Expert Directory
History,International Affairs,Sport
Bill L. Smith, director of the Martin Institute and Program in International Studies, claims to have the best job on UI's campus. A historian by training, he finds the combination of fields of study embodied in the International Studies degree fits his interests perfectly, prompting him to embrace the interdisciplinary program wholeheartedly. He says that one of the great things about working with the Institute and Martin School (as well as the affiliated Borah Foundation) is the chance to study new topics every year, which is a rare treat for an academic. He points to the uncommonly engaged and consistently excellent students affiliated with the Martin Institute as one of the true joys in life.
Brian Johnson, PhD
University Distinguished Professor, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Endowed Chair in Power Engineering
University of IdahoComputer Engineering
As a renowned expert in power system applications, Brian Johnson knows how to keep our energy flowing smoothly. From power system protection to energy storage systems, Johnson’s got it covered. He's also worked in cybersecurity and intelligent transportation systems.
Johnson is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and he’s held leadership roles on various technical committees. Plus, he is the Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Endowed Chair in Power Engineering.
Over the past 27 years, Johnson’s advised an impressive 248 grad students in Moscow and beyond, many through the College of Engineering’s Engineering Outreach online education program. Plus, he advised 190 students completing graduate certificates.
Animal Sciences,fish health,Molecular Diagnostics,Proteomics
Kenneth Cain currently works at the Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences and Aquaculture Research Institute (ARI) at University of Idaho. He does research in fish immunology, microbiology, nutrition, etc. One current project involves vaccine development, and additional ongoing projects include the development of new fish species for conservation and commercial aquaculture.
Brian Small, Ph.D.
Professor of Fish Physiology, Director of the Aquaculture Research Institute
University of IdahoAquaculture,Fish physiology ,Marine Science
Brian Small is the director of the Aquaculture Research Institute (ARI) at the University of Idaho with research interests that span many facets of fish physiology and nutrition. He leads a highly recognized aquaculture program that includes formal partnerships with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service and the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. Together, their research supports sustainable aquaculture and the conservation of aquatics species, with strengths in salmonid nutrition, health, selective breeding, genetics and genomics.
Bert Baumgaertner, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Chair of Politics and Philosophy
University of IdahoPhilosophy,Philosophy of Science,Politics,Social Sciences
Bert Baumgaertner is an associate professor at University of Idaho. His research lies at the intersection of philosophy and the cognitive and social sciences. His approach to issues in these areas is informed by a computational perspective. The theory of computation continues to inform our understanding of the nature of knowledge, language and the mind, which have been Baumgaertner's primary areas of interest (you might call this, roughly, philosophy of artificial intelligence). His most recent work extends a computational methodology to include issues in social epistemology. Baumgaertner is also interested in a wide range of areas in both the humanities and the sciences, especially when they come in contact with computation and evolution.
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Renee Love has made a name for herself in the field of geology, and her research projects have taken her on a journey through time, exploring the diversity of life on Earth and the conditions under which it thrived.
She has studied ancient pollen and plant fossils and how they can help scientists understand the history of how biota both recorded and responded to climate change 16 million years ago, including the Clarkia Fossil Beds of North Idaho. With her background in petroleum geology, she has extensively worked on understanding Idaho’s only producing oil and gas field in southwestern Idaho. She has also looked at how different types of ancient plants and animals lived together in Western Washington and southern British Columbia 50-60 million years ago and what they can tell us about changing climates. And she’s even studied mammoths of the last ice age.
Conservation Biology,conservation genetics,Genetics,landscape genetics,Molecular ecology
Lisette P. Waits is an American ecologist. She is a Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Resources at the University of Idaho's College of Natural Resources. In 2017, Waits was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for her "contributions to research and teaching in conservation genetics, wildlife and conservation biology, and for development of techniques for the non-invasive sampling of DNA."
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Sanford Eigenbrode's work in entomology focuses on insect-plant interactions, climate change, the chemical ecology of plant viruses and their vectors, and weed biological control. As an outgrowth of his work leading large, transdisciplinary projects addressing problems affecting social ecological systems, he has a strong interest in the methods to improve communication within such projects.
