Our McNair Research Faculty Mentors
Use this database to learn about our EWU Faculty Mentors and students! You may search by Department, Key word, Mentor Name, or Mentee (student). Current mentors’ email addresses are linked to their names above the photo.
| Name | Background | Student Mentee(s) | Field of Study | EWU College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Dr. Edmundo Aguilar | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Edmundo Aguilar is the Coordinator for College in the High School, and part of the Chicana/o/x Studies department. He received his PhD from Washington State University in Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education. | Ereisa Morales (2018) | Chicana/o/x Studies | College in the High School |
Dr. Jessica Allen | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Jessica Allen is an Assistant Professor in Biology. She is a lichenologist who pursues two major areas of research. First, she is interested in understanding how rates of recombination in primarily asexual fungi shape genome evolution, population structure, and adaptation. Her second line of research is on biodiversity and conservation. In 2021, Dr. Allen was awarded $625,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund her part in the Central Appalachian Lichen Project. | Devin Mumey (2022) | Biology | College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics |
Dr. Jonathan Anderson | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Jonathan Anderson is Provost, VP - Academic Affairs and Professor in the Psychology department at Eastern Washington University. His research interests include congnitive psychology, traumatic brain injury and time estimation. | Michelle Livengood (2008); Laura Preciado (2008); Cassandra Aguilar (2010); Theresa Harkness (2011); Esmeralda Adolf (2011); Leah Ruiz (2013); Alla Goleta (2015) | Psychology | College of Professional Programs |
Dr. Matthew Anderson | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Matthew Anderson is a Professor and the Director of Urban and Regional Planning. He holds an MA in Geography & Environmental Studies from Northeastern Illinois University and a PhD in Geography from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research interests, broadly speaking, are focused on the political economy of the contemporary American city, the politics of water provision and governance in the American northwest, and critical social and spatial theory. | Katie Gower (2022) | Urban and Regional Planning | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Philip Appel | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Philip Appel is an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Technology. He is also the Director of EWU's Entrepreneurship (E-Ship) Center which runs programs such as the Technology Commercialization Academy (TCA). He holds an MS and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Idaho. | Marianna Fischer (2022) | Mechanical Engineering and Technology | College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics |
Dr. Jason Ashley | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Jason Ashley is an Associate Professor in Biology. He holds a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Pathology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. A cell and molecular biologist with a research interest in bone physiology and pathology, he studies molecular mechanisms of osteoclast differentiation and function. | Malek Chreiki (2022) | Biology | College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics |
Dr. Justin Bastow | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Justin Bastow is an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department. Dr. Bastow is an ecosystem ecologist interested in how food webs mediate ecosystem processes in terrestrial ecosystems. His current research focuses on the relationship between soil food webs and carbon cycling. He received his PhD from University of California, Davis. | Monica Villegas (2017); Seth McCullough (2021) | Biology | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Kerryn Bell | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Kerryn Bell is Department Chair and Professor in the Department of Sociology and Justice Studies. She teaches courses in criminology, penologfy, and women in prison. Her research interest include prison violence and recidivism as well as the intersectionality of gender and race/ethnicity with criminal offending. | Jose Mendez (2012, 2013) | Sociology and Justice Studies | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Ross Black | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. A. Ross Black is a Professor of Biology, with a PhD from University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research interests include limnology, population biology, life histories, evolution, and aquatic ecology. | Louise Wold (1996); Taylor Aalvik (1996); Jennifer Justice (2005) | Biology | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
| Dr. Kerry Brooks (professor emeritus)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Kerry Brooks is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. He received his PhD from the University of Washington. | Michelle Abunaja (2017) | Urban and Regional Planning | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Rebecca Brown | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Rebecca Brown is a biology professor at Eastern Washington University and current chair of the Biology Department. She conducts research on riparian and plant ecology and teaches Ecology, Botany, Research Methods, and Riparian Ecology. Recently she has been active in ecological restoration, working to restore prairie plant communities in Eastern Washington, and studying the effects of dam removal on riparian plant communities. | Jessica Bryant (2009); Kimberly Cook (2013); Jaimie Kenney (2016); Rachael Pentico (2020) | Biology | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Brian Buchanan  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Brian Buchanan is an Assistant Professor in Geography and Anthropology at EWU's Department of Geosciences. He holds a PhD from Durham University. His areas of expertise are Historic Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Cultural Resource Management, GIS, Computational Archaeology, and British Archaeology. | Hope Sands (2020) | Geosciences | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Judd Case  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Judd Case received his PhD in evolutionary biology from the University of California, Riverside. His research has centered on vertebrate paleontology to answer questions in the areas of evolution and biogeography. His emphasis has been on marsupials (the pouched mammals) in particular, but includes the evolution and biogeography Gondwanan plants and animals. Another area of his expertise is Blood & Disease. | Ricardo Ely (2016); Ashley Destin (2020, 2021) | Biology | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Andrea Castillo  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Andrea Castillo is an associate professor of Biology. She earned her B.S. in Biology from the College of Idaho and her Ph.D. in Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her first postdoctoral research project was conducted at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center studying chromosome segregation and her second postdoctoral research project was conducted at the University of California, Santa Cruz studying the human gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori. As a faculty member in the Biology Department at Eastern Washington University, she continues to study factors in Helicobacter pylori that contribute to human gastric disease. | Olga Shiva (2009); Alyssa Barton (2015); Veronica Albrecht (2016); Marcos Monteiro (2018); Laurisa Ankley (2017) | Biology | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Carlos William Castillo-Garsow | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Carlos William Castillo-Garsow is an Associate Professor of Mathematics. His areas of interest are in the cognitive development of students into mathematical modelers, and strategies for effective mentoring of student research projects in applied mathematics. | Arie Gurin (2016) | Mathematics | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Sean Chabot  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Sean Chabot is a professor in the sociology department. As a graduate student, he became interested in the transnational dimension of the U.S. civil rights movement, choosing to focus on how African American activists learned to understand and apply the Gandhian repertoire of nonviolent direct action in their own struggles against racial segregation. Besides these two social movements, he has also written on the gay and lesbian movement, landless workers' movement in Brazil (MST), Zapatistas in Chiapas, and Iran's Green movement. Transnational Roots of the Civil Rights Movement: African American Explorations of the Gandhian Repertoire, was published in 2012 by Lexington Books, an imprint of the Rowan and Littlefield Publishing Group. | Rebecca Sutton (2003, 2004); Nicholas Russ (2003, 2004); Charise DeBerry (2006); Gabriel Chavez Garcia (2009, 2010); Maria Morales Sanchez (2009, 2010); Moses Ssemakula (2015) | Sociology | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Matthew Chase | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Matthew Chase earned his PhD from Gonzaga University. He is a professor and Program Director of Recreation & Leisure Services; Recreation and Tourism Management. | William Ballard (2002) | Wellness and Movement Sciences | College of Health Science & Public Health (CHSPH) |
