Mount St. Mary’s University welcomes eight new faculty members and a visiting Fulbright Scholar to its campus. “This group of faculty brings an incredible amount of talent and diverse experiences and backgrounds,” said Provost Boyd Creasman, Ph.D. “They also have demonstrated a student-centered approach to teaching with a commitment to creating undergraduate research opportunities.”
Most of the new faculty will teach in the School of Natural Science and Mathematics. “The SNSM has experienced tremendous growth over the last several years. Our new faculty will be instrumental in expanding our existing programming and creating new opportunities for student success,” said SNSM Dean Christine McCauslin, Ph.D. “I am thrilled to welcome this outstanding group to the Mount.”
To meet the demand in the computer science and cybersecurity majors, the Mount hired two new faculty to teach in these programs. Daniel Salinas Duron, Ph.D., comes to the Mount from Westminster College of Salt Lake City, having earned his doctorate from Montana State University. His position is funded in part by an E-Nnovation grant from the state of Maryland. Ruth Lamprecht, Ph.D., joins the Mount after teaching computer science and mathematics for several years at Virginia Union University. She earned her doctorate at the College of William and Mary.
The Department of Science has hired an outstanding group of faculty. Rachel Hartnett, PH.D., who earned her doctorate at the University of Oklahoma and was a CAS Diversity Postdoctoral Fellow at Oklahoma State University, will teach environmental science. Mount alumnus Eric Sakowski, Ph.D., C’08, moves into a tenure-track position after serving as a visiting assistant professor last year. He earned his doctorate at the University of Delaware and recently published an article in the prestigious journal Nature Microbiology. Kari Taylor-Burt, Ph.D., will teach anatomy and physiology. She completed her doctorate at Harvard University in 2020 and served last year as a post-doctoral researcher at Franklin and Marshall College. Katana Ngala, Ph.D., will join the department as a visiting assistant professor of chemistry. He holds a doctorate in inorganic chemistry from the State University of New York, Binghamton and will teach in the general chemistry sequence.
Minxaun He, Ph.D., is the newest member of the Psychology Department. A recent Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Maryland, she earned her doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley.
Kalfani Turé, Ph.D., is the Mount’s new assistant professor of African-American studies. He joins us after serving as a postdoctoral associate at Yale University and completing his doctorate at American University with a focus on race, place, urban crime and urban ethnography.
Finally, Cyrelene Amoah-Boampong, Ph.D., is a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence from Ghana. She earned a doctorate in historical studies at Southern Illinois University and has worked at the University of Ghana in several roles. In addition to teaching, she will consult with us on international programming and the diversification of our core offerings.
“Clearly, we had a great recruiting year,” Provost Creasman added. “These faculty are capable of making a tremendous impact on our students’ lives for years to come.”