He is available to speak on:
- Climate change and agriculture — integrated research, education and outreach concerning effects of changing climates on wheat production systems in the Northwest.
- Chemical ecology of Arthropod borne infectious agents — deciphering the mechanisms through which pathogens affect hosts and vectors, with implications for disease dynamics, integrated disease management, and evolution of pathogens, vectors and hosts.
- Chemical ecology of insects, plant–insect interactions, chemical and structural plant attributes affecting plant–insect and tritrophic interactions, insect behavior and plant surface waxes, with expertise in extraction and analysis of chemicals from plant tissues, scanning electron microscopy, host plant resistance and integration of host plant resistance into pest management (chemical ecology).
Cathy L. Guttentag, PhD, is a clinical child psychologist and associate professor of pediatrics at UTHealth Houston. She currently sees pediatric patients including infants, toddlers, and children for evaluation and diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and related concerns.
Dr. Guttentag takes a developmental approach to evaluating children, considering all aspects of the child’s development, medical history, family history, culture, and community/school functioning to provide diagnoses and intervention recommendations, along with follow-up and care and consultation.
Dr. Guttentag joined UTHealth Houston as a faculty member in 2001. She has previous clinical experience assessing and working with children impacted by trauma and abuse/neglect, including those in CPS custody, diagnosing dyslexia and related learning disabilities, providing social skills intervention for preschool-age children, and teaching in elementary and childcare settings.
In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Guttentag conducts research and professional development training in the areas of early responsive parenting and improving the quality of center-based childcare for children at risk.
Cathy L. Guttentag, PhD, is a clinical child psychologist and associate professor of pediatrics at UTHealth Houston. She currently sees pediatric patients including infants, toddlers, and children for evaluation and diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and related concerns.
Dr. Guttentag takes a developmental approach to evaluating children, considering all aspects of the child’s development, medical history, family history, culture, and community/school functioning to provide diagnoses and intervention recommendations, along with follow-up and care and consultation.
Dr. Guttentag joined UTHealth Houston as a faculty member in 2001. She has previous clinical experience assessing and working with children impacted by trauma and abuse/neglect, including those in CPS custody, diagnosing dyslexia and related learning disabilities, providing social skills intervention for preschool-age children, and teaching in elementary and childcare settings.
In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Guttentag conducts research and professional development training in the areas of early responsive parenting and improving the quality of center-based childcare for children at risk.
Cathy L. Guttentag, PhD, is a clinical child psychologist and associate professor of pediatrics at UTHealth Houston. She currently sees pediatric patients including infants, toddlers, and children for evaluation and diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and related concerns.
Dr. Guttentag takes a developmental approach to evaluating children, considering all aspects of the child’s development, medical history, family history, culture, and community/school functioning to provide diagnoses and intervention recommendations, along with follow-up and care and consultation.
Dr. Guttentag joined UTHealth Houston as a faculty member in 2001. She has previous clinical experience assessing and working with children impacted by trauma and abuse/neglect, including those in CPS custody, diagnosing dyslexia and related learning disabilities, providing social skills intervention for preschool-age children, and teaching in elementary and childcare settings.
In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Guttentag conducts research and professional development training in the areas of early responsive parenting and improving the quality of center-based childcare for children at risk.
Cancer epidemiology,Food is Medicine,nutrition and cancer prevention,Produce prescription programs,ultraprocessed food
Dr. Fang Fang Zhang is a cancer epidemiologist with experience in conducting population-based studies to investigate the role of nutrition in cancer prevention and control. She is Chair of the Division of Nutrition Epidemiology and Data Science at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
The optimal strategies to improve diet and reduce cancer are not clear. While various individual-level behavior change approaches can be effective for some people, overall benefits and long-term adherence may be modest and overall benefits poorly sustained. In contrast, population strategies can be more powerful and achieve broader impact. Supported by NIH, Dr. Zhang is leading a multidisciplinary R01 project to evaluate the effectiveness, cost, and cost-effectiveness of population-based dietary interventions at the national level on cancer outcomes in the US.