Dr. Charalambos Cleanthous | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Charalambos Cleanthous is a Professor of Psychology at EWU. He specializes in Risky behavior across the lifespan, and risk and human factors with particular interest in aviation. | Lisa Coyle (2015) | Psychology | College of Professional Programs |
Dr. Michael Conlin  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Michael Conlin's research focuses on public memory, sectional identity, and political conflict during the Antebellum Era of U.S. History (1846-1861) as well as the difficulties in repeating experiments, the idea of an experimentum crucis, and the influence of nationalism on scientific practice. He teaches classes on early U.S. history, slavery, and the history and philosophy of science. | Lillian Hungerford (2006) | History | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Jacqueline Coomes  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Jacqueline Coomes is a Professor of Mathematics Education and Special Assistant to the Provost for Honors. She holds a PhD in Mathematics Education from Washington State University. Her areas of expertise are Mathematics Education, Professional Development, and Problem Solving. | Zoe Romero Becker (2020) | Mathematics | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Kelley Cullen | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Kelley Cullen received her PhD in economics from Washington State University. Her specialty areas are labor and sports economics. | Benita Walker (2011/12); Donya Quarnstrom (2015-16) | Business & Professional Accounting | College of Professional Programs |
Dr. David Daberkow  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. David Daberkow is an assistant professor at Chemistry since 2010. He attained his graduate program from University of Utah, Ph.D. Neuroscience. His Post-Doctoral work was at Illinois State University, Program of Excellence in Neuroscience and Behavior (POENB). His research areas of focus are in the neurochemical messenger dopamine and its role in brain function. Specifically, his research has explored how drugs (e.g., amphetamine and methamphetamine) impact dopamine mediated behaviors and cellular signaling molecules implicated in memory formation. | Yuri Reyes (2014); Christina Ramelow (2019); Claudio Escalante (2022) | Biology | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Shanna Davis | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Shanna Davis, PhD is an Associate Professor of Psychology. Her areas of specialization are Early Childhood Assessment and Intervention, Assessment of Functional Academic and Behavioral Skills, and Instructional Coaching and Consultation. Her research interests include Vocabulary development, Preschool expulsion, and Supervision. | Edith Melendez (2016); Monica Miranda (2022) | Psychology | College of Professional Programs |
Dr. Kevin Decker | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Kevin Decker is a Professor of Philosophy specializing in American Pragmatism, German Idealism, Social and Political Theory, Ethics and Philosophy and Popular Culture. | Analisea Araya (2020); Marisa Janke (2022) | Philosophy | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Kristin Edquist | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Kristin Edquist is an Associate Professor in the Political Science Department. | Ami Manning (2004); Alberto “Felix” Beltran (2017); Badradin Mohammed (2022) | Political Science and International Affairs | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Edwin Elias  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Edwin Elias is an Assistant Professor in EWU's Chicana/o/x Studies Department and holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Riverside. His areas of specialization are Immigration, Race/class inequality, U.S. – Mexico border issues, Latina/os, Undocumented immigrants, citizenship, Higher education, Qualitative methods, Political economy, and Transnationalism | Alexis Guitar Diaz (2020); Gloria Bravo (2020) | Chicana/o/x Studies | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Amani El-Alayli | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Amani El-Alayli earned her PhD from Michigan State University in 2002. Her research interests are self-perception biases, stereotyping, and discrimination. | Nancy Guillen (2006); Manee Moua (2008); Maira Sanchez (2010/11); Elizabeth Schriner (2011); Acea Sands (2018); Alexander Dodson (2022) | Psychology | College of Professional Programs |
Dr. Scott Finnie | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Scott Finnie has a doctorate degree in leadership studies with a special emphasis on U.S. race relations from Gonzaga University. He has taught a wide variety of African American courses at EWU since 1993. As a consultant in cultural competency and ethnic history over the past several years, Dr. Finnie is excited about the opportunity that these courses provide for students to enhance their appreciation and understanding of the dynamics that shape our multicultural society. | Frank King (2005); Edward King (2006); Damony Anderson (2013) | Africana Studies | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Anthony Flinn (Professor Emeritus) | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Anthony Flinn earned his PhD in English from University of Washington, and has been at Eastern Washington University since 1991. His courses include British and American literature surveys, Introduction to Poetry, 20th Century Major Authors, and Masterpieces of the Western World. | Erin Dietel-McLaughlin (2002); Alicia Peaker (2003, 2004); Renee Turgeon (2006) | English Studies | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Camille Frank | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Camille Frank PhD, LPC, NCC is an Assistant Professor of Psychology. Her areas of specialization are Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling, and Trauma-Informed Care. Her research interests include Sexual Assault Survivorship, Relational-Cultural Theory, and Trauma in Counselor Education Contexts. | Serena Camacho (2022) | Psychology | College of Professional Programs |
