51茶馆

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The focus of John Christianson's research is to determine how stress interacts with the neural systems that permit individuals to adapt to potentially dangerous and changing environments. The current emphasis is on the neural mechanisms that underly social decision-making. The laboratory employs a multidisciplinary approach to study brain circuits and behavior with the overall goal of providing new insight into the organization of the brain and behavior and improving treatment for psychological illness.

Professor Christianson has served on several Schiller Institute search committees and is committed to developing strong integrated science programming at Boston College.听

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Avneet Hira conducts research in the interdisciplinary field of engineering education, focusing on educational technologies and human-centered engineering in K-12, first-year engineering, and informal learning contexts. Her lab's current projects include promoting belonging and reducing harm to people and the environment in technology-rich P-12 settings, restorative AI-enhanced farming, informal education and community co-design for climate adaptation, developing Maker literacies in early childhood, and co-designing transdisciplinary STEM pedagogies with teachers.

She has been involved with the Schiller Institute as a SIGECS and SI-RITEA grantee for her work on intergenerational STEM education and work in Northern Kenya for sustainable peacebuilding. As an interdisciplinary scholar herself, she is interested in finding ways in which the institute can support other interdisciplinary scholars, especially junior faculty at 51茶馆.

S Mo Jones-Jang from the department of Communication uses social scientific methods to study individuals鈥� information behavior of science and health information. His research topic includes politicization of science topics (e.g., climate change and vaccines), media effects on science and health beliefs, and science misinformation. Mo is leading the NSF-funded project, 鈥淪cience in the Age of Misinformation: Strategies for Rebuilding Trust in Science鈥� from 2024 to 2027.听

Professor Jones-Jang was first involved with the Schiller Institute as a awardee of the Schiller grant (SI-GECS). Since then, he has been a loyal fan of the Schiller to meet with colleagues across campus and create collaborative projects and grant proposals.听

Dr. Praveen Kumar is an Associate Professor at the Boston College School of Social Work. He is also a faculty affiliate of the Environmental Studies Program, the Global Public Health and the Common Good Program, and the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, at Boston College. He works in the area of climate change adaptation, wherein he focuses on the human dimensions of climate and environment, particularly in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The overall objective of his research is to examine interventions that address the health and well-being of marginalized communities vulnerable to climate and environmental risks. A significant thrust within his scholarship on climate and environment is understanding the causes and consequences of household energy access in the context of climate change, health, and well-being. He harnesses field-based studies, systematic reviews, secondary datasets, and system science approaches, particularly social network analysis, to advance his research. He also leverages his methodological expertise in social network analysis to collaborate with scholars and practitioners in cognate areas, including mental health, food and agriculture, and women鈥檚 empowerment. He was the NIH Climate Change and Health Scholar for the year 2023, wherein he contributed to strengthening their strategic initiative on climate adaptation.

Dr. Kumar has a continuing association with the Schiller Institute. He was a committee member for the Schiller Institute core faculty search as well as a recipient of the SI-RITEA 2024 grant to advance his research in climate-led migration and just transition in Bangladesh. In addition, he co-led the 51茶馆 delegates to the UN Climate Change Conferences (COP) in Dubai in 2023 and Baku in 2024, which were sponsored by the Schiller Institute. These delegates included faculty from multiple schools, along with graduate and undergraduate students.

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The focus of Karen Lyons鈥� research is to understand the interpersonal context of chronic illness in midlife and older adults and their family care partners to optimize their mental and physical health. Working across illness contexts (e.g., cancer, heart failure, Parkinson鈥檚 disease, dementia), her team has made important conceptual and methodological contributions to dyadic health research over the past 25 years. The current focus is on testing and evaluating behavioral interventions to improve health outcomes and to identify care dyads that are most vulnerable to experiencing poor mental health.

Professor Lyons has served on several Schiller Institute search committees, reviewed Schiller grants, and is committed to supporting the Schiller鈥檚 focus on the intersection of health and climate, particularly for older adults.

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Prof. Qiong Ma leads a Physics research group focused on designing, detecting, and manipulating nanoscale quantum phases in novel van der Waals materials. The group aims to uncover emergent functionalities and develop transformative devices from these quantum nanomaterials with applications in sustainable computing, energy, and environmental solutions. Recent breakthroughs from the Ma group include the discovery of a new material enabling high-speed, energy-efficient computing, the development of cutting-edge energy-efficient AI hardware, and the creation of a novel device capable of harvesting ambient electromagnetic waves to power sensors.

Prof. Ma was a core local co-organizer for the 2024 APS Northeast Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP), held at Boston College from January 19鈥�21, 2024. The event, which hosted over 200 participants, received substantial support from the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society. As a Schiller Faculty Affiliate, Prof. Ma is committed to strengthening connections between Physics and the Schiller Institute. Her efforts will extend beyond research to include media engagement and outreach initiatives, aiming to enhance the impact of physics and integrated sciences at Boston College. She is also dedicated to improving the representation of women in physics by leveraging the resources and networks of the Schiller community.

