25 Charles River Campus Faculty Receive Promotions

Representing eight schools and colleges and fields from the natural and social science to the arts, engineering, law, and business

Twenty-five faculty on Boston University’s Charles River Campus have just received promotions, 17 to the rank of associate professor with tenure, 5 to the rank of non-tenure associate professor, and 3 to the rank of professor with tenure. They come from eight colleges and schools and represent a breadth of academic interests and fields of research.

The news comes following the recent promotion of 23 additional Charles River Campus faculty to the rank of full professor.

“Each in their unique way demonstrates daily the caliber of education and accomplishment possible through innovation, creativity, leadership, and commitment to student success,” BU Provost Gloria Waters wrote in an email to faculty and staff announcing the most recent promotions. “We see great things ahead for them and are pleased they have chosen BU as the institution at which to advance their careers.”

Those promoted:

Faculty promoted to the rank of associate professor with tenure

Manos Athanassoulis, College of Arts & Sciences associate professor of computer science, investigates the design and optimization of modern data systems, with an emphasis on new workloads like hybrid transactional/analytical processing, the new trade-offs that cloud computing poses for data management, and emerging hardware, such as nonvolatile memories and heterogeneous computing units. Supported by multiple National Science Foundation (NSF) grants (including an NSF CAREER award) and industry partners—such as Red Hat, Cisco, Meta, and IBM—he is a senior member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He has published more than 70 papers in leading data management conferences and journals, including ACM Transactions on Database Systems, and authored a 2023 book on data structure design for data-intensive applications. His work has been recognized with numerous honors, including “best of” awards from ACM’s Special Interest Group on Management of Data and the International Conference on Very Large Data Bases.

Jennifer Cazenave, CAS associate professor of romance studies, specializes in documentary media cultures and archival practices. She is the author of An Archive of the Catastrophe: The Unused Footage of Claude Lanzmann’s Shoah (2019), which received an honorable mention for the Society for Cinema and Media Studies’ Best First Book Award. She has given invited talks in France and the United States and published a dozen book chapters and articles and essays in mainstream outlets, including SubStance, Cinema Journal, Los Angeles Review of Books, and Balises. Her research has been supported by the American Council of Learned Societies and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. A forthcoming second book, Lessons in Seeing: Disability and the Media Archive, is under contract with Columbia University Press.

Celeste Curington, CAS associate professor of sociology, researches the African diaspora in the United States and Europe and other communities of color. Her work bridges the fields of ethnography, critical race theory, and feminist methodology to examine how oppression and inequality around race, gender, class, and citizenship are perpetuated, experienced, and often resisted in various settings. She has published two books, Laboring in the Shadow of Empire: Race, Gender, and Care Work in Portugal (2024) and The Dating Divide: Race and Desire in the Era of Online Romance (2021). Her research has also appeared in academic journals, including the Du Bois Review, Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, and the American Sociological Review, alongside major media outlets. A trained doula, she is at work on a third ethnographic book project, Witnessing Birth, which explores the labor and community-based practices of BIPOC doulas in Massachusetts and Georgia.

Martin Fiszbein, CAS associate professor of economics, studies the historical roots of cultural traits and political attitudes—such as individualism, gender norms, racial animus, and civic norms—and their impact on development. He also examines structural change, technological progress, and skill formation as drivers of growth, focusing on how these processes are shaped by geo-climatic and historical factors. His research has been published in leading economics journals—including Econometrica, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, The Review of Economic Studies, and The Journal of Economic History—and he is a faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Frank Golf, CAS associate professor of physics, is an experimental particle physicist who works to develop new particle detectors to advance understanding of the Higgs boson and to identify new particles and forces using proton beams at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. He has served on international and national committees on detectors and computing for particle and nuclear physics, and his research on dark matter theories of unification has been featured in nearly 50 top-tier scientific publications, including Nature. His work is supported by multiple grants from the US Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation. A current global collaboration including him and his students received the 2025 Breakthrough Prize.

Masha Kamenetska, CAS associate professor of chemistry and physics, is a quantum chemical physicist specializing in single-molecule experiments that explore the relationships between molecular structure and function. Her research bridges chemistry, physics, and biology and seeks to advance understanding of electrical properties of molecular circuits, the structural stability of RNA gene regulatory segments, and optical signatures of nanoparticle antennas for single-molecule detection. She is a past recipient of an NSF CAREER award, an Air Force Young Investigator Research Program award, and a Scialog Fellowship, and has published 22 articles in high-impact scientific journals, including Nature Nanotechnology and Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. She developed and currently oversees the chemistry and physics undergraduate major at BU.