Dr. Martín Meráz García | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Martín Meráz García a Professor of Chicana/o/x Studies at Eastern Washington University. His research interests include the United States and Mexico relations with respect to the war on drugs, drug cartels, as well as revolutionary movements in Mexico and other Latin American countries. Publications include "The Psychology and Recruitment Process of the Narco" in the Global Crime Journal and "Cooperation among the Nicaraguan Sandinista Factions" in the Latin American Policy Journal. As an Eastern TRiO McNair alumnus, he provides valuable insight as a McNair Faculty Research Mentor. | Angelica Hill (2010); SimHayKin Jack (2012); Amy Nuñez (2012); Jereny Mendoza (2013); Mariana Garcia (2014); Jose Razo (2015); Josiah Van Egdom (2016); Angelica Garcia Macias (2017); Maria Rivera Diaz (2018) | Chicana/o/x Studies | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. José García-Sánchez | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. José García-Sánchez, Professor of Spanish and Chair of Modern Languages and Literatures, obtained a Licenciatura in Spanish Philology from the University of Salamanca, Spain (1989), and a Master of Arts (1993) and a Ph.D. from Arizona State University (1996). His research focuses on the 18th and 19th century Transatlantic travel narrative, with special interest on logs written by Spanish explorers in the Pacific Northwest. His line of research in this corpus of study is founded on Discourse Analysis and Postcolonial Theory. Dr. García Sánchez has taught all levels of Spanish at EWU. He is the Director of the Summer Program in Salamanca, Spain. | Bertha Villa (1999); Sheila Patterson (Finney) (2000) | Spanish | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Ron Gentle | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Ron Gentle is a Professor of Mathematics. He earned his PhD at University of British Columbia, and his research interests are Abelian Category Theory, Ring Theory, and Representation Theory of Artin Algebras. | Andrew Ruud (2010); Jasmine Burns (2015) | Mathematics | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Thomas Hawley | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Thomas Hawley is a professor of Political Science. His research interests include Ancient & Medieval Political Theory, Modern Political Theory, Marxism, and Neoliberalism. | Kyle Faltin (2011); Richard Murphy (2022) | Political Science | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Todd Hechtman | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Todd Hechtman is an Associate Professor of Sociology. He holds a PhD from University of California, Santa Barbara. | Suzanne Lent (2004); Yvonne Sherwood (2009); Ella McCalidaine (2016) | Sociology | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Charles Herr | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Charles Herr is a Professor of Biology, with a PhD from Washington State University. His research interests lie in developing universally applicable reproductive technologies primarily for the benefit of endangered species. | Rita Davis (Miranda) (1997); Michael Novo (1998, 1999); Sheikh Preciado (2007, 2008) | Biology | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Yao Houndonougbo | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Yao Houndonougbo is a Professor of Chemistry. His research interests involve the use of statistical mechanics, numerical analysis, molecular dynamics amd Monte Carlo simulations, quantum mechanics, protein-protein docking, bioinformatics methods, gas adsorption and storage and protein-protein interactions. Dr. Houndonougbo's current research projects include the characterization of Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks (ZIFs) for gas uptake and storage; thermodynamic and transport of carbon dioxide, hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide and hydrocarbon mixtures with zeolit materials; and structures, dynamics and interactions of the proteins involved in the regulation of calcium in heart muscles. | Melissa Rhodehouse (2012); Aulane Mpouli (2020) | Chemistry | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Brian Houser  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Brian Houser is former Chair and current Professor of the Physics department. Dr. Houser's interests include the use of x-ray spectroscopy in the determination of the atomic structures of materials, specifically crystalline solids under extreme pressures, all aspects of modern medical imaging such as MRI and CAT scanning, and an interest in the scientific literacy of students in general. | Dani Gooler (1998) | Physics | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Kayleen Islam-Zwart  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Kayleen Islam-Zwart is the College of Professional Programs Associate Dean, School of Psychology Chair/Director, EWU Psychology at BC Program Director, and Professor of Psychology. Islam-Zwart has worked with numerous McNair fellows and the Practicum In Community Involvement (PICI) program with Lewis and Clark High School Students, and is an affiliated faculty member with the Women's and Gender Studies program. She is a state-licensed clinical psychologist with research interests that include the psychological states of incarcerated women and victims of sexual assault. | Guadalupe Orozco (2002); Holly Shockley (2002); Yurema Cortez (2003); Alma Vega (2006); Ghynecee Temple (2010); Yevgeniy Golubenko (2015); Acea Sands (2017); Rachel Silverthorn (2019) | Psychology | College of Professional Programs |
Dr. Nick Jackson | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Nick Jackson has a PhD in Developmental Psychology, with a concentration in Gerontology, from University of Kansas. His research interests include applied behavior analysis of development, life-span development, adult development, theories of development, educational psychology, and adult learning. | Filmon Habtaselassie (2010); Ayanna Kalyan Jacobs (2014) | Psychology | College of Professional Programs |
Dr. Kassahun Kebede | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Kassahun Kebede is an Associate Professor of Sociology at EWU whose work focuses broadly on international migration, health disparities, development-induced population relocation, and rural livelihoods. He teaches courses in international migration, global social problems, culture and conflict, and medical sociology. | Rachel Silverthorn (2017); Kimberly Jones (2018) | Sociology | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Garrett Kenney  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Garrett Kenney holds a BA in religious studies from Whitworth College, an MA in religious studies from Gonzaga University and a PhD in leadership studies from Gonzaga University. He has published several books in the field of the New Testament and/or leadership studies. Dr. Kenney has taught several honors, humanities and English courses for EWU since 1986. He is currently the Program Director of Humanities and Religious Studies. | Matt Jason (1999) | Religious Studies | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Christopher Kirby | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Christopher Kirby is a Professor in the Philosophy Department. He is the editor of Dewey and the Ancients: Essays on Hellenic and Hellenistic Themes in the Philosophy of John Dewey (Bloomsbury, 2014). His research focuses broadly on the history of philosophy and comparative thought, particularly ancient philosophers who drew insights from exploring nature – like Aristotle and the Daoist sage, Zhuangzi – as well as more recent thinkers who have combined such insights with scientific or aesthetic modes of thought; e.g. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Aldo Leopold, E.O. Wilson and John Dewey. His current projects center around contrasting notions of moral skill in ancient Greek and Chinese philosophy and exploring the insights such analyses may yield in areas like meta-ethics, philosophy of action, and artificial intelligence. | Loni Taber (2017); Irie Browning (2022); tommyboiZ (2022) | Philosophy | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Russell Kolts  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Russell Kolts is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and a Professor of Psychology at Eastern Washington University, where he has taught since 1999. Dr. Kolts' current work centers around the application of Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) to assist people working with mood and attachment-related difficulties. He has pioneered the application of CFT to working with problematic anger, and has developed a 12-week anger group that has been used at Airway Heights Corrections Center since 2010. Dr. Kolts has authored or co-authored 27 refereed publications, 84 professional conference presentations, and in addition to The Compassionate Mind Gude to Managing Your Anger, published in 2012, he is the author of two forthcoming books: Buddhist Psychology and CBT: A Practitioner's Guide (with Dennis Tirch and Laura Silberstein; Guliford), and Cultivating Compassion in Everyday Life (with Dennis Tirch and Laura Chodron; Constable & Robinson). Founder of the Inland Northwest Compassionate Mind Center, Dr. Kolts regularly speaks and conducts workshops on topics such as Compassion-Focused Therapy and Mindfulness. | Omar Montejano (2001); Lucinda Mack (2004); Erika Alvarez (2005); Lily Ann Long (2018) | Psychology | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Pui-Yan Lam | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Pui-Yan Lam is a Professor of Sociology and former department chair. She has proven