Meet the New Faculty Shaping Wesleyan's Academic 2026-27 Year
Each fall, during Arrival Week, Wesleyan welcomes new permanent and visiting faculty members representing a wide range of disciplines. Those joining for the 2026-27 academic year include scholars across the three academic divisions. They will contribute their expert teaching and scholarship to American studies, architecture, Bailey College of the Environment, chemistry, the College of Letters, the College of Design and Engineering Studies, dance, economics, English, German studies, mathematics, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, the Quantitative Analysis Center, psychology, and sociology, among other departments.
Joining the English department, Shangyang Fang is an award-winning poet. Born in Chengdu, China, and writing in both English and Chinese, Fang is an acclaimed poet and author of the celebrated debut collection Burying the Mountain. A former Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, Fang is widely recognized for lyrical work that is experimental while also drawing on classical Chinese poetic traditions.
Lexi Schubert is new faculty in economics, specifically a microeconomist who studies health and labor decisions among lower-income individuals. In one major study, she studies the role of rest in South African gig-economies, establishing experimentally that the productivity gains of short, restful breaks can make up for the earnings lost while resting. In short, she and her co-author show, workers can earn more by working less and resting more.
Samantha O'Connell is a cognitive neuroscientist whose work centers around how humans hear, appreciate, and are shaped by music. In the Sound, Action and Music (SAM) Lab, she explores the impact of dancing on the brain, how our brains interpret non-musical sounds, and how the brain processes artistic creativity. Her scientific inspirations are drawn from her personal experiences as a professional violinist and dancer, as well as her experiences in both academic and industry positions.
Below is the full list of new permanent faculty and visiting, with links to their bios:
Permanent Faculty
Ljudmila Bilkić, assistant professor of the practice in German studies
José Antonio Cancino Alfaro, assistant professor of classical studies
Shangyang Fang, assistant professor of English
Ved Gund, assistant professor of Design and Engineering
Kristen Miller, assistant professor of sociology
Hannah Potter (Nennig), assistant professor of the practice in chemistry
Samantha O’Connell, assistant professor of psychology
Gregoria "Goya" Grigsby-Olson, assistant professor of American studies
David Reid, assistant professor of archaeology
Nikolas Schonsheck, assistant professor of mathematics
Alexandra Schubert, assistant professor of economics
Erica Wessman, assistant professor of art
Alison Wirshing, assistant professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
Visiting Faculty
Naima Adams, Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellow in American Studies
Jesse Berger, visiting professor of religion
Ryan Bloom, distinguished writer-in-residence
Abigail Breuker, Provost’s Democracy Fellow
Jennifer Daigle, visiting professor of philosophy
Sebastian Diaz Martinez, visiting professor of Spanish
Soli Gareh, visiting instructor of video and audio production
Kelsey Hanson Woodruff, postdoctoral fellow in the Center for the Study of Guns and Society
Lars Sheridan Horn, visiting professor of English
Abigail Horton, visiting instructor of film studies
Alex Keegan, visiting professor of theater
Jamie Lauren Keiles, Koeppel Fellow in Journalism
Sydney King, visiting professor of art
Sarah Molina, Sullivan Visiting Professor in Art History
Charli Muller, Postdoctoral fellow in Space Ethics
Elizabeth Joy Olson, visiting professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Esma Ozer Ozturk, visiting professor of economics
Rachel Retica, visiting professor of English
Sarah Richardson, visiting professor of Philosophy
Carrie Seigler, Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow
Namwali Serpell, distinguished writer-in-residence
Ina Simova, visiting professor of German studies
Donald Snyder, postdoctoral researcher in Computational Social Science
Elena Sobrino, Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow
Sifana Sohail, postdoctoral research fellow
Matthew Trang, Edward Burr Van Vleck postdoctoral fellow
Steven Weicksel, visiting professor of biology
Marina Zurkow, Menakka and Essel Bailey ’66 Distinguished Visiting Scholar
Alexandra Philip, visiting professor of public policy
Frankie Chik, visiting professor of East Asian studies