Yu-Shen Lin, CAS associate professor of mathematics and statistics, explores broad areas of algebraic geometry, differential geometry, and mathematical physics. Supported by numerous NSF grants, he has solved challenging problems in geometric analysis, enumerative geometry, mirror symmetry, Calabi-Yau manifolds, gravitational instantons, complex geometry, and tropical geometry. He has also developed new insights in theoretical physics for string theory and quantum gravity. A 2025–26 Simons Fellow in Mathematics, he has published 21 articles in top general mathematics and mathematical physics journals, including Theoretical and Mathematical Physics and Mathematical Research Letters.

Jonathan J. B. Mijs, CAS associate professor of sociology, is a scholar of social inequality whose research centers on how people form their beliefs about inequality and what leads them to change their views. Supported by over $2 million in external funding from national and international organizations—such as the Volkswagen Foundation, European Commission, and the Dutch Research Council—he has published 35 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals, such as Social Forces, Social Problems, and the Annual Review of Sociology. He is a past recipient of the International Society for Justice Research Morton Deutsch Award, the International Sociological Association Alan C. Kerckhoff Award, and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Early Career Award, and his work has been featured in media outlets in half a dozen countries. He has served as a subject matter expert for Amnesty International, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the governments of Canada and the Netherlands, and was a technical consultant on the Hulu series Paradise.

Takeo Rivera, CAS associate professor of English, specializes in performance studies, Asian American studies, ethnic studies, queer theory, and video game studies in US cultural production. His first book, Model Minority Masochism: Performing the Cultural Politics of Asian American Masculinity (2022)—which explores gender and cultural depictions in Asian American theater, literature, graphic novels, historical archives, and video games—won honorable mention for the Association for Asian American Studies’ Media, Performance, and Visual Studies Book Award. He has published extensively in journals and anthologies, including Social Text, Performance Research, and Amerasia, and has been featured in mainstream outlets, such as Wired, The Atlantic, and Financial Times. He is also an award-winning playwright and a past faculty fellow at Harvard University’s Charles Warren Center.

Ana Villarreal, CAS associate professor of sociology, is an urban sociologist who draws on ethnography and social theory to advance sociological understandings of violence, emotions, and urban dynamics in Latin America. She has authored eight peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Her first book, The Two Faces of Fear: Violence and Inequality in the Mexican Metropolis (2024), won the Outstanding Book Award from the Peace, War, and Social Conflict section of the American Sociological Association (ASA). A second book on violence and Colombian social urbanism is in development. She holds elected positions in the ASA’s urban and culture sections, serves on the editorial board of City & Community, and this past year received CAS’ Gitner Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Nicholas Wagner, CAS associate professor of psychological and brain sciences, is a developmental scientist whose research seeks to advance understanding of children’s socioemotional development. Supported by over $5 million in National Institutes of Health funding, his work examines how biological and environmental factors influence psychosocial adaptation and risk for psychopathology. He has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals and earned early career awards from the Society for Research in Child Development, the International Society for Research on Aggression, and the Association for Psychological Science. He serves on the editorial boards of Child Development, Developmental Psychology, and Development and Psychopathology.

Sheila Russo, College of Engineering associate professor of mechanical engineering, focuses on the design, development, and manufacturing of novel multiscale and multimaterial biomedical robotic systems for minimally invasive surgeries. Her work has appeared in leading robotics conferences and premier journals, including the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Nature Communications, Nature Reviews Materials, and Advanced Materials. She is a past recipient of the National Institutes of Health’s Trailblazer Award for New and Early Stage Investigators and a past semifinalist in MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35.

Rabia Yazicigil, ENG associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, merges the fields of microelectronics, cybersecurity, and synthetic biology, with a focus on building cybersecure biological systems and energy-efficient hardware. Her research, supported by the NSF, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and private industry partners, seeks to advance secure, low-power, and high-performance integrated circuits for wireless communications and biosensing. She has published extensively in top-tier journals and conferences, holds multiple patents, and is a frequent invited speaker and panelist at international conferences. She is a past NSF CAREER award winner, a recipient of ENG’s Early Career Excellence in Research Award, and was recently selected as a 2025–26 IEEE Distinguished Lecturer.