leadership abilities and is an entrepreneur in the area of higher education, leadership and diversity. Her dedication and work in this area includes being a founder of the group Mosaic (a social support group for faculty from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds) and also Weaving the Threads: A Night of Women's Empowerment. She has served on the President's Advisory Committee for Diversity and has worked closely with international students and international initiatives at EWU. Lam has worked with numerous McNair fellows and the PICI program with Lewis and Clark High School students and works closely with the Women's and Gender Studies program and the Diversity programs at EWU. | Deseure DeBarry (2008, 2009); Brandon Denton (2009); Yvonne Sherwood (2010); Meghan Elder (2011); Audel Rosas (2016) | Sociology | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Ann Le Bar | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Ann Le Bar is a History Professor and Director of EWU's History Program. Her research interests include Early Modern European History, Cultural/Intellectual History, German History, and Teaching tough subjects through archival sources. | Tamra Brosseau (2000, 2001); Diana Potapenko (2005); Diana Johnson (2009) | History | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Joseph Lenti  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Joseph Lenti is a History professor specializing in Latin American history. He holds an MA and a PhD in History from the University of New Mexico. His current research assesses the phenomena of land dispossession, land invasion, and squatting in Mexico and Costa Rica comparatively, and from both an historical and contemporary perspective. | Saul Bautista (2022) | History | College of History, Anthropology, Modern Languages & Literatures |
Dr. Dale Lindekugel | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Dale Lindekugel is a Professor of Criminal Justice, with a PhD from University of Montana. | Laura Groves (1999) | Criminal Justice | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Paul Lindholdt | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Paul Lindholdt worked through college as a homebuilder, industrial waste recycler, Teamster, longshoreman, and forklift operator. Dr. Lindholdt earned his BA in 1978 and MA in 1980 from Western Washington University, and his PhD from Pennsylvania State University in 1985. He has won awards from the Academy of American Poets and Society of Professional Journalists; published some 170 books, book chapters, articles, essays, columns, reviews, and poems; given more than 100 public presentations, including a 2010 Hilliard Endowment in the Humanities address; and serve on editorial advisory boards for the Journal of Ecocriticism (University of British Columbia) and European Journal of American Culture (University of Kent, UK). Dr. Lindholdt specializes in American literature, creative writing, and environmental studies. His most recent book, In Earshot of Water: Notes from the Columbia Plateau, was published in 2011. | Michael Callaway; Winona Wynn (1998-1999); Keziah Tinkle Wiliams (2001) | English Studies | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Frank Lynch | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Frank Lynch is an Associate Professor of Applied Mathematics at EWU. He received his PhD from the University of Utah. Trained in biomathematics, his research interests lie at the intersection of mathematical modeling and analysis. His research agenda consistently includes mentorship of students. Dr. Lynch serves as the Director for the Department of Mathematics MS in Applied Mathematics. | Anna Kravtsova (2015); Nathan Blair (2017/18); Shawn Stratte (2016/17) | Mathematics | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Terrance MacMullan  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Terrance MacMullan is a Professor of Philosophy, serving as Chair of the English and Philosophy Department. He earned his PhD in Philosophy at University of Oregon and his BA at Hamilton College. Dr. MacMullan specializes in social and political philosophy, and pragmatism. Additional research interests include Public Philosophy, Latin American Philosophy, Philosophy for Children, Pop-Culture and Philosophy, Anti-Racism Education, and Whiteness in America. He has earned EWU’s President’s Award and the Inter-American Philosophy Award from the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy. | Chris Lorenz Miclat (2009) | Philosophy | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Krisztian Magori | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Krisztian Magori is an Associate Professor of Biology at EWU. He is a disease ecologist investigating how insects such as ticks and mosquitoes transmit pathogens that cause diseases in people and wildlife. He has been also investigating how COVID-19 spreads within buildings and how vaccination and masking protect from the virus. He teaches biostatistics to both undergraduate and graduate students, and consults with students and other faculty on statistical analyses. He also teaches about the threats of climate change and how we can respond to that both as part of the campus community and as a society. | Anna Kravtsova (2015); David Nguyen (2016) | Biology | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Jamie Manson  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Jamie Manson is a Professor of Chemistry. He holds a PhD from the University of Utah. Manson's research involves design, synthesis and detailed characterization of novel molecule-based quantum magnets that present interesting properties. Coordination chemistry and the self-assembly of 1-, 2- and 3-dimensional polymeric networks that feature strong hydrogen bonds. He conducts x-ray studies of new magnets to understand the structure/property relationships. | Samantha DeAbreau (2012); Alyssa Barton (2014) | Chemistry | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
| Dr. Theresa Martin (Professor Emeritus)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Theresa Martin is a Professor Emeritus in the Psychology Department. She earned her PhD in Psychology from Iowa State University. Her research interests include social psychology (theories and social comparison), health psychology (attitudes and perceptions), cross-cultural psychology (theories), and human sexuality (theories, sexual orientation, and gender). | Andrea Gonzales (1998); Christian Shook (2001); Alvina Cawston (2003); Yuliya Kushnerchuk (2009, 2010); Christopher Durall (2012); Rosa Espinosa Zuniga (2017) | Psychology | College of Professional Programs |
Dr. Luis Matos | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Luis Matos earned his PhD from the University of Florida. Dr. Matos is an Associate Professsor in the Biology department at Eastern Washington University. His research interests are in the evolutionary genetics of host/pathogen interactions. He is particularly interested in understanding how pathogen genetics and virulence change following host shifts to permit a successful long term infection of the novel host. Matos’ lab studies host/pathogen interactions. | Vera Pikalova (2010); Jennifer Graham (2012) | Biology | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Tracey McHenry  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Tracey McHenry came to Eastern in 2000. While she often works with graduate students in Rhetoric & Technical Communication and TESL, her passion is introducing undergraduates to the joys of language study in her linguistics, grammar, and history of English courses. Her research interests are the politics of grammar education, Native American language issues, World Englishes, and non-native speakers as ESL teachers. | Roseann VanLoh (2003) | English Studies and Linguistics | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Camille McNeely | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Camille McNeely is a professor of biology and holds a PhD in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley. Her research interests include Ecosystem Processes and Community Interactions, Organisms’ Interactions, Ecological Roles, and Stream Ecosystem Health. | Mori Williams (2020); Lucia Roussa (2021) | Biology | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Jonathan Middleton  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Jonathan Middleton obtained a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Columbia University. He is a Professor of Theory and Composition at EWU, and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in composition, theory, orchestration, and computer music. Middleton's spontaneous approaches to composition are through stream of consciousness and algorithmic composition. The foundation of his work is created from the “musicalgorithms” software he designed in 2004. The application provides a creative environment where composers can create music from DNA and numbers. | Charles Green (2005); | Music | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Dorie Munson | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Dorie Munson is an Associate Professor of Psychology. Research interests include Social Justice, Saving and revitalizing Salish languages, Mitigating marginalization & colonization of individuals and groups, Mitigating discrimination and harassment, decolonizing classrooms, schools, & epistemologies, Mitigating student passivity through voice & choice, Problematizing social norms & practices via qualitative inquiry & post-formal reasoning. | LaMeshia Reese-Taylor (2009); Liliya Rudneva (2010) | Psychology | College of Professional Programs |
