg, Ph.D., associate professor and chairperson of the Mathematics Department in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences at Pace University in Pleasantville, has been appointed to Pace’s Board of Trustees. Professor Fastenberg, who begins a three-year term, brings a wealth of academic leadership and expertise in mathematics education to the board.
Jintai Ding, '95 PhD (Mathematics)
| Professor Jintai Ding was recently appointed Dean of the School of Mathematics and Physics at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. Professor Ding is an internationally recognised expert in the field of Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), with his work featured in top cryptography venues such CRYPTO, and Eurocrypt.
Judith Plaskow, '75 PhD (Religious Studies)
| The American Academy of Religion honored past president Judith Plaskow for her lifetime of influential scholarship on Sunday, Nov. 24, during the AAR's annual meeting in San Diego.
Miroslava (Mirka) Prazak, '92 PhD (Anthropology)
| The Vermont Academy of Arts and Sciences (VAAS) inducted four new fellows for 2024, including anthropologist and Bennington College faculty member Miroslava (Mirka) Prazak. The VAAS recognizes a selection of individuals annually who have made outstanding contributions to the arts, humanities, sciences, or education in Vermont, or whose work in these fields has made a significant impact in Vermont. Prazak has taught at Bennington since 1996 and retires in the spring of 2025.
James Robinson, '93 PhD (Economics)
| This year’s laureates in the economic sciences – Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson – have demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for a country’s prosperity. Societies with a poor rule of law and institutions that exploit the population do not generate growth or change for the better. The laureates’ research helps us understand why.
Padmini Pillai, '16 PhD (Immunobiology)
| White House Appoints 2024-2025 Class of White House Fellows. Padmini Pillai is an immunoengineer bridging the gap between discoveries in immunology and advances in biomaterial design to treat human disease. She has led a team at MIT developing a tumor-selective nanotherapy to eliminate hard-to-treat cancers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Padmini was featured in several media outlets including CNBC, The Atlantic, and The New York Times to discuss vaccination, immunity, and the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on vulnerable communities.
Petia Vlahovska, '03 PhD (Engineering and Applied Science)
| Petia Vlahovska, Professor of Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics at Northwestern University, was awarded the 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship. Her research encompasses fluid dynamics, membrane biophysics, and soft matter.
Joseph Plaster, '18 (American Studies)
| American Studies PhD Joey Plaster, who is now Curator in Public Humanities and Director of the Winston Tabb Special Collections Research Center at Johns Hopkins University, has won the Joe William Trotter, Jr. Prize for Best First Book in Urban History from the Urban History Association for his book, Kids on the Street: Queer Kinship and Religion in San Francisco’s Tenderloin (Duke University Press, 2023).
Christina Wood Baker '01 PhD (Psychology)
| Christina Wood Baker has joined the Board of Doc Wayne Youth Services in Boston. Christina is a clinical health psychologist in private practice who specializes in eating and weight disorders, and anxiety, working primarily with adolescents, young adults, athletes and parents. Previously, Christina worked at the MGH Weight Center and the MGH Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program conducting research and treating clients, and was a consultant to senior staff and program directors at Walden Behavioral Care providing empirically-based guidance on program development and the integration of goal-setting and assessment into treatment. Doc Wayne Youth Services is a nonprofit innovator and provider of sport-based mental health therapy for youth
Cyril O'Regan '89 PhD (Religious Studies)
| Cyril O’Regan, the Catherine F. Huisking Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, has been selected to receive the 2024 Ratzinger Prize in Theology, widely regarded as the most prestigious award in the field. Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, will present the award to O’Regan during a ceremony at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City on Nov. 22. O'Regan will also have meet with Pope Francis that day.
Jón Njardarson '01 PhD (Chemistry)
| Jón Njardarson ('01 PhD, Chemistry) was awarded the Distinguished Mentoring Award at the University of Arizona. This award is in recognition of demonstrated outstanding, extensive, and continuous involvement in student mentoring. Jón’s group works on diverse organic synthesis topics such as new reaction development, total syntheses, drug discovery, novel material chemistry and most recently machine learning.
Robert Gooding-Williams '75, '82 PhD (Philosophy)
| Gooding-Williams has returned to campus this fall as the Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor of Philosophy. Building institutional support for scholars working at the intersection of Philosophy and Black Studies will be a major focus for Gooding-Williams. He hopes to foster a community of thinkers working at the crossroads of these intellectual traditions. Gooding-Williams, was honored with the 2023 Wilbur Cross Medal from Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Alumni Association to recognize his exceptional scholarship.
Sr. Annie Killian ’11, ’19 PhD (English Literature)
| Sr. Annie Killian ’11, ’19 PhD (English Literature), a member of the Dominican Sisters of Peace and Assistant Professor of English at Ohio Dominican University, has been elected to the national council at Pax Christi USA, an organization that rejects war and all forms of violence and domination.
Michael Winter ’88 PhD (Applied Physics)
| Dr. Winter has been named Chief Science Officer, RTX. As Chief Scientist, Michael ensures the scientific integrity to realize the potential of the technology landscape for RTX. RTX Corporation is an Aerospace and Defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers, worldwide, comprised of three industry-leading businesses – Collins Aerospace Systems, Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon.