Andrey Fradkin, Questrom School of Business associate professor of marketing, studies the design of digital platforms, quantitative marketing, the digitization of the economy, and search behavior in markets. He has provided expert input about the digital economy to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and the Federal Trade Commission, and has published articles in top-tier journals, such as Management Science, Marketing Science, and the American Economic Review. He is a past Hariri Institute Junior Faculty Fellow and Questrom Dean’s Research Scholar and received INFORMS’ Management Science Distinguished Service Award for five consecutive years. He is also cofounder of the Virtual Quantitative Marketing Seminar, a leading forum in his field.

Jennifer M. Gómez, School of Social Work associate professor, is a trauma researcher and critical race scholar who developed cultural betrayal trauma theory to examine the impact of oppression on victims of violence from marginalized communities. Her book, The Cultural Betrayal of Black Women and Girls: A Black Feminist Approach to Healing from Sexual Abuse (2023), won the 2024 Frank W. Putnam Outstanding Book Award from the International Society for the Study of Trauma & Dissociation (ISSTD). Her scholarship has been published in over 100 books, media outlets, and high-impact journals, such as Perspectives on Psychological Sciences. She serves on numerous boards, including for ISSTD, the Center for Institutional Courage, and End Rape on Campus, as well as the editorial boards of the Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology and the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation.

Rebecca Copeland, School of Theology associate professor of theology, explores how classical Christian texts and doctrine can be reconstructed through the lens of environmental studies, engaging diverse fields, such as hydrogeology, biology, archaeozoology, and botany. She has published two monographs, Created Being: Expanding Creedal Christology (2020) and Entangled Being: Unoriginal Sin and Wicked Problems (2024), along with five peer-reviewed articles in top journals. A new book, Replanting the Uprooted: A Social-Ecological Approach to the Agricultural Parables, is in development. She is a past recipient of the Canadian-American Theological Association’s Jack and Phyllis Middleton Award for Excellence in Bible and Theology and a recent Louisville Project Grant for Researchers. She was named the 2023–2024 Exemplary Teacher of the Year Award by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and received the 2024 Teaching Excellence Award from the STH student body.

Luis Menéndez-Antuña, STH associate professor of New Testament, is a New Testament scholar whose work draws from Latin American liberation theologies, critical carceral studies, trauma studies, Afro-pessimism, and feminist, queer, and postcolonial theories. He has published two monographs—Bridging the Interpretive Abyss: Reading the New Testament After the Cultural Studies Turn (2024) and Thinking Sex with the Great Whore: Deviant Sexualities and Empire in the Book of Revelation (2018)—in addition to 12 peer-reviewed articles and 10 essays in top journals, and has edited volumes in his guild. A frequent speaker at national and international conferences, he has been supported by 6 research grants and 10 teaching grants, and is a past recipient of the Society of Biblical Literature’s A. R. Pete Diamond Award for Integrative Scholarship.

Faculty promoted to associate professor

Christine Hamel (CFA’05), College of Fine Arts School of Theatre associate professor of voice and acting, is an actor, director, and voice coach whose scholarship focuses on the politics of voice, emotion, and embodiment. She is the coauthor of Sounding Bodies: Identity, Injustice, and the Voice (2021) and has directed productions of Leahy Ardon’s Conflict Zone, Ibrahim Miari’s In Between, Antonia Lassar’s God Box, and, most recently, Mr. Parent by Maurice Parent and Melinda Lopez at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. A past Granada Artist-in-Residence at University of California, Davis, she has acted in off-Broadway and regional productions at PTP/NYC, Olney Theatre Center, Central Square Theatre, and Lyric Stage, and served as vocal coach for many theatrical productions. She is a member of the Actors’ Equity Association, the Voice and Speech Trainers Association, and the Association for Theatre in Higher Education.

Breehan James, CFA School of Visual Arts associate professor of painting, is a painter whose work explores themes of memory, place, and wilderness through depictions of northern landscapes and domestic interiors—in particular, her experiences in the forests and lake regions of Minnesota and Wisconsin. She is a past fellow at the American Academy in Rome and the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program, and has exhibited extensively, with over 50 group shows and 11 solo or two-person exhibitions nationally since joining Boston University. Recent highlights include a 2023 two-person exhibition at The Alice Wilds, participation in the 2024 Spring/Break Art Fair in Los Angeles, and a forthcoming 2025 solo show, Linnea Borealis, at The Alice Wilds.