Dr. Carmen Nezat | TRiO McNair Faculty Research mentor Dr. Carmen Nezat is the Director of the Environmental Science Program and a professor of Geology at Eastern Washington University. She received her PhD from the University of Michigan and her research interests are in water and soil geochemistry, biogeochemistry, mineral dissolution, and environmental geology. | Martee Shafer (2011); Darlene Gilroy (2019) | Geosciences | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Miguel Novella | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Miguel Novella is an Associate Professor of Spanish. | Diana Ocampo (2015) | Modern Languages and Literatures (Spanish) | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Okera Nsombi | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Okera Nsombi is a professor in Africana Studies. He received his PhD from the University of Cincinnati. | Kianna Baker (2017); Shawn Dufrene (2020); Christina Hudson (2021); Quentin Young (2022) | Africana Studies | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Margaret O'Connell | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Margaret O'Connell is a professor and former chair of the Department of Biology. She received her PhD from Texas Tech University and conducted post-doctoral work at the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoological Park at Washington, D.C. Her current research areas are: wildlife ecology/conservation and ecological restoration. She has served on the McNair Selection Committee since the program's inception at EWU. | Tobias Lopez (1999); Heather Fuller (2003, 2004); Kimberly Cook (2013); Alex Lopez (2018) | Environmental Science | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Robin O'Quinn | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Robin O'Quinn earned her PhD in Botany from Washington State University. She is deeply curious about patterns and processes that shape organismal diversity. She is interested in the evolution of morphological diversity in plants (e.g., plant architecture), historical biogeography and aspects of evolutionary ecology, such as habitat preferences, pollinator-mediated hybridization and introgression. Her approaches have included developmental and comparative morphology, molecular systematics, population genetics and field pollination biology. Dr. O'Quinn's primary study system has been the small tribe Montieae (Portulacaceae), but additional systems have included Loasaceae and more recently Asclepias (Apocynaceae). With her research, she aims to synthesize evidence in a phylogenetic framework from diverse fields to understand plant species diversity. | Nathan Lewis (2009); Michelle Keller (2012) | Environmental Science | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Andrew Oster  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Andrew Oster is an Associate Professor of Applied Mathematics. He holds a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Utah. His research interests include computational neuroscience, mathematical physiology, biophysics of addiction, and neurodevelopment, in addition to business applications of mathematics relating to data science and scheduling. | Nyibol Thareek (2021) | Mathematics | College of College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Gina Mikel Petrie | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Gina Mikel Petrie, PhD is a professor and the coordinator of the English as a Second Language Program. She has an M.A. degree in Applied Linguistics/TESOL from Indiana University and a doctorate in Education from Washington State University. She is an English Language Specialist with the U.S. State Department. Her areas of expertise are: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Language Teaching Methods, English Teacher Training, Trauma-sensitive Language Teaching, English for Specific Purposes, TESOL Educative Curriculum Materials. | Zoe Romero Becker (2020) | English as a Second Language | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Pete Porter  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Pete Porter teaches filmic arts history and theory/criticism. He also serves as director of The Spokane International Film Festival. Before joining the film faculty in 2004, Porter earned a PhD from Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich., and degrees from Indiana State and Grand Valley State. His dissertation argues that the ancient literary form Menippean satire, a travesty of The Odyssey, the work of Plato, and old comedy, has taken shape in movies from Duck Soup (1934) to The Big Lebowski (1998). Dr. Porter's recent work studies media representations of non-human animals from a cognitive-ethical perspective. He is the Film Review Editor for Society & Animals, an international journal of Human-Animal Studies. He has published in S & A, The Journal of Moving Image Studies, and the Michigan Academician. Dr. Porter serves as faculty advisor to the EWU Film Society and on the board and The Friends of Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. | Mireya Fernandez (2008) | Film | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Chad Pritchard | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Chad Pritchard is a Professor and Department Chair in the Geology Department. He received his PhD from Washington State University. His areas of expertise are: Groundwater Hydrology (Geohydrology), Structural Geology, Drone mapping, Geologic Mapping, Age determination of rocks and minerals. | Travis Stevens (2017) | Geosciences | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Jeffrey Rahn | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Jeffrey Rahn is a Professor of Chemistry. His interests include the synthesis and characterization of transition metal complexes to better understand structure/reactivity relationships, the synthesis of inorganic polymers as precursors to ceramic materials and the development of chemical demonstrations to aid student understanding of chemical principles. | John Vasquez (1996, 1997) | Chemistry | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. LaVona Reeves | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. LaVona Reeves earned her BA from University of Nebraska, MA from Columbia University, and PhD Indian University of Pennsylvania. She has taught in New York City and Boise Public Schools, Boise State University, the University of Wyoming, Osaka University and Harvard University. As President of TESOL affiliate, Washington Association for the Education of Speakers of Other Languages, she initiated a teaching award to honor deceased co-founder of the undergraduate TESL Program, Sally Wellman. Dr. Reeves works closely with graduate students conducting original research in her writing classes and has published in composition, TESOL, literature and gender studies. Awarded EWU Professor of the Year in 2007, she has also been widely recognized for university and community service. She specializes in linguistics, women's Literature, composition, and teaching English to speakers of other languages. | Micheal Callaway (1999) | English | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Susan Ruby | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Susan Ruby is the Director of Eastern Washington University's specialist level School Psychology Program. She received her Bachelor Science in Psychology from Texas A&M University in 1990 and Masters Science and Education Sciences. Degrees were received from the College of William and Mary in 1993/1994. She worked as a school psychologist in Virginia, Texas, Hawaii, and California before returning to school to obtain her Ph.D. in Education with specialization in School Psychology in 2005 at the University of California, Riverside. Dr. Ruby's research interests involve practices associated with Response to Intervention and development and delivery of academic and social-behavioral interventions for students at-risk in Pre K-12 settings. | Juliana Nicole Dewitt (2009, 2010); Marissa Bronowski (2010); Ayanna Jacobs Kalyan (2013); Ashley Ellison (2015-16); Luis Martinez Antillo (2020); Arcelia Madrigal (2022) | Psychology | College of Professional Programs |
