Ann Bell, Senior ADVANCE Fellow, Associate Professor, Sociology
Ann V. Bell received a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Michigan, an M.H.S. in Epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University, and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Michigan. Her research centering on the intersection of gender and health, specifically examines processes, inequalities, and constructions of reproductive health.
Jennifer Biddle, Senior ADVANCE Fellow, Professor, School of Marine Sci & Policy
Jennifer Biddle earned a B.S. in Biotechnology from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Biology from Penn State University. Her research investigates microbial ecology in the environment, particularly in extreme environments including the deep sea and deep subsurface. She uses bioinformatics and microbial cultivation to examine why microbes live where they live.
Toby Driscoll, Senior ADVANCE Fellow, Professor, Mathematical Sciences
Toby Driscoll is a professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, with affiliated appointments in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Data Science Institute. He earned B.S. degrees in Math and Physics from the Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Cornell University, and he was an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Colorado, Boulder prior to coming to UD. His research interests are in scientific computation, mathematical software, and modeling and data analysis, particularly for biomedical applications.
Andrea Everard, Senior ADVANCE Fellow, Professor, Management Information Systems, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs, Direcotr, MS Business Analytics and Information Management Program
Andrea Everard is a Professor of Management Information Systems, the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs, and the Director of the MS Business Analytics and Information Management program in the Lerner College of Business. She primarily teaches IT Leadership and Strategic Management Information Systems and conducts research in Human-Computer Interaction, Cross-Cultural and Gender Issues in Information Systems (specifically female (under)representation in Information Systems).
Mellissa Gordon, Senior ADVANCE Fellow, Associate Professor, Human Development and Family Sciences
Mellissa Gordon is an assistant professor in the Department of Human Development & Family Sciences. She earned a B.S. in Psychology and anM.S. in Family, Youth, and Community Sciences from the University of Florida, and a Ph.D. in Human Science: Family Relations from Florida State University. Her primary research area centers on the influence of family-of-origin on positive adolescent developmental outcomes such as academic achievement during adolescence and young adulthood, career outcomes in young adulthood, and intimate partner relationships. She also addresses the mediating and moderating influence of community factors such as community poverty from a multilevel perspective on this association.
Bert Tanner, Senior ADVANCE Fellow, Professor, Mechanical EngineeringBert Tanner received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the NTUA, Athens, Greece. He was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania before taking a faculty position at the University of New Mexico. He is now with the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Delaware, where he is currently a professor. He is the Director of the Center for Autonomous and Robotics Systems, and his research interests are primarily in artificial intelligence and control theory for multi-agent systems.
Regina Wright, Senior ADVANCE Fellow, Associate Dean for Diversity, College of Health Science, Professor, School of Nursing
Regina Wright is a psychologist and associate professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Delaware where she teaches primarily in the PhD in Nursing Science program. She is also Associate Dean for Diversity for the College of Health Sciences. Dr. Wright earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Delaware, an M.S. in Experimental Psychology from Villanova University, and a Ph.D. in Research Neuropsychology from Howard University. Her program of research is focused on examining relations between cardiovascular risk factors and cognitive function among older adults, with a specific interest in patterns of association in vulnerable populations. She has published widely in gerontological, neuropsychological, neurological, and special population journals.
Steve Amendum, ADVANCE Fellow, Professor, School of Education
Steve Amendum specializes in literacy education. He teaches courses related to literacy research, assessment, and instruction at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. His research areas include early reading intervention, literacy development and instruction for emerging bilingual students, and evidence-based classroom instruction. His research areas also include professional development for teachers in each of these areas. Currently, Dr. Amendum is the principal investigator for an Institute of Education Sciences (IES)-funded grant to test an early reading and professional development intervention to improve early reading outcomes for emergent bilingual learners in kindergarten and first grade. He also serves as a co-PI of a an IES-funded efficacy grant to test the efficacy of a professional development program (developed in a previous grant) to improve collaboration among classroom and ESL teachers, incorporate students’ cultural wealth, and improve language and literacy outcomes for K-2 Latino emergent bilingual learners.