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C. Shawn McGuffey, Ph.D., is Professor of Sociology and past Director of African & African Diaspora Studies at Boston College.听 A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Dr. McGuffey鈥檚 professional work primarily highlights how race, gender, sexuality and social class both constrain and create the choices survivors pursue in the aftermath of trauma in the U.S. and throughout the African Diaspora.听 He is currently exploring the intersection of race, gender, geography and environment with Black communities living in both landlocked and oceanic/coastal topographies.

Professor McGuffey was first involved with the Schiller Institute as a steering member on its environmental racism webinar task force and has since served as a member of a Schiller Core Faculty search committee; 鈥淚 love interdisciplinary work and I think Schiller just gets it. We all talk about interdisciplinary work and I think Schiller does it well.鈥澨�

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Daniel J. McKaughan is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Boston College.听 Dan grew up in Oregon and studied chemistry and biology at the University of Oregon before pursuing his doctorate in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Notre Dame, where he was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and, subsequently, a Sorin Postdoctoral Fellow. Dan has published articles in journals such as Philosophy of Science, Isis, Biology and Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Science on a wide range of topics in philosophy of science, philosophy of biology, epistemology, philosophy of language, philosophy of religion, science and values, American pragmatism, and the historical foundations of molecular biology.听 Most recently, he has been thinking and writing about the nature, value, and rationality of faith and faithfulness. He is co-editor, with Holly Vande Wall, of (Bloomsbury, 2018) and of a forthcoming three volume series History and Philosophy of Western Science: From Antiquity to the 19th Century.

Philosophers of science get to ask and try to answer really cool questions about science as a human activity which scientists themselves don鈥檛 often try directly to answer as part of their professional work鈥攓uestions such as: Can we theorize a role for values in science without compromising its objectivity? What is the nature of truth? What makes an inquiry, its theories, and its results scientific or non-scientific? What ethical responsibilities do scientists have to each other and to the public, and how ought these shape their scientific activities? How can scientists communicate science effectively, so as to increase public trust in its claims? And what exactly is trust, anyway? One of the courses Dan regularly teaches is New Scientific Visions I & II (Perspectives IV:听 History & Philosophy of Science), an intensive year-long introduction to the history and philosophy of science emphasizes engagement with primary sources (e.g., Aristotle, Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, Darwin, and Einstein).

Professor McKaughan has served on several job search committees for several senior level hires at the Schiller Institute and also as a grant collaborator a Schiller Institute Grant for Exploratory Collaborative Scholarship (SIGECS) as part of an interdisciplinary Team at Boston College: Liane Young & Isaac Handley-Miner (Psychology and Neuroscience), Daniel McKaughan & Richard Atkins (Philosophy), and Mo Jang (Communications). He has also partnered with several teams of psychologists for work on other grants.

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The focus of George Mohler鈥檚 research is the development and application of statistical and machine learning methods for solving

problems in criminal justice and public health. Several current projects in Mohler鈥檚 lab include modeling the impact of law

enforcement drug seizures on overdose, assessing the impact of gunshot detection technology on reducing gun violence, and

modeling viral processes in coupled online-offline systems.

At the Schiller Institute, Professor Mohler has served on the Data Science and Faculty Search committees.

Babak Momeni's research is under the broader umbrella of microbial ecology and focuses on harnessing microbial potentials for applications in health, industry, and the environment. Current research activities include investigating how human nasal microbiota can protect us from diseases, discovering and using microbes to remove food contaminants and achieve food safety, and employing special bacteria to recycle lithium-ion batteries. The laboratory employs an interdisciplinary approach, combining mathematical modeling, computational analysis, and experimental investigations.

Professor Momeni is a former recipient of a collaborative SIGECS award and is committed to expanding cross-disciplinary links within the Boston College community to address important societal challenges.

Gergana Nenkov is a behavioral scientist whose research is focused on understanding and helping improve the sustainable behaviors of consumers and firms at the acquisition (e.g., buying sustainable products, buying second-hand products, limiting consumption) and disposal (e.g., recycling, upcycling, repair) stages of the consumer decision journey. She teaches an undergraduate course at CSOM entitled: Sustainable Behavior of Consumers, Firms, and Societies. Prof. Nenkov was a first involved at the Schiller Institute as a member of the Boston College delegation to the United Nations 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) Convention on Climate Change in 2023.

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Mar铆a Fernanda Pi帽eros Lea帽o, PhD, MSW, MPH is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at Boston College. A native of Bogot谩, Colombia, Dr. Pi帽eros鈥� work focuses on addressing mental health disparities among Latina immigrant women globally. She does this by working closely with community members in the development and implementation of culturally- relevant mental health interventions.

Dr. Pi帽eros Lea帽