Dr. Jillene Seiver | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Jillene Seiver is a Senior Lecturer in the Psychology Department. Her work focuses on: COVID-19, Industrial & Organizational Psychology, Student Motivation, Distraction by Technology, Memory, and Homeschooling. | Samantha Sanchez-Garcia (2020); Ian Campuzano (2021); Darlene Khayesi (2021); Haili Poss (2022); Bakima Ssebanakitta (2022) | Psychology | College of Professional Programs, School of Psychology |
Dr. Shamima Yasmin  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Shamima Yasmin is an Associate Professor of Computer Science with a background in Civil Engineering. Her research interests are in haptics, graphics, and visualization. | Erik Almaguer (2017) | Computer Science | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Majid Sharifi | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Majid Sharifi is a Professor of Political Science and International Affairs and Director of International Affairs at Eastern Washington University. He brings his extensive experience in international policy as a mentor in international conflict and resource management. His research interests include Nationalism, Security and Insecurity, Violence and Inequity. | Enver Guseynov (2010); Virginia Morales (2012); Audel Rosas (2017); Malachi Chukwu (2018); Gloria Bravo (2020) | International Affairs | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Julia Smith | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Julia Smith is a professor of Anthropology at EWU. Her research interests include Coffee, Food and Food Systems, Latin America, and Ethnography. Dr. Smith has been instrumental in organizing the annual EWU Student Research and Creative Works Symposium. | Amara Rieken (2009); Grace Cooper (2012); Ariel McMillan (2015) | Anthropology | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Paul Spruell | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Paul Spruell is Associate Chair in the Biology Department at EWU. His research specializes in Fisheries Biology, Molecular Ecology, and Conservation Genetics. Although much of his research focuses on trout and char, he also work on a variety of other species, including the invasive Brook Stickleback found at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge just south of the EWU campus. | Alex Lopez (2018) | Biology | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Wes Steiner | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Wes Steiner is a Professor in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department at EWU. | Ioannis Pikalov (2009); Aleksandr Pikalov (2011); Elvin Cabrera (2016-17) | Chemistry and Biochemistry | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Yun Tian | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Yun (Tony) Tian received his Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Mississippi August 2013, with his dissertation advised by Dr. Philip J. Rhodes. He joined the Department of Computer Science at Eastern Washington University in 2013 as an Assistant Professor. Before a Ph.D., he earned his B.S. from Fudan University in Computer Information Management 2006 and M.S. from Shanghai Teachers University in Computer Science 2008. Yun Tian's former industry experiences include 3 years of system testing in Automatic Train Control systems 1999 through 2002. In 2009, he worked as a research assistant at National Center for Physical Acoustics, responsible for data acquisition and processing. In addition, he interned at FNC Inc. summer 2012 and worked with large Spatio-temporal dataset. His research interests include Grid and Cloud computing, parallel computing, GPGPU computing and Big Data. Dr. Tian teaches Parallel and Cloud Computing and GPU Computing courses on both undergraduate and graduate levels. He also teaches three gateway and core courses: C and Unix programming, Data Structures and Algorithms. Dr. Tian is a recipient of Amazon Education Faculty Grant, Amazon AWS Credits for Research Grant, EWU Grant for Summer Creative Works and EWU SSB Grant. | Kelsey Rosales (2013); Halim Acosta (2018) | Computer Science | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. Deanna Trella | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Deanna Trella is a Professor and Director of Children’s Studies at EWU. At Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, she earned a master’s degree in social psychology as well as a doctorate in sociology with an emphasis on family and marriage and a minor in quantitative research methods. Her research interests include Child & Family Homelessness, Child & Adolescent Development, Family Dynamics, and Adolescent Romantic Relationships. | Raquel Ramos (2015) | Children's Studies | College of Professional Programs |
Dr. Christina Valeo | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Christina Valeo is a Professor of English at EWU. She received her PhD in English from the University of Illinois. Her research interests include British Romantic Literature, Frankenstein, Children's Literature, and Nature Poetry. | Tiffany Chambers (2007) | English | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Philip Watkins | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Philip Watkins is a professor in Psychology who specializes in Positive psychology, gratitude (how gratitude enhances happiness and well-being), and joy (the nature of joy and its relationship to well-being). | Leul Hailu (1996); Rosa Morfin (1996); Joanne Candelaria (1997); Melissa Thomas (2001); Crystal Contreras (2003, 2004); Marcus Neal (2003, 2004); Araceli Frias (2005); Carol Mendoza (2005); Lilia Cruz (2006); Erica Delgado (2006); Ia Xiong (2007); Alexandria Harper (2008); Andrew Pereira (2012); Rosa Espinosa Zuniga (2017) | Psychology | College of Professional Programs |
Dr. Bill Williams | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. William Williams is an Emeritus Professor of Psychology at EWU. His research interests include Variants of the MAOA gene with personality variables such as impulsivity, emotion regulation, borderline personality. | Atara MacNamara (1999); Ashley Nienhuis (2013) | Psychology | College of Professional Programs |
Dr. Jessi Willis | TRiO McNair Faculty Mentor Dr. Jessi Willis is a senior lecturer and current Interim Director for EWU's Department of Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies. She earned her PhD at Clark University in Women’s Studies. Her research interests include Feminist Pedagogy, Girlhood and Sexual Identity Development, Gender and Sexuality in Visual Culture, LGBTQ Politics, Activism and History. Dr. Willis is the author of The Making of Modern Girlhood. | Nancy Muñoz (2010); Minerva Zayas (2016) | Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Dick Winchell | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Dick Winchell is a Professor Emeritus in EWU's Public Administration department. He earned his PhD from Arizona State University. His areas of specialization include Comparative Urbanization, Sustainable Cities, Urban Morphology, Tribal Transportation, Community Development, Tribal Planning, Neighborhood Planning, and Housing. | Jennyfer Mesa (2016) | Public Administration | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Michael Winer | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Michael Winer is an Assistant Professor and Lead Advisor of Mathematics Education. He holds a PhD in Mathematics Education from the Ohio State University. His research interests include Student Cognition with Geometric Reasoning and Proof, Developing Learning Progressions/Trajectories, Developing Curriculum and Instruction for K-12 Geometry and Geometric Proofs. | Julianna Pruneda Martinez (2020) | Mathematics Education | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
