Meet the New Trinity College of Arts & Sciences Faculty of 2025

What makes people politically engaged? Can AI be creative? Why is it so hard to understand the effects of fiscal policy on individual households? How could something as simple as a postcard drive political reform?

These are just a few of the questions the scholars joining Trinity College of Arts & Sciences this fall are exploring.

They are now part of an extraordinary community of faculty whose pathbreaking research spans disciplines and expands our understanding of the world. Together, they embody what it means to pursue curiosity, connection and humility.

Meet our new professors.

Natural Sciences Social Sciences Arts & Humanities

Natural Sciences

Our Natural Sciences departments span the biological, physical, mathematical and computational sciences. Reflecting Duke’s deep tradition of interdisciplinarity, our faculty advance discovery and education at the intersection of many scientific fields.

Evert Njomen

Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Evert Njomen accelerates drug discovery by studying how medicines interact with proteins inside living cells, helping researchers quickly identify promising targets and potential pitfalls.

"Growing up, I didn’t have much guidance as far as education was concerned, but my strength in the sciences naturally led me on that path."

Edwin Alfonzo

Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Moved by the realization that chemistry allows us to control matter, Alfonzo specializes in biocatalysis, using enzymes to make chemical reactions more efficient.

Siqi Liu

Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Liu studies new, more intuitive ways to construct high-dimensional expanders — networks so well connected that no part is ever isolated.

Lasse Vuursteen

Assistant Professor of Statistical Science

Poker triggered Vuursteen's interest in statistics. He now develops new statistical theories to help researchers and companies analyze data more accurately.

Omar Melikechi

Assistant Professor in Statistical Science

Melikechi develops statistical tools that reveal hidden patterns in massive datasets, helping scientists identify which factors truly matter.

"I think helping to cure or mitigate disease is one of the most important problems that people can work on. I want to be a part of that."

Sifan Liu

Assistant Professor of Statistical Science

Liu uses machine learning to develop statistical methods that let scientists use all of their data with none of the bias.

Stefano Filipazzi

Assistant Professor of Mathematics

Filipazzi is an algebraic geometer, uncovering and classifying the fundamental building blocks that give structure to even the most complex shapes.

Anya Katsevich

Assistant Professor of Statistical Science

While some theoretical statisticians develop new methods, Katsevich wants to test whether the older tried-and-true methods still work.

Shuyan Zhou

Assistant Professor in Computer Science

Zhou's work revolves around three interconnected elements: AI agents, environments and humans.

"Academia offers the freedom to test bold ideas without the same constraints as industry."

Social Sciences

Our Social Sciences departments use both quantitative and interpretive approaches to study human behavior, social structures and cultural change. Through their scholarship and teaching, our faculty advance Duke’s mission of applying knowledge in service to society.

Francisco Garfias

Associate Professor of Political Science

From colonial archives to modern-day taxation, Garfias studies how centuries-old Spanish records in Mexico reveal insights into state building and the political economy of development.

Daniel Scott Smith

Assistant Professor of Sociology

Smith is interested in how different viewpoints can lead to uncertainty and bias, but also better-quality science and even learning among scientists.

Phia Salter

Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience

A critical race psychologist, Salter is interested in how collective memory impacts social identity and systemic racism.

“I really want students to lead with tools that allow them to be critical of common knowledge and stereotypes and myths.”

Allison Anoll

Associate Professor in Political Science

Anoll explores the process through which Americans learn how to be citizens, and the factors that influence whether a person becomes engaged in the political world.

Wenhao Jiang

Assistant Professor of Sociology

Using natural language processing, Jiang examines the cultural forces behind economic inequality, measuring how occupations lose pay and prestige once perceived as "women's jobs."

Jiawei leaning against stair rail in campus building

Jiawei Fu

Assistant Professor of Political Science

Elections aren’t just about what people decide — but why. Fu combines theory with data to reveal the forces shaping voter decisions, from corruption scandals to campaign messages.

Yingni Guo

Associate Professor of Economics

When choosing between early-career job applicants, employers may favor certain groups over others, such as hiring a man over a woman. Guo studies how these biased decisions affect workers lifelong outcomes.

"As a theorist, I see real synergy here — and that’s the kind of collaboration that excites me.”