Rebecca Boswell ’19 PhD (Psychology)
| Rebecca Boswell ’19 PhD (Psychology), has been named Director of Penn Medicine Princeton Center for Eating Disorders and Administrative Director of Psychiatric Services at Princeton Medical Center. In addition to leading the 22-bed eating disorders unit, Dr. Boswell provides administrative oversight for hospital psychiatric services.
Georgina Dopico ’90 PhD (Spanish)
| Georgina Dopico ’90 PhD (Spanish) has been named provost of New York University. Dopico is an award-winning scholar of the literature, history, and culture of early-modern Spain; a member of NYU’s faculty since 2000; and interim provost since 2022.
Susan Fisher, '01 PhD (History of Art)
| The Kaish Family Art Project has appointed Susan Fisher, PhD, as Director to oversee strategic vision, operations, and partnerships. In her new role, she will also guide the development and implementation of exhibitions, programs, and events showcasing the work and legacies of artists Luise Kaish (1925𑁒2013) and Morton Kaish (b. 1927).
Ewa Syta, ’15 PhD (Computer Science)
| Ewa Syta, associate professor and chair of computer science at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, received a Fulbright to conduct research in Poland. In collaboration with researchers at Poland’s National Research Institute (NASK) under the supervision of the Ministry of Digital Affairs, Syta plans to develop a long-term strategy for the implementation of a digital identity wallet for Poland.
Heidi Hartmann, ’74 PhD (Economics)
| Heidi Hartmann was featured by the Yale Economic Growth Center, as part of our series on the early women of Yale Economics. Heidi got her PhD from Yale in 1974 and went on to found the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) and c
Sarah Stillman, ’06 MA (Anthropology)
| Sarah Stillman is a 2024 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Explanatory Reporting for her work titled "Sentenced to Life for an Accident Miles Away", an investigation into felony murder charges across the country. She is a staff writer with The New Yorker.
William J. Lee, ’09 MS (Epidemiology & Public Health)
| William J. Lee, ’09 MS (Epidemiology & Public Health), has been recognized as one of the nation's Top 40 Under 40 Leaders in Health by the National Minority Quality Forum for his work at the intersection of epidemiology, law, and policy to reduce patient risk and advance health equity among minoritized and underserved populations. William leads the Scientific Practice Group of Kershaw Talley Barlow, P.C., a nationally recognized plaintiffs' mass tort and class action firm in Sacramento, CA.
Catherine Deibel, '08 PhD (Physics)
| Catherine Deibel was named 2024 LSU Mid-Career Rainmaker in STEM. The “Rainmakers” honor is given to professors who stand out for their ability to secure external research funding, publish in prominent journals and for gaining national as well as international recognition for their work.
Tina Post, '18 PhD, (American Studies and African American Studies)
| Tina Post, current Assistant Professor of English at the University of Chicago, has won the 2023 National Book Critics Award for Criticism for her book Deadpan: The Aesthetics of Inexpression (NYU Press, 2023).
Kingson Lin, '22 PhD (Chemistry)
| Kingson Lin ’22 Ph.D., was recently named Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for his role in developing potential new ways to selectively treat deadly, drug-resistant brain cancers. In 2021, he cofounded Modifi Biosciences along with Prof. Seth Herzon and Dr. Ranjit Bindra as a way to develop those treatments into drugs and bring them to market. The company has raised $12 million in funding from investors so far.
Denise Lim, '14 MA African Studies, '20 PhD (Sociology)
| Denise Lim, Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Black Material and Visual Culture, wins National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship. As she was finishing her M.A. in African Studies and getting ready to pursue her Ph.D. in Sociology at Yale, she began to develop an interest in modern and contemporary South African art.
Margaret Mayer, '16 MPH, '19 PhD (Public Health)
| YSPH alumna Margaret Mayer embraces challenge of grant management at the National Cancer Institute
Courtney J. Martin, ’09 PhD
| Courtney Martin, who has led the Yale Center for British Art since 2019, has accepted a new appointment as executive director of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. Martin will continue in her Yale role until June 30, 2024.
Marian Chertow, '81, '00 PhD
| Professor Chertow has been names a Donaldson Fellow by Yale School of Management. The Donaldson Fellows Program honors alumni from all sectors and across the globe who share a dedication to solving complex problems and pursuing positive change in the world.
Alison (Locke) Perchuk, '09 PhD (Art History)
| On March 16, Perchuk will receive the 2024 Karen Gould Prize in Art History from the Medieval Academy of America, recognizing her recent book, "The Medieval Monastery of Saint Elijah: A History in Paint and Stone" (Brepols 2021) as the best book in medieval art history published that year.
Wendy S. Garrett, '94 BS, '01 PhD (Cell Biology), '02 MD
| The American Society for Clinical Investigation has recognized Wendy S. Garrett, MD, PhD, as the recipient of the inaugural ASCI/Marian W. Ropes, MD, Award, for her scientific contributions to the understanding of diseases related to perturbations in the balance between the immune system and microbiome.
Mike Amezcua, '11 PhD (American Studies)
| Mike Amezcua '11 PhD was honored with the Lewis Mumford Prize from the Society for American City & Regional Planning History for his book "Making Mexican Chicago"
Alumni Author Bookshelf
To submit your book, email graduateschool.alumni@yale.edu
Wendell Nii Laryea Adjetey '18 PhD History African American Studies
Camille Owens '20 PhD American Studies
Jennifer Bryson '90 MA History, '00 PhD Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations
Steven Schwartzberg '96 PhD History
Graduate School Alumni Office
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