Dr. J. Bill Youngs | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Bill Youngs received his PhD from UC Berkeley in History. His research interests include U.S. History, American Wilderness, Early America, and National Parks. | Tommy Russel (1996); Santral Combs (2003); Marcus Wallace (2003, 2004); Leanne Allen (2018) | History | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Dorothy Zeisler-Vralsted | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dorothy Zeisler-Vralsted is an Emeritus Professor in the International Affairs and Poltical Science Departments at EWU. Her research area is in water history and politics and the intersection of race, class and the environment. Dr. Z-V is currently working on the intersection of modernity and indigenous cultures. More specifically, the project she is working on unpacks the history of Grand Coulee Dam as a landmark of contested narratives. One narrative celebrated the social, economic, and cultural power of modernity. The other focused on the loss of indigenous cultural identities and practices. Her goal is to equip teachers with unique and meaningful analytical frameworks to engage their humanities and social science students in conversations centered on how social groups experience and interpret transformative changes in the landscape. | Mikaila Levya (2013); Abdulrazik Mohammed (2017) Wendolyn Martinez (2018) | International Affairs | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
Dr. Michael Zukosky | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Michael Zukosky is a professor of Anthropology and current Chair of the Department of History, Anthropology, Modern Languages & Literatures. He holds a PhD from Temple University. His research interests include China, Xinjiang, Kazakh, Ethnic Minorities, Development & Conservation Policy | Tabria Lee-Noonan (2012-2013); Devon Asmus (2014); Lidia Velasco (2017) | Anthropology | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
| The following former mentors are no longer at EWU or no longer available to mentor McNair Scholars. | ||||
| Dr. Bartlett (retired)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Robert Bartlett holds a Phd in Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University, and is the current Interim Director of the Africana Education department. His research interests include African American Catholics, race, culture and ethnicity in the U.S., diversity awareness and appreciation, assessing social aspects and impacts of endangered species protection and recovery, rural sociology, African American experiences, history and culture, and complex organizations. (Retired) | Kyra Gaines (2011) | Africana Studies | College of Professional Programs |
| Dr. Bazemore (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Georgia Bazemore was the JeffersR. Chertok Professor of Ancient History. Her specializations included Ancient Greek and Roman history, archaeology, and linguistics. | Candice Helsing (2006); Anthony Austin-Walker (2011/12) | History | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
| Dr. Bhuta (retired)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Prakash Bhuta received his PhD in Microbiology from University of Southwestern Louisiana, MS in Microbiology from Maharaja Sayajirao University at Baroda (India), a Diploma in Pharmacy from the Bombay College of Pharmacy, and BS in Microbiology from Bombay University, (India). Dr. Bhuta has worked as a research fellow at the Cancer Research Institute (Chemotherapy Division) in Bombay, India. After graduating from the University of SW Louisiana, he carried out postdoctoral research at the Michigan Cancer Foundation (Chemistry Department), and at the University of Michigan (The Simpson Memorial Institute, Division of Hematology). Since obtaining a PhD he has studied the mechanism of ribosomal peptidyltransferase and recombinant DNA techniques. (Retired) | Isaura Gallegos (2005) | Biology | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
| Dr. Cárdenas (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Norma Cárdenas was a Lecturer in Chicano Studies. She holds a PhD in Culture, Literacy, and Language from the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she was a HLPANR fellow. Her interdisciplinary research and teaching interests are in Chicano-Latino cultural studies, Chicana feminisms, and food studies. She is currently working on a book titled Forgetting Tex-Mex: Food Representations in San Antonio's Culinary Borderlands. | Jessica Ochoa (2015) | Chicana/o/x Studies | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
| Dr. Carlberg (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Karen Carlberg's degrees include a BS in Zoology from the University of Washington in 1972, an MS in Biology from the University of New Mexico in 1976, and a PhD in Biology from the University of New Mexico in 1981. After finishing her doctoral degree she participated in a postdoctoral research fellowship for two and a half years in the Department of Physiology at the University of Florida College of Medicine. Dr. Carlberg's professional work experience started with a position as a human engineering analyst at the Boeing Company in Seattle from 1972 to 1974. After completing her postdoctoral fellowship she joined the faculty of the Department of Biology at Eastern Washington University in 1983. She served as department chair from 1994 to 1997. | Cheryl Dykstra-Aiello (2010, 2011) | Biology | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
| Dr. Chantrill (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Patricia Chantrill is an Associate Professor of Communication. Her research interests include rhetorical theory and criticism, cultural studies, political communication, electoral campaigns, and public discourse and public relations. | Amunoo Mohamed (2010) | Communication Studies | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
| Dr. Dalley (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Mahlon Dalley earned his PhD at University of Northern Colorado, and was a Professor in the Psychology department. He specializes in school psychology, cognitive/behavioral change, social skills training, and self directed change. Dr. Dalley's research interests include peace psychology, attributional styles in pessimism and optimism, and cognitive behavioral factors in school achievement. | Elizabeth Davila (2012); Angela Brown (2006) | Psychology | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
| Dr. Eagle (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. David Eagle received his PhD in economics from University of Minnesota, and was an Associate Professor of Finance. | Roderick Givens (1997); Christina Torres Garcia (1999/2000) | Economics | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
| Dr. Forsyth (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Grant Forsyth received his PhD in economics from Washington State University. His specialty areas are macroeconomics, and money and banking. In his years as faculty at Eastern Washington University, Dr. Forsyth provided strong faculty research mentorship to numerous McNair scholars. His commitment to supporting undergraduate research was recognized at the 2011 Symposium where he was selected to give the keynote address, The Struggle for Research Success: Pushing the Rock of Sisyphus. Dr. Forsyth began a new position at Avista in May 2012 as the company's chief economist, but he will always be considered part of Eastern's McNair family. | Cristina Gaeta (2000); Amanda Thelin (Smizaski) (2003); Andrew Nguyen (2005); Sylvia Olivo (2010) | Economics | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
| Dr. Galm (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Jerry Galm received his PhD degrees from Washington State University. Following stops at the University of Oklahoma and the University of West Florida he accepted a position at Eastern in 1981. Dr. Galm spent many years in applied research in addition to teaching and has specialized in lithic technology and the prehistory of the Pacific Northwest since 1981. His previous research includes a coastal erosion study in West Africa as well as archaeological studies throughout the Pacific Northwest. | Lynnae Sowers (1997/98); Amelia Marchand (Moses) (2003); Brian Radford (2003); Enver Guseynov (2009/10) | Anthropology | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
