Bios Purdue Insights Fellows 2024-2025
Ryan A. Altman
Ryan A. Altman is a Full Professor and holds the Steve and Lee Ann Taglienti Chair in Pharmacy with appointments in the Borch Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and the James Tarpo Jr. and Margaret Tarpo Department of Chemistry. Dr. Altman received a B.S. Chem. from Creighton University (2003), and a PhD in organic chemistry from MIT (2008), studying as a Pfizer and National Institutes of Health predoctoral fellow. He subsequently trained as an NIH postdoctoral fellow at UC, Irvine, and then joined the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at The University of Kansas as an Assistant Professor (2011). After promotion to Associate Professor (2017), his group moved to Purdue University (2020). The Altman group works at the interface of synthetic organic and medicinal chemistries, with synthetic emphases in the areas of organometallic and organofluorine transformations and with collaborative medicinal interests spanning a range of diseases, including pain, anxiety, mood disorders, aging, and immuno-oncology. Professor Altman has taught a variety of topics at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels, including organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, and a broad range of therapeutics in the areas of infectious diseases, oncology, renal function and diuretics, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Dr. Altman is the Chair of the National Institutes of Health Center for Scientific Review Chemical Synthesis and Biosynthesis Peer Review Study Section and will serve as the Interim Associate Dean for Research for the College of Pharmacy in 2025.
Alejandro Cuza
Alejandro Cuza is a professor of Spanish and Linguistics at Purdue University, Chair of the Department of Linguistics, and Director of the Second Language Acquisition and Bilingualism Research Lab. He holds a PhD in Hispanic Linguistics from the University of Toronto and an MA in Spanish Linguistics from the University of Ottawa (Canada). Professor Cuza's research focuses on the linguistic and psycholinguistic aspects of second language acquisition, heritage speaker bilingualism, and child bilingual development. His work examines how linguistic and psycholinguistic factors affect the acquisition of Spanish morphosyntax and semantics in both child and adult bilinguals. He also investigates Spanish in contact with other languages, including English in the US and Mexico, Catalan, Brazilian Portuguese, and Mandarin. A prolific scholar, Professor Cuza has authored over 40 refereed articles and was recognized as a University Faculty Scholar in 2014. He served as Senior Fulbright García Robles Scholar in Mexico from 2022 to 2023 investigating the acquisition of English as a heritage language during childhood.
Emad Elwakil
Emad Elwakil is a Professor, Associate School Head, and Graduate Chair in the School of Construction Management. In his role as Associate School Head for Research and Graduate Programs, he is responsible for overseeing the graduate program curriculum and the development of both online and on-campus courses. Dr. Elwakil has successfully led the transition from a synchronous executive master’s program to asynchronous offerings, enhancing accessibility and flexibility for students. Dr. Elwakil has made significant contributions to discovery, student learning, leadership development, and industry engagement. His scholarly work in construction management is marked by a systematic inquiry into improving organizational performance and establishing a solid foundation of knowledge in the field. His excellence as a scholar and educator has been recognized through numerous awards, including the Purdue University Faculty Scholar Award, the Seed of Success Award, and the Outstanding Faculty in Discovery Award from the School of Construction Management Technology. Additionally, his dedication to teaching has earned him the PPI Exceptional Early Career Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching.
Dr. Elwakil’s global impact is evident through his extensive international collaborations. He has forged research partnerships with institutions in Peru, China, Egypt, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, co-authoring proposals and publications with global partners. He also plays an active role in mentoring the next generation of scholars, hosting funded postdoctoral researchers, and visiting scholars worldwide.
Matthew Ginzel
Matthew Ginzel is a Professor in the Departments of Entomology and Forestry & Natural Resources and co-director of the Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center (HTIRC) at Purdue University. Matt received his B.S. in Organismal Biology from Beloit College in 1994. He received an M.S. (1999) and Ph.D. (2003) from the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He then spent two and a half years as a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Nevada, Reno before coming to Purdue in 2006.