Alika Bourgette

Assistant Professor of History

A native Hawaiian, Burgette researches Native Hawaiian history in the early 20th century and the long struggle for land and water justice along the urbanized Honolulu waterfront.

Linlin Yao

Lecturer in Program in Education

In the course Educational Psychology, Yao will teach Duke students the principles of developmental, social and cognitive psychology as applied to childhood education.

Wendy Morrison

Assistant Professor of Economics

Household choices shape the economy in ways most of us don’t notice. Morrison researches how these decisions change the economic impact of taxes and interest rates.

Christopher Walker

Assistant Professor of Economics

Walker uses flexible statistical tools to turn complicated economic questions into answers we can actually use to better understand mergers and market trends.

“I hope my class will provide a way for students to potentially innovate in their own space, whatever they end up specializing in.

Arts & Humanities

Our Arts & Humanities departments use historical, philosophical and artistic approaches to explore the human condition. Through study, practice and performance, our faculty cultivate creativity, critical inquiry and expression, and advance our understanding of what makes us human.

Daniel Herskowitz

Smart Family Associate Professor in Judaic Studies

Herskowitz is a scholar of intellectual history and philosophy with a focus on Jewish thought in the 20th century.

"It’s almost impossible to be an informed citizen without understanding the importance of religion across various cultures."

Mira Xenia Schwerda

Assistant Professor of Art, Art History and Visual Studies

Schwerda's research highlights how early 20th-century Iranian reformers used postcards to connect with international audiences and advocate for political change.

Sung Eun Kim

Assistant Professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

Kim's scholarship redraws the boundaries between Korean and American histories, examining how race and gender shaped colonial soldiering in the Asia-Pacific region.

Rafaella Taylor-Seymour

Assistant Professor of Religious Studies

Taylor-Seymour studies how ancestral, pre-colonial religious practices were challenged by the actions of Christian missionaries and the British colonial government.

Neena Mahadev

Assistant Professor of Religious Studies

Guided by an orientation to pluralism, Mahadev studies the tensions between Buddhists and Christians and the role politics and ethnicity play in religion's impact on society.

Tim Heimlich

Assistant Professor of English

While 18th-century authors were often influenced by their surroundings, Heimlich’s inspiration to explore Wales in the landscape of British literature came from an unlikely muse: Wisconsin.

Richard So

Associate Professor of English

Can AI be creative? While generative AI has become commonplace in our lives, So points to a new area of research: cultural, or humanistic, AI.

Marguerite Nguyen

Associate Professor in English

Growing up in Virginia as the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, Nguyen's upbringing shaped her scholarship in Asian American literature, the Vietnam diaspora and critical refugee studies.

Clara Rottsolk

Assistant Professor of the Practice of Music

For soprano Rottsolk, music has never been just a profession — it has been the fabric of her life since childhood. She blends artistry, pedagogy and passion for community in her new role.

Madeline Sutton

Assistant Professor of the Practice in Thompson Writing Program

Sutton will mentor student writing consultants, combining her expertise in teaching, research and mentorship to strengthen Duke’s commitment to writing instruction.

I’m looking forward to personalizing every student's learning experience.

Editorial direction by Marie Claire Chelini

Articles by Cara August, Marie Claire Chelini, Owen Covington, Dyllan Ladd, Margo Lakin, Elizabeth Richardson, Mary-Russell Roberson and Elizabeth Thompson

Additional editing by Owen Covington, Margo Lakin and Elizabeth Thompson

Photography by John West

Webpage design by Haley Warren

Special thanks to all the new Trinity faculty and to those who contributed additional photos.

Meet the New Trinity College of Arts & Sciences Faculty of 2025

Evert Njomen

Edwin Alfonzo

Siqi Liu

Lasse Vuursteen

Omar Melikechi

Sifan Liu

Stefano Filipazzi

Anya Katsevich

Shuyan Zhou

Francisco Garfias

Daniel Scott Smith

Phia Salter

Allison Anoll

Wenhao Jiang

Jiawei Fu

Yingni Guo

Alika Bourgette

Linlin Yao

Wendy Morrison

Christopher Walker

Daniel Herskowitz

Mira Xenia Schwerda

Sung Eun Kim

Rafaella Taylor-Seymour

Neena Mahadev

Tim Heimlich

Richard So

Marguerite Nguyen

Clara Rottsolk

Madeline Sutton

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