Circadian Rhythms,gut health,Nutrigenomics,precision nutrition
Dr. José Ordovás is Senior Scientist and Leader of the Nutrition and Genomics Team at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. His research focuses on the genetic factors that predispose individuals to heart disease and obesity as well as the interaction of these genetic factors with the environment and behavioral factors. In particular, Dr. Ordovás examines the impact of diet on genetic factors.
Child Health,Child Nutrition,Child Obesity,community-based health interventions,Food is Medicine
Christina Economos, PhD is the Dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, the New Balance Chair in Childhood Nutrition, and a Professor of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. At the Friedman School, she co-founded and served as Director of ChildObesity180, a nationally renowned research initiative focused on evidence-based interventions, multi-sector partnerships, and stakeholder networks to address the complex drivers of child health and promote equity.
Dr. Economos currently serves as the principal investigator on multiple large-scale, community-based interventions that examine childhood nutrition and physical activity with the goal of improving the health of all of America's children. Her bio-behavioral research studies are interdisciplinary and include theory-based obesity prevention interventions, cutting-edge systems science, and partnerships with diverse populations in urban and rural communities in schools, out-of-school environments, childcare centers, and restaurants.
David Braun, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology), Louis Goodman and Alfred Gilman Yale Scholar
Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer HospitalCancer Immunology,Kidney Cancer,Medical Oncology
David Braun, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology) and a member of the Center of Molecular and Cellular Oncology (CMCO) at Yale Cancer Center. Dr. Braun cares for patients with kidney cancers. He received his PhD in Computational Biology from the Courant Institute of Mathematical Science at New York University and his medical degree from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He completed his residency at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital where he received the Dunn Medical Intern Award and served as Chief Medical Resident before completing fellowship training in adult oncology through the Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare program where he was appointed the Emil Frei Fellow and the John R. Svenson Fellow.
Dr. Braun joined Yale from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute where he was an Instructor in Medicine with clinical and scientific interest in understanding and improving immune therapies for kidney cancer. He has a longstanding interest in integrating experimental and computational approaches to biomedical research and is currently studying mechanisms of response and resistance to immune therapy in kidney cancer, with the goal of developing novel therapies. He continues this work as part of the CMCO, which fosters and mentors physician-scientists as they advance their laboratory-based research programs to bridge fundamental cancer biology with clinical investigation for the translation of basic discoveries into better treatments or diagnosis.
food-borne illness,Infectious Diesease,Public Health
Dr. Meera Gatlin is an assistant teaching professor of public health in the Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. She is also the track leader for the combined DVM/MPH degree program in collaboration with the Tufts School of Medicine, mentoring 10-15 students at any time pursuing both these degrees.
Dr. Gatlin received her BA in biological sciences and political sciences from Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) in 2012 and her DVM and MPH degrees from Tufts University (North Grafton, MA). She pursued small animal practice in central Massachusetts, with a special focus on canine reproductive services. She has also worked on STD/STI surveillance at the Evanston Health Department (Evanston, IL) as well as food-borne disease outbreaks at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, GA). She is board certified in the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine.
Her academic and research interests include public health education, participatory education, food protection, and canine theriogenology education.
Biochemistry,Chemistry,Geochemistry,Geology,Water Chemistry
Usha Rao is a recipient of the Association for Women in Science’s Zenith award, a lifetime leadership and achievement award. She has also received the Distinguished Research Lectureship from the Association for Women Geoscientists, and the Bingham Mentoring Award from the Philadelphia chapter of AWIS, awarded to a “distinguished scientist who has significantly influenced the advancement of women in science”. Dr. Rao was selected by Pennsylvania Governor Wolf to participate in the 'PA Women in STEM' video series. She serves as a writer and speaker on the environment, leadership, and mentoring for many US and international organizations. Some recent partners include the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Swiss National Science Foundation's PRIMA Program, the American Association for Environmental Engineering and Science, and Lab Manager magazine.