Matt is broadly interested in the chemically-mediated host colonization and mating behaviors of wood-boring beetles. North American hardwood forests are increasingly threatened by a litany of indigenous and invasive wood-boring insect pests. In fact, wood-boring beetles are among the most economically important pests of woody plants in natural and managed systems. Unfortunately, the destructive nature of many wood-boring insects is exacerbated by difficulty in controlling their populations. Because they spend the majority of their lives concealed beneath the bark of trees, these insects are physically protected from sprayed pesticides. The long term goal of his research program is to develop effective pest management tactics targeting the chemically-mediated mating system of the beetles. This information will be useful in establishing effective management programs, such as by optimizing survey strategies, developing arboricultural techniques to bolster resistance, and improving methods for detecting invasive species to improve the health, quality, and productivity of North American hardwood forests.
Sarah Karalunas
Sarah Karalunas, PhD is an associate professor in Psychological Sciences at Purdue University and a licensed clinical psychologist. She completed her PhD in Child Clinical Psychology from Pennsylvania State University in 2011 with a Specialization in Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. Her research interests and clinical practice focus on behavioral, cognitive, and emotional assessment of children with ADHD and other neurodevelopmental concerns. Her work emphasizes the unique individual differences between children that affect their long-term outcomes. It applies an interdisciplinary lens, including collaborations with experts in fields such as neuroscience, bioinformatics, engineering, genetics, and nutrition to understand the complexity of child mental health trajectories, as well as participation in multiple large consortium groups focused on child mental health (e.g., Early ADHD Consortium, Cross-Cultural Consortium on Irritability). Prior to coming to Purdue, Dr. Karalunas served as the director of an interdisciplinary clinical service rotation at a large medical center. She currently serves as the Director of Graduate Studies in Psychological Science at Purdue, and is committed to supporting mentorship and training of the next generation of researchers, practitioners, and consumers of psychological science.
Bethany S. McGowan
Bethany S. McGowan is an Associate Professor at Purdue University, where she drives initiatives in information governance, digital literacy, and health literacy. Her academic work advances information access as a fundamental human right, with a particular focus on bridging the digital divide and enhancing health literacy among diverse populations. As a 2023-24 Fulbright Scholar to Finland and the 2024 Estelle Brodman Academic Health Sciences Librarian of the Year, Professor McGowan is leading groundbreaking research and developing educational programs that have directly impacted policy and practice in the field. With a vision to foster global collaboration and empower the next generation of information professionals, she remains at the forefront of shaping the future of information studies.
Partha P. Mukherjee
Partha P. Mukherjee is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and a University Faculty Scholar at Purdue University. His prior appointments include Assistant Professor and Morris E. Foster Faculty Fellow of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University (2012-2017), Staff Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (2009-2011), Director’s Research Fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory (2008-2009), and Engineer at Fluent India (currently Ansys Inc., 1999-2003). He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University in 2007. His awards include Scialog Fellows’ recognition for advanced energy storage, University Faculty Scholar and Faculty Excellence for Early Career Research awards from Purdue University, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society Young Leaders Award, invited presentations at the U.S. National Academy of Engineering Frontiers of Engineering symposium, Gordon Research Conference – Batteries and faculty lectureship at the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) – Trieste, Italy, to name a few. His research interests are focused on mesoscale physics and stochastics of transport, chemistry, and materials interactions, including an emphasis on a broad spectrum of energy storage and conversion systems. At Purdue, he most recently established the Center for Advances in Resilient Energy Storage (CARES) and serves as the inaugural Director of CARES.
Deepam Patel
Deepam Patel is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics at Purdue University, and the Director of Purdue Online for the College of Sciences. He received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Chicago in 2008 and joined the Faculty at Purdue University in 2014. His research expertise lies in the intersection of Algebraic Geometry and Number Theory with a particular focus on geometrically understanding the properties of numbers. Dr. Patel’s work has been supported by several grants including the NSF and has featured in several leading mathematics journals..
