Join us is welcoming the new faculty joining the ranks at UNC Asheville this academic year! Learn more about what they're teaching, what they're passionate about, and some fun facts you might not have guessed.
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Jeromy is originally from Indiana, traveling coast-to-coast for his education: from Lewis University in Illinois, to UNC-Chapel Hill for his Ph.D. and Stanford University in California for postdoc work. In addition to teaching various chemistry courses, he is excited to start his own research group with a focus on organic and polymer chemistry. His research will focus on designing new low-cost, recyclable solar panels made from plastics.
Fun Fact: Jeromy is featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 list as one of the best young scientists in the country.
Lecturer
Department of Music
Andy Jurik is embracing the transition from adjunct instructor to full-time lecturer. He has already taught music classes, classical and jazz guitar, and led contemporary music ensembles at both UNC Asheville and Western Carolina University. His research on improvisation and arrangements for solo guitar has led to conference lectures, independent recordings and commercial sheet music publications. A recording of works by French composer Erik Satie is his next project, slated for release in the fall.
Fun Fact: He listed his dog Razzle as the "recording assistant" in the liner notes to his first album. You can hear her snoring in the background on certain tracks.
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Pin Lyu will teach Physical Chemistry and build his own research lab related to artificial photosynthesis. He enjoys engaging creative undergraduate students in teaching and research activities to dive into different perspectives and learn together.Â
Fun Fact: Pin seeks the art of science and the science of art through poetry.
Department of Business
Drake Thomas’ diverse background combines service in the United States Navy nuclear power program, ten years of executive experience, extensive operational and teaching experience with networking and system administration. He is dedicated to mentoring the professional skills of students and working with local employers to solve practical business challenges throughout his courses. He enjoys storytelling with data, is an avid student of history, recreational cyclist and really enjoys sailing.
Fun Fact: Drake built a scale replica of a TARDIS in his yard that serves as our bear proof trash can.
Department of Biology
Courtney Clark-Hachtel’s lab will focus on understanding how animals survive extreme environments; specifically, how tardigrades (aka water bears) survive extreme levels of ionizing radiation (1000 times what would kill a human). Courtney is passionate about education and enjoys sharing the secrets behind the superpowers of tardigrades with the community.
Fun Fact: Courtney has a bachelor's degree in science education.
Department of Atmospheric Science
Caitlin is a native of the Finger Lakes region of New York and came to Asheville by way of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Burlington, Vermont. She is an atmospheric scientist by training and her research interests lie broadly in hydroclimatic variability, spanning heavy precipitation to drought. In her free time, she enjoys playing recreational sports, hiking with her dog, and exploring all that Asheville has to offer.
Fun Fact: Caitlin once won a year's worth of free pizza in a punting competition at a homecoming football game in college.
University Fellow
Department of Art & Art History
Remi Poindexter is an art historian who researches images of the French Caribbean in the long nineteenth century. His dissertation examines the ways Martinique was constructed as both an exotic and familiar locale for different audiences and across various media. Originally from Delaware, he lived in New York City for seven years before moving to Asheville.
Fun Fact: Remi creates his own art in his free time, and his favorite media are oil paint and linocut.
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Yeeka is looking forward to meeting UNC Asheville students and becoming a part of the broader Asheville community. Most recently, in 2022-2023, he was a visiting assistant professor at Furman University in South Carolina. He is originally from Sydney, Australia, and completed his Ph.D. and a postdoc there prior to coming back to the United States.
Fun Fact: Yeeka has a very, very handsome twin brother…unfortunately not identical!
Department of Political Science
Devin completed their Ph.D. in political science at the UNC-Chapel Hill in May 2023 and will be teaching courses in International Relations as a postdoctoral fellow this fall. Their research broadly examines the political constitution of financial markets from an international, comparative, and historical perspective. Their dissertation explored the origins of public bank formation by developing a novel dataset of public banks. They have lent their expertise on public banking to a variety of non-profit research and policy organizations.
Fun Fact: The high school Devin attended was located in the city zoo.
Saman Majeed holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry with specialization in Analytical Biochemistry and three years of experience as a Forensic Scientist in the Narcotics department of Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA). She is committed to support her students in their academic and professional pursuits by providing them with solid ground for transformative learning experiences. She is enthusiastic to pass on her expertise by mentoring students in innovative, dynamic research projects and promoting diversity by contributing to cross-cultural collaboration.
Fun Fact: Saman likes to read literature and spend time with her children during free time.
Department of Mathematics
Bryan Martin is a native of Western North Carolina and has lived in Asheville for 30 years. Bryan has taught in almost every possible classroom, from elementary to university level. While he has also been a basketball and racquetball coach, a dorm leader, and academic dean, his passion is helping students develop mathematical understanding.
Fun Fact: For the past 10 years, Bryan has organized a local board game and role play gaming convention that takes place in the fall in Western North Carolina.
Department of Psychology
Sara is a fun-loving spirit who thrives in front of the classroom. Her research focuses on age-based stereotype threat, and she plans on pivoting her focus to stereotype exposure and self-concepts of marginalized individuals within higher educational settings. She is excited to join the UNC Asheville faculty!
Fun Fact: Sara considers herself a mama bear and has two sons. However, she is actually afraid of bears!Â
Department of English
As a 1997 graduate of UNC Asheville's English department, Ellen is happy to be back in Karpen Hall with amazing students and colleagues. Her academic interests include British literature, women's and gender studies, prison education, humanities, the world wars, and Southern/Appalachian culture. Ellen enjoys writing, traveling, and playing with her stylish senior cat, Mlle. Coco Chanel.
Fun Fact: Ellen can still remember part of the tap dance routine from her third grade recital at the Civic Center (what we locals still call it), a rousing performance to the tune of "Boy from New York City," the 1981 version.
Department of Sociology & Anthropology
Paige Ambord is a sociologist whose work centers on how residents identify environmental, health, and safety risks in the built environment. In her research, she draws upon a variety of methodologies such as ethnography, interviews, experiments and surveys. She centers interdisciplinary and community-engaged research. As an instructor, Ambord develops lessons that focus on applying research skills and sociological concepts to real-world environments and problems.
Fun Fact: Paige curled for five years.
Department of Education
Megan is excited to be returning to UNC Asheville after a decade of work in higher education. She previously attended UNC Asheville as a post baccalaureate to gain her teaching license and still remembers the amazing teachers who helped shape her as a teacher. She also served as a classroom teacher and literacy coach for Asheville City Schools. As a Resiliency Educator, Megan values the opportunity to support future educators to harness the power of neuroscience in supporting classrooms as engaging, equity-focused learning communities. Megan serves on board of the Augustine Literacy Project to help low-income students gain access to quality reading instruction.
Fun Fact: Â Megan enjoys road trips to New Hampshire's Squam Lake, paddle boarding, and moments with her adulting children.
Department of Languages & Literatures
After having grown up in Asheville, Charles Lee went to grad school in Paris, where he worked for several years in the publishing world. Charles came back to Asheville in 2020 and alongside teaching, he works as a translator from French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.
Fun Fact: Charles is an admittedly unskilled, but passionate weaver.
Kitty grew up in California and moved to the east coast, completing her undergraduate and masters degrees at NYU and Columbia, respectively. After teaching high school for four years with Math for America, she went back to school and earned her doctorate at Northwestern University. After postdocs and visiting positions, she is excited to join the faculty at UNC Asheville!
Fun Fact: Kitty joined the school wind ensemble last year as a visiting professor after not playing french horn for 15 years; looking for a community band to join in Asheville!
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