Ted Davis, ADVANCE Fellow, Professor, Political Science & International Relations
Ted Davis (Ph. D. Florida State University) is a professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations. He has a joint appointment with the Department of Africana Studies. He regularly teaches courses related to public policy, urban politics, race and politics, and the politics of poverty. He has taught courses in public administration, research methods, Introduction to Black American Studies and governance and poverty reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Davis current research focus include: 1) urban politics and the African-American community development, 2) the politics, inequality and educational outcomes, and 3) governance and poverty reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa. He is the author of the book Black Politics Today: The Era of Socioeconomic Transition (Routledge 2012).
Carla Guerrón Montero, ADVANCE Fellow, Professor, Anthropology
Carla Guerrón Montero is a cultural and applied anthropologist who specializes in the anthropology of tourism, the anthropology of food, and the African diaspora. Professor Guerrón Montero is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Delaware, with joint appointments in Latin American and Iberian Studies, Africana Studies and Women and Gender Studies. Dr. Guerrón Montero received a PhD in Cultural Anthropology and Latin American Studies from the University of Oregon; a Master of Arts degree in Applied Anthropology from Oregon State University (United States), and a Licenciatura degree in Socio-cultural Anthropology from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (Quito-Ecuador).
Lisa Jaremka, ADVANCE Fellow, Associate Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences
Lisa Jaremka is an associate professor in social psychology. Her research is interdisciplinary, and thus she shares substantial overlap with the clinical and behavioral neuroscience areas as well. She often also collaborates with people in health-related disciplines, including health psychology, behavioral medicine, and nutrition. Dr. Jaremka is interested in understanding the consequences of negative interpersonal interactions, such as rejection, loneliness, and marital distress among both cancer survivors and healthy adults. She is particularly interested in understanding the physiological consequences of these interpersonal phenomena, and how these physiological alterations may shape subsequent social behavior.
Laura Lessard, ADVANCE Fellow, Associate Professor, Behavioral Health & Nutrition
Lisa Lessard’s research focuses in two areas: program evaluation and early childhood obesity prevention. She serves as the Director of Evaluation for Delaware INBRE where she coordinates evaluation activities statewide. She is also involved in program evaluations in a wide range of topical areas including clinical practice changes, community based health promotion programming and innovative strategies to address the impacts of medical debt. In the area of childhood obesity prevention, she is especially interested in how child care environments can support healthy eating and and physical activity among young children. She has conducted multiple studies examining the implementation and enforcement of policy interventions in these areas. Dr. Lessard has training in Public Health (MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Tufts University and PhD in Behavioral Sciences and Health Education from Emory University) and serves as Director of the Public Health Minor in BHAN.
Isaí Jess Muñoz, ADVANCE Fellow, Associate Professor of Voice and Opera, School of Music
Isaí Jess Muñoz currently serves as President-Elect of the National Opera Association. From 2015-2021, Dr. Muñoz was Chair and Senior Editor of the Sacred in Opera Initiative and Journal, that explores through research and performance the interplay between music-drama and the ideologies of world religions. In Performance, as a tenor, he has appeared with leading organizations including the Israel Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater on Broadway. His latest solo album, Visca L’Amor: Catalan Art Songs of the XX and XXI Centuries, is a 2021 BBC Music Magazine 5-Star honoree available on Bridge Records with worldwide distribution. Dr. Muñoz is a graduate of the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, and SUNY Stony Brook.
Oyenike Olabisi, ADVANCE Fellow, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences
An associate professor of Biological Sciences, Nike Olabisi adopts innovative scientific teaching methods including active learning and problem based learning strategies to undergraduate biology instruction. Her research training and interests are in cancer research, investigating cell signaling pathways and the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular transformation and metastasis.
Victor Perez, ADVANCE Fellow, Associate Professor, Sociology & Criminal Justice
Victor Perez is an associate professor of sociology with specializations in environmental justice, health & illness, and the sociology of risk. He is trained in quantitative survey research and has developed skills in mixed-methods research approaches in recent years, including field observations and focus groups. A unifying theme throughout his career is the entwined configuration of health, risk, and society, focusing on environmental and health issues through a social constructionist and social justice lens.