Senay Purzer
Senay Purzer is Professor and Associate Head for Graduate Programs in the School of Engineering Education in the College of Engineering at Purdue University. As the associate head, she oversees three graduate programs: PhD degree, online MS, and certificate in teaching and learning engineering. At the university level, she serves on the Faculty Grievance Hearing Committee and the Graduate Council. She is an advisor to the graduate student association ENEGSA. In her previous roles, she has co-led undergraduate curriculum curation for first-year engineering, facilitating project-based teaching along with industry collaborations. Dr. Purzer is a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER award and has led many NSF-supported research projects. She is renowned for her expertise in engineering design reasoning and discourse-based research methods. Currently, she is a Director of the Design in Engineering Education Division at the American Society for Engineering Education. She is a Fulbright Specialist and has given invited seminars in Colombia, Denmark, Ireland, Taiwan, and Turkiye. She has co-authored 49 peer-reviewed journal articles, 15 book chapters, and hundreds of peer-reviewed conference proceedings. Dr. Purzer received her B.S.E degree with distinction in Engineering with a concentration in Mechanical Systems (Arizona State University) and B.S. degree in Physics Education (Hacettepe University). Her M.A. and PhD. degrees are also from Arizona State University.
Christine Rienstra Kiracofe
Christine Rienstra Kiracofe is Professor and Head of the Educational Studies Department at Purdue. Her research focuses on the intersection of education law and finance and touches on Constitutional issues in K-12 and Higher Education settings as well as school funding litigation. She is the current President of the National Education Finance Academy and the co-editor of Education Law Into Practice.
Jonathan Shannahan
Jonathan Shannahan is an Associate Professor of Toxicology and Health Sciences in the School of Health Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. in Toxicology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Dr. Shannahan joined Purdue University in 2016 and has an active research program examining mechanisms of toxicity in susceptible subpopulations following environmental and occupational exposures. Further, his research investigates mechanisms of drug delivery and safety of engineered nanomaterials for biomedical applications. To perform his research, Dr. Shannahan utilizes cell culture models, animal models, and human samples employing molecular and -omics techniques. Dr. Shannahan has been funded by a variety of agencies including the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, and others. At Purdue, Dr. Shannahan serves in numerous capacities including as the Graduate Program Director for the School of Health Sciences, the Toxicology Program Director, Chair for the Biotechnology Training Group for the Purdue University Interdisciplinary Life Science Program, and is the co-lead of the Institute for Sustainable Futures Environmental Stressors Research Community.
Jianxi Su
Jianxi Su is an Associate Professor of Statistics and a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries. His research expertise includes advanced mathematics and statistics modeling, with diverse applications in insurance and risk management. Before joining Purdue University in 2016, Jianxi earned his PhD in Actuarial Science from York University in Canada. During his PhD candidature, he was a research associate at SunLife Financial Canada. He has secured numerous research grants from the Society of Actuaries and the Casualty Actuarial Society, reflecting his focus on research with significant impact on the insurance industry. Jianxi also serves as the Director of the Actuarial Science program at Purdue, which is a degree-granting program collaboratively managed by the Department of Mathematics and the Department of Statistics. The program, which boasts over 300 students, is honored as the only Center of Actuarial Excellence within Indiana, the highest university recognition within the actuarial profession. ;
Aaron Thompson
Aaron Thompson is an Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at Purdue University. He obtained a Ph.D. in Natural Resources Social Science and an MS in Natural Resources Planning from the same university. As the Director of the Center for Community and Environmental Design, his outreach initiatives focused on sustainable landscape development have led to the completion of nearly 150 community service-learning projects. Dr. Thompson's research explores regional landscape planning addressing the future of agricultural landscapes, biodiversity recovery planning, and exploring nature-based solutions to coastal erosion. Dr. Thompson also serves as the Environment Justice co-lead for Purdue University's Institute for a Sustainable Future. Apart from research, he teaches courses on ecological planning and open space design, social-ecological research methods, and a capstone course integrating research and design methodologies to address sustainable development challenges.