Dr. Rao's STEM teaching has been recognized with the Lindback Foundation's Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Medal for Distinguished University Teaching. She has also received three merit awards for "exceptional achievement in teaching" at Saint Joseph's University and was selected as a Most Valuable Professor (MVP) by the women's basketball team.
At Saint Joseph's, Dr. Rao co-developed the John P. McNulty Program for Leadership in Science and Mathematics, an initiative that has supported 130 emerging leaders since 2009. She also created the University’s first faculty development office to provide resources and mentoring to hundreds of faculty members, serving as the Founding Director. Dr. Rao’s board service includes the Ardmore Library of the Lower Merion Library System and the Frances M. Maguire Art Museum at the Barnes Foundation in Lower Merion.
Dr. Rao’s research focuses on water chemistry. She is a coordinating editor for Springer-Nature's Environmental Geochemistry and Health, the journal of the Society for Environmental Geochemistry and Health. She serves as an Approved Expert Reviewer for the Nobel-prize winning United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UN IPCC) and as a Mentor for former US Vice President Gore’s Climate Reality initiative.
Her research at SJU has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund, the Lindback Foundation Minority Research Program, Purdue University’s PRIME particle accelerator laboratory, the Michael J. Morris Grant Program, and Saint Joseph’s University Board on Faculty Development and Research. She is currently accepting queries from graduate students.
HIV,Infectious Diseases,Monkeypox,mpox,SARS COV-2
Amanda Martinot, D.V.M., M.P.H., Ph.D., DACVP, is assistant professor in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Global Health. She joined Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in 2019 as an assistant adjunct professor.
Martinot is a veterinarian-scientist and board-certified veterinary pathologist (anatomic) who specializes in animal models of infectious diseases of global health importance such as tuberculosis (TB), HIV, and SARS CoV-2. With over 15 years of experience in TB biology, her independent research focuses on preclinical animal models for TB vaccine development and the basic immunology and virulence determinants underlying the TB host-pathogen interaction. As a veterinary pathologist, Martinot has expertise in animal models for infectious disease pathogenesis and drug and vaccine discovery research, with a focus on nonhuman primate infectious disease pathology.
Martinot received her veterinary degree from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in 2003. She went on to study the epidemiology of infectious diseases and global health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she completed her M.P.H. in 2006. She specialized in comparative pathology and infectious diseases by completing her pathology residency training at Harvard Medical School and New England Primate Research Center, and her Ph.D. at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, where she studied the microbiology and immunopathology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. She studied vaccine immunology during her postdoctoral studies at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and has contributed to vaccine development efforts for TB, Zika virus, and most recently SARS-CoV-2.
Neuroscience,Opioid
Dr. Byrnes received her PhD in Neuroscience from The Ohio State University working with Dr. John Bruno to study the neurodevelopmental effects of dopamine deficiency. She then received additional postdoctoral training as a NIH fellow in Neuroimmunology (OSU) and Neuroendocrinology (Tufts University). Taking a somewhat uncommon career path, Dr. Byrnes maintained a part-time Research Assistant Professor position at the Cummings School for almost 10 years while her caring for her four children. In 2009 she was appointed to an Assistant Professor position and went on to develop a robust research program with a primary emphasis on neural and endocrine consequences of female opioid use.
Dr. Byrnes has a long-standing interest in improving the translational value of animal models, particularly in the context of both age- and sex-specific effects. Outside of the lab her interests include both education and community outreach initiatives. In that capacity, she served as the Chair of the Decisions at Every Turn Coalition, a community-based youth substance abuse prevention coalition funded by a Federal Drug Free Communities grant. Additionally, Dr. Byrnes was the past President of the Boston Area Neuroscience Group, the local chapter of the Society for Neuroscience for the Boston area. Currently, she serves as the faculty advisor for the Gap Junction selective at the Cummings School, a veterinary medicine outreach program for middle school students from diverse backgrounds.
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