Toni Pepe (MET’11), CFA School of Visual Arts associate professor of art, is a photographer and sculptor whose feminist research practice and installations explore memory, motherhood, storytelling, and identity. Her ongoing project Mothercraft (2018–present) reflects on emotional intimacy and time’s cyclical nature, incorporating ephemera and found press photographs to challenge linear narratives and elevate domestic imagery into contemporary discourse. She is the chair of photography and, since joining the CFA faculty, has had over 10 solo exhibitions, 45 group exhibitions, and prestigious residencies, including MacDowell. Her solo shows have taken place at Blue Sky Gallery, the Boston Athenaeum, and the Rochester Institute of Technology, and her work was recently featured in Tender Loving Care at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2023–2025).

Tawnya Smith, CFA School of Music associate professor of music education, is a teacher and scholar of music education who explores using the arts as a pathway to promote environmental sustainability. A frequent conference presenter on issues of trauma, mental health, and ecojustice-informed music, she is coauthor of the book Performance Anxiety Strategies (2016) and coeditor of Narratives and Reflections in Music Education: Listening to Voices Seldom Heard (2020). She is editor of the International Journal of Education & the Arts and has published numerous book chapters alongside articles in leading arts journals, including Journal of Music Teacher Education, Journal of Applied Arts & Health, and Music Educators Journal. She also cofacilitates the music teacher health and well-being area of strategic planning and action for the Society for Music Teacher Education, and is vice chair of the American String Teachers Association Wellness Committee.

Apostolos Ampountolas, School of Hospitality Administration associate professor of hospitality finance, specializes in forecasting, pricing optimization, and financial asset pricing in the hospitality and financial sectors, utilizing machine learning and econometric methods to enhance demand forecasting, revenue management, and investment risk modeling. He has authored over 30 peer-reviewed articles in top-tier journals, including the International Journal of Hospitality Management, Tourism Economics, and Finance Research Open. He is a past recipient of the Emerald Literati Award and an active member of the International Institute of Forecasters, the Association of Accountants and Financial Professionals in Business, and the INFORMS Revenue Management and Pricing Section Conference. He is also a founding member of the Higher Hospitality Academy of Switzerland.

Faculty promoted to full professor with tenure

Jonathan Feingold, School of Law professor of law, explores the relationship among race, law, and the mind sciences, interrogating how and why various American legal regimes, including equal protection doctrine, function to reinforce and reproduce racial hierarchy. He has published over 21 scholarly articles in law reviews on discrimination, inequality, higher education, affirmative action, and critical race theory, and hosts #RaceClass, a podcast that examines how race and racism remain powerful forces in American society. He serves on the advisory committee for the National Academies Action Collaborative on Transforming Trajectories for Women of Color in Tech, the Association of American Law Schools Section on Critical Theories executive committee, and the Critical (Legal) Collective coordinating committee. This year, he was awarded the Society of American Law Teachers Junior Great Teacher Award.

Scott Hirst, LAW professor of law, researches corporate law, securities regulation, mergers and acquisitions, and other related areas to explain phenomena and inform policymaking. His work combines empirical methods and conceptual analyses from finance, accounting, and economics, with close attention to the institutional environment within which corporations and investors make decisions. He has written 15 scholarly articles on corporate law and regulations and has testified before the Federal Trade Commission about competition and consumer protection. He is a cofounder and organizer of the Corporate Law Academic Webinar Series and was the program committee cochair for the 2023 American Law & Economics Association Annual Meeting. Last year, he was selected by the BU School of Law graduating class to receive the Mark Pettit Award for Teaching.

Steve Koh, LAW professor of law, teaches and writes on criminal law, constitutional law, and international law. His scholarship bridges theory and practice, drawing on sociological frameworks to deepen institutionally grounded analyses of US federal and international legal systems. He has written 19 scholarly articles on international and criminal law and has served as a visiting professional at the International Criminal Court and as an associate legal officer at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. He was awarded LAW’s Michael Melton Award for Excellence in Teaching in May 2025 and is a past recipient of the Award for Outstanding Services and Contributions to the Asian American Community in the United States from the Korean-American Citizens League of New England.

Please join us in congratulating these exceptionally talented rising scholars, teachers, researchers, and artists on their recent promotions. The standard of academic excellence that they—and you—continue to achieve across a wide variety of fields heralds a bright future for Boston University as a research leader and an intellectual home for some of the nation’s finest faculty.