| Dr. Guillory (deceased)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Raphael Guillory was a tenured associate professor in Psychology at Eastern Washington University. He taught coursework in educational psychology, advanced educational psychology, psychology of human relations, developmental theories and applications, and grant-writing. Dr. Guillory was a graduate of EWU, earning a bachelor's degree in Sociology (94'), and Washington State University earning both a master's degree in Counseling Psychology (99') and Ph.D. in Education (02'). He is well published in his research area of American Indian education and has given numerous scholarly presentations at national conferences (e.g. AERA, ASHE, NIEA) on the subject. He also served as vice-president/president of the Faculty Organization and Chair of the Academic Senate of EWU (2008-10). Unfortunately Dr. Guillory passed away in December, 2020. He will be greatly missed. | Julian Mendez (2007, 2008) | Psychology | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
| Dr. Hicks (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Gail Hicks is a Professor of Psychology, and holds a PhD from Washington State University. Her research interests include diversity issues, Gestalt, Jung, latent language, psychology of women, child therapy, group therapy. | Psychology | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences | |
| Dr. Keogh Hoss (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Mentor Dr. Mary Ann Keogh Hoss served as director of EWU's Health Services Program Director. She also served as Interim Provost, as well as President of the American Therapeutic Recreation Association from 2008-2009. | Nathan Lewis (2010) | Wellness and Movement Sciences | College of Health Science and Public Health |
| Dr. Mathers (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Scott Mathers was an Assistant Professor in the Sociology Department. He received his PhD from Mississippi State University. | Mario Aguilar (2017) | Sociology | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
| Dr. Millsaps (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Gayle Millsaps was an Associate Professor in EWU's Math Department. She taught mathematics for preservice elementary teachers. | Laura Zamudio-Orozco (2015) | Mathematics | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
| Dr. Morales (not at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Maria Isabel Morales is a faculty member at Evergreen State College. She received her PhD from Washington State University. | Kimberly Jones 2017 | ||
| Dr. Mount (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Sarah Mount is an Assistant Professor of Undergraduate Public Health. She received her EdD from the University of Texas at Austin. Her areas of interest include: built environment and health, nature and health, motivation orientation, and physical activity. | Kianna Baker (2017); Maria Rivera Diaz (2017) | Public Health | College of Health Science & Public Health |
| Dr. Nelson (Colles) (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Katherine Nelson is a former Counseling Psychologist and Coordinator of Assessment Services at EWU. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of North Dakota. | Sandra Espinoza (2017) | Psychology | College of Professional Programs |
| Dr. Ochoa-Reparaz (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Javier Ochoa-Reparaz was an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at EWU. He studies host-microbial gut interactions and the mechanisms of immunomodulation induced by gut symbionts in the context of autoimmune diseases. He is now an Assistant Professor at Boise State University. | Christina Ramelow (2016) | Biology | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
| Dr. Pickering (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Robin Pickering was the Community Health Program Director at Eastern Washington University. She obtained her PhD from University of Idaho. | Lilia Guillen (2009) | Public Health | College of Health Science & Public Health (CHSPH) |
| Dr. Rudd (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Rebecca Rudd LMFT, LMHC, NCC, RPT-S, earned her PhD in Counseling and Educational Psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno. She is now a marriage and family therapist practicing at Center for Solace. | Le'Naecha Roberts (2014) | Psychology | College of Professional Programs |
| Dr. Sain (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Ryan Sain is currently an Assistant Professor at Mary Baldwin University. | Lisa Coyle (2014) | Psychology | College of Professional Programs |
| Dr. Sauders (current Vice President of Student Affairs at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Rob Sauders is a Professor in the Anthropology and Geography Department, currently serving as the Vice President of Student Affairs at EWU. | Matthew Scheffer (2008); Naima Neghmouche (2010) | Anthropology | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
| Dr. Schwab (retired)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Suzanne Schwab is a retired Biology Professor specializing in mycology. | Cassie Hebel (2002); Michelle Keller-Pearson (2012, 2013) | Biology | College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) |
| Dr. Tedescoe (no longer at EWU) | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Joe Tedescoe has mentored McNair scholars in Sociology and Justice Studies. | Ereisa Morales (2017) | Sociology | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
| Dr. Torres Garcia (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Torres García earned her PhD in Cultural Studies and Social Thought from Washington State University. She is the former director of EWU's TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program and has taught in the fields of Race and Culture, Chicano Studies, Education, Sociology. Dr. Torres Garcia served as the WSTA Public Relations and Networking Committee chair and as the 2016-2017 President of the Washington State TRIO Association, which is a catalyst in Washington State for progressive initiatives that promote educational equity, access, and opportunity for traditionally marginalized student populations. Her research interests and studies focus on historical, social, and political issues affecting Chicanas/Latinas in the Pacific Northwest. Her interest in illustrating the dynamic modus operandi of the intersections of systematic layers of oppression has resulted in reclaiming the voices of Chicanas and Latinas whose life stories enrich academia today. As a Chicana from Mexican farm working background and first-generation college student, Dr. Torres García's life dedication is to raise critical consciousness among students by unveiling social inequalities and empowering marginalized groups to become agents of positive change and engage them in civic responsibilities. | María Morales Sánchez (2010); Erik Jimenez (2013); Edith Melendez (2016); Maria Rivera Diaz (2017); Marixza Torres (2018); Madelyn Brown (2019); Lizeth Bañuelos (2020); Alexandria Coronado (2020) | Latin American Studies | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
| Dr. Upton (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Lindsey Upton received her PhD in Criminology from Old Dominion University. She was an Assistant professor in the EWU Sociology Department. She now works as an Analyst at Canalys. | Theresa Lee (2018); Alexandria Coronado (2020) | Sociology | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
| Dr. Wright (no longer at EWU) | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Sue Wright was a professor in the Sociology and Justice Studies Department, as well as the founder and former Director of the Children's Studies Program. | Melissa Hall (1996); Cynthia Beemer (1997); Jolene Hamel (1999); Melisa Noel (2002); Mareesha Backman (2003); Oscar Harris (2005); Edwin Fonesca (2008); Lateasha Meyers (2012) | Children's Studies | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
| Dr. Ziehnert (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Aryn Ziehnert was a Lecturer in the Psychology Department. She received her PhD from Michigan State University. Her areas of expertise include COVID-19 Focus: Childhood Adversity, Child & Family, Clinical Psychology, and Childhood Adversity. She is now a Clinical Psychologist at Spokane Christian Counseling. | Lily Ann Long (2018); Miriam Carlson (2018); Lizeth Bañuelos (2020) | Psychology | College of Professional Programs |
| SimHayKin S. Jack (no longer at EWU)  | TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Sim-Hay Kin Jack was a lecturer for American Indian Studies and is a current PhD candidate at UC Davis. | Madelyn Brown (2019) | American Indian Studies | College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
