Japa Pallikkathayil is an Associate Professor of Philosophy in the Dietrich School. She started working for Pitt in 2012 as an assistant professor, and previously taught at NYU starting in 2008 while finishing her PhD at Harvard.
Evan Schneider is an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the Dietrich School. Schneider specializes in computational astrophysics focusing on galaxy evolution and numerical methodology.
Li Yinhe (A&S ’88) graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with her PhD in sociology. Li’s interest in sociology, human sexuality, and gender studies led her to become a prominent advocate for LGBTQ+ Rights in China. She is one of the first sociologists in the People’s Republic of China to research and publish on topics of homosexuality and diverse sexual practices.
Dr. Emily Elliott is an advocate of sustainability, diversity, and inclusion in the geosciences. She is a professor in the Geology and Environmental Science Department in the Dietrich School in addition to running the Pitt Isotope Tracers Lab which aims to explore the impact of humans on the environment. She is also the co-founder and emeritus director of the Pittsburgh Collaboratory for Water Research, Education, and Outreach.
Founder and director of the Racial Justice and Health Equity Research and Education Collaborative (RJHEREC), Dr. Kamesha Spates, is also the William S. Dietrich II Chair and professor in the Department of African Studies in the Dietrich school. Through RJHEREC she trains students, health equity scholars, and community members to work toward addressing the mental and physical impacts of structural oppression on black communities.
Dr. Lise Vesterlund is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Economics at the University of Pittsburgh, a behavioral and experimental economist, and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Dr. Vesterlund focuses her research on charitable giving and gender differences in the labor market.
Award-winning author, co-founder and editor of Aster(ix), and professor are just a few of the titles Angie Cruz holds. Cruz is currently an Associate Professor in the English Department in the Dietrich School as well as an affiliate of the Center for African American Poetry and Poetics.
A librarian and outspoken advocate of the freedom of speech, Judith Krug (A&S ’62) actively criticized censorship. Born in Pittsburgh, Krug earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pittsburgh in 1962. She later received her Master of Arts from the University of Chicago.
Kathleen George (A&S ‘63) is a fiction writer and current professor in the Theatre Arts department in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. Born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, George earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Pittsburgh in 1963, followed by her MA and PhD in theatre arts in 1966 and 1975 respectively. She also earned her MFA in creative writing in 1988. Before working at Pitt, she taught theatre at Carlow College for eight years.
Wangari Maathai (A&S ‘65G) was born in Kenya in 1940. She made her way to the U.S. through a program initiated by the late Kenyan politician Tom Mboya and then U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy. Their goal was to help students in African nations gain access to education. The JP. Kennedy Jr. Foundation funded the program, and Maathai was one of more than 300 students to receive a scholarship. She attended Mount St.
