With expertise ranging from the history of the American Revolution and cybersecurity to music history and smart buildings, 29 new faculty members joined Missouri University of Science and Technology this fall.

They are:

• Dr. Magdy Abdelrahman, the Missouri Asphalt Pavement Association Professor in civil, architectural and environmental engineering. Abdelrahman’s research emphasis is infrastructure sustainability with a focus on asphalt materials and the use of recycled materials in the design and performance of flexible pavements. He holds a Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana. Before joining Missouri S&T, he was a professor of civil and environmental engineering at North Dakota State University.
• Dr. Amy Belfi, assistant professor of psychological science. Belfi’s research focuses on neuroaesthetics, and she has studied the neurophysical investigation of music, emotion and autobiographical memory. She holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Iowa. Belfi joins Missouri S&T from New York University, where she served as a postdoctoral associate.
• Dr. Rui Bo, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. Bo’s research emphasis is advanced analytical and computational methods for large-scale power system planning, next-generation electricity market test-bed and monitoring, and design techniques for complex electricity markets. He holds a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and joins Missouri S&T from Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, where he served as a principal engineer and project manager.
• Dr. David Borrok, Gulf Oil Foundation Professor and chair of geosciences and geological and petroleum engineering. Borrok is a geochemist whose research interests include isotopic and environmental geochemistry. He holds a Ph.D. in geomicrobiology and geochemistry from the University of Notre Dame. Borrok joins Missouri S&T from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where he served as professor and director of the School of Geosciences.
• Dr. Xiangyang Dong, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. Dong’s research expertise includes materials processing, multi-scale modeling and analysis, and design of advanced materials, manufacturing and systems. He earned a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Purdue University, where he served as a graduate research assistant.
• Dr. David Duvernell, chair and professor of biological sciences. Duvernell is a population geneticist with interests in genetics and speciation, as well as genome evolution. He holds a Ph.D. in biology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He previously served as chair and professor of biological sciences at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
• Dr. Patrick Gamez, visiting assistant professor of philosophy. Gamez specializes in continental philosophy and social and political theory. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, where he taught philosophy of technology as well as introductory courses in philosophy and ethics.
• Dr. Santosh Gupta, assistant professor of computer science. Gupta’s research interests include smart buildings, internet-of-things architecture, cyber-physical systems, wireless systems and tech entrepreneurship. He holds a Ph.D. in electrical, computer and systems engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he served as a post-doctoral research associate.
• Dr. Daozhi Han, assistant professor of mathematics and statistics. Han studies modeling, analysis and numerical simulations of multiphase flow, tornadoes, Prandtl boundary layer theory, hydrodynamic instability and dynamic phase transition. He holds a Ph.D. in applied and computational mathematics from Florida State University. Prior to joining Missouri S&T, he served as the Zorn Post-doctoral Fellow at Indiana University Bloomington.
• Dr. Daoru Han, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. Han’s research interests include gas and plasma modeling, space propulsion and high-performance computing. He earned a Ph.D. in astronautical engineering from the University of Southern California and comes to Missouri S&T from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he served as an assistant research professor in aerospace engineering.
• Dr. XianBiao Hu, assistant professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering. Hu’s research interests include the design and development of smart transportation systems, driving safety and insurance telematics, and energy-saving oriented travel behavior. He earned a Ph.D. in transportation engineering from the University of Arizona, where he served as affiliate professor and research and development director of Metropia Inc.
• Dr. Abdulmohsin Imqam, assistant professor of geosciences and geological and petroleum engineering. Imqam’s research focuses on hydraulic fracturing technology and enhanced oil recovery. He holds a Ph.D. in petroleum engineering from Missouri S&T, where he has served as a post-doctoral fellow, graduate research assistant and graduate teaching assistant.
• Kelley Koob, assistant teaching professor of mathematics and statistics. Koob’s research interests include gamification in the classroom, authentic learning experiences, improved methods of assessment and collaborative learning. She has served as a lecturer at S&T since 1999 and has been an adjunct faculty member at Drury University. She holds a master of science degree in applied mathematics from S&T and an education specialist degree in information science and learning technologies.