Yang Wang
Yang Wang has been serving as the Interim Associate Dean for Curriculum at the Daniels School of Business, Purdue University, since July 2024. She is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Management Department. Previously, she served as the Associate Department Head of Management for Teaching and Programs from July 2022 to July 2024. Dr. Wang recently received the Rick Cosier Faculty Service Award from the Dean’s Office and the Teaching Academy Leadership Award from the Provost’s Office.
In addition to her administrative roles at the department and school levels, Dr. Wang also served as the co-Academic Director of the M.S. Business Analytics & Information Management (BAIM) program and the Academic Director of the Online M.S. Business Analytics program for four years, starting in 2018. She also chaired the M.S. BAIM Advisory Committee. In 2023, the M.S. BAIM program was honored with the UPS George D. Smith Prize by INFORMS, recognizing its effective and innovative preparation of students as practitioners in operations research, management science, and analytics.
Since joining the Daniels School of Business in 2017, Dr. Wang has developed and taught a diverse range of courses at both the undergraduate and master's levels. These courses include Management Information Systems, Database Management, Management of Organizational Data, Python Programming, and Industry Practicums. Her exceptional teaching abilities have been recognized with multiple awards, including the Krannert Outstanding and Distinguished Teacher Award and the Teaching Innovation Award. Additionally, her scholarly excellence has been acknowledged through the receipt of the Krannert Business Ethics Education and Research Grant in both 2022 and 2023.
Dr. Wang earned her Ph.D. in Management Information Systems from the University of Arizona in 2017, before joining Purdue University.
Christina Wilson-Frank
Christina Wilson-Frank serves as Assistant Head and Clinical Professor in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine. She received her MS degree in toxicology and PhD in analytical chemistry from Purdue University and joined the faculty in 2008. As Clinical Professor, her teaching efforts include educating veterinary medical and veterinary nursing students in the area of clinical toxicology, as well as teaching analytical toxicology to graduate and undergraduate students in other colleges at Purdue. Dr. Wilson-Frank is a board-certified toxicologist and serves as the Toxicology Section Head at the Willie M. Reed Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. Her section provides toxicology testing services to state, regional and federal stakeholders with the intent to guarantee the health and safety of animals as well as ensuring the safety of the human food supply. Her research interests include toxicoproteomics and developing novel, analytical tests to meet the needs of stakeholders and the veterinary community at large. Dr. Wilson-Frank has served in leadership roles in the American Academy of Veterinary and Comparative Toxicology and the Midwest Regional Chapter of the Society of Toxicology. Currently, she is serving as Councilor of the Comparative Toxicology, Pathology and Veterinary Specialty Section in the Society of Toxicology.
Pablo D. Zavattieri
Pablo D. Zavattieri is the Jerry M. and Lynda T. Engelhardt Professor in the Lyles School of Civil Engineering at Purdue University. His research encompasses materials engineering with a focus on solid mechanics, modeling, and additive manufacturing applied to architected metamaterials, smart, biological, and bioinspired materials. He earned his BS/MS in Nuclear Engineering from the Balseiro Institute (Argentina) and his PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue. Before joining Purdue in 2009, Dr. Zavattieri was a Senior/Staff Researcher at the General Motors (GM) Research & Development Center, where he led initiatives in computational solid mechanics and smart/biomimetic materials, and served as a GM Engineer-in-Residence in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University in 2008-09. He has received several awards, including the NSF CAREER Award and the University Faculty Scholar title. He is an ASME Fellow and a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Zavattieri has graduated 20 PhD students, published over 110 journal papers, and holds 15 patents. His leadership roles include serving as the Materials Area coordinator at Purdue and chairing committees within SES, SEM, EMI, and SHPE. He is currently a member of the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) Defense Materials Standing Committee.