• Dr. Alanna Krolikowski, assistant professor of history and political science. Krolikowski’s research in political science focuses on contemporary relations between China and the United States in high-technology sectors. She holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Toronto. She comes to S&T from the University of Alberta, where she served as a post-doctoral research fellow.
• Dr. David Lipke, assistant professor of materials science and engineering. Lipke’s research interests include novel processing techniques for the fabrication of ultra-high-temperature metal and ceramic composites with tailorable microstructures. He earned a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. He joins Missouri S&T from Alfred University, where he served as an assistant professor of materials science and engineering.
• Dr. Juanyu “Jenny” Liu, associate professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering. Liu’s research areas include infrastructure materials and pavement engineering. She earned a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Texas A&M University. Liu comes to Missouri S&T from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she served as a professor of civil and environmental engineering.
• Dr. Yu “Steve” Liu, assistant professor of business and information technology. Liu is an expert in empirical corporate finance, investments and financial markets. He holds a Ph.D. in finance from the University of Oregon, where he served as a graduate teaching fellow in the Lundquist College of Business.
• Dr. George Markowsky, chair and professor of computer science. Markowsky has a background in entrepreneurship, international education and cybersecurity research. He earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from Harvard University. He comes to Missouri S&T from the University of Maine, where he served as a professor of computer science.
• Dr. Linda Markowsky, assistant research professor in computer science. Markowsky has published research in the areas of the internet of things and cybersecurity. She holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Maine, where she taught as an adjunct and graduate faculty member in the computer science department.
• Dr. Jason Murphy, assistant professor of mathematics and statistics. Murphy’s research interests include harmonic analysis and nonlinear dispersive partial differential equations. He holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California Los Angeles. Murphy comes to Missouri S&T from the University of California, Berkeley, where he served as the National Science Foundation post-doctoral fellow.
• Dr. James Musser, assistant teaching professor of physics. His research background is in particle physics and he is interested in the modeling of electromagnetic fields in simple devices. He holds a Ph.D. in physics from Texas A&M University and comes to S&T from Arkansas Tech University, where he served as head of the physical science department.
• Dr. Justin Pope, assistant professor of history and political science. Pope’s teaching interests include colonial North America, the American Revolution, U.S. history to 1877 and modern world history. He holds a Ph.D. in history from The George Washington University. Prior to joining Missouri S&T, he served as visiting professor of history at Beloit College.
• Dr. David Samson, an assistant professor of arts, languages and philosophy. Samson comes to Missouri S&T from Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, where he served as assistant professor of music and chair of the department of art studio, art history, music and music education. He holds a Ph.D. in music education from the University of Mississippi.
• Dr. Michelle Schwartze, assistant teaching professor in the teacher education program. She holds a doctor of education degree in curriculum and instruction from Illinois State University. She previously served as an adjunct faculty member at Bradley University.
• Dr. Patrick Taylor, assistant teaching professor of computer science. Taylor’s research interests include learning algorithms, graph theory, neural networks, human-systems interaction and bio-inspired artificial intelligence. He earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience and behavior from the University of Massachusetts, where he held a post-doctoral position in the College of Information and Computer Sciences.
• Dr. Haiming Wen, assistant professor of materials science and engineering. Wen’s research interests include novel advanced materials with good mechanical properties and irradiation resistance as well as applications of these materials in extreme environments. He holds a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from the University of California, Davis, and comes to Missouri S&T from Idaho State University and Idaho National Laboratory, where he served as research assistant professor and staff scientist.
• Dr. Rusen Yang, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. Yang’s research focuses on behaviors in piezoelectric nanomaterials and their application for flexible energy harvesters and physical sensors. He holds a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and comes to Missouri S&T from the University of Minnesota, where he served as the Richard and Barbara Nelson Assistant Professor and McKnight Land-Grant Professor of mechanical engineering.
• Dr. Yishu Zhou, assistant professor of economics. Zhou studies environmental economics, energy economics, industrial organization and applied econometrics. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Connecticut, where he served as an instructor in economics.
• Dr. Peizhen Zhu, assistant teaching professor of computer science. Zhu’s research background is in computational mathematics and she previously served as an assistant teaching professor in mathematics and statistics at Missouri S&T. She holds a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from the University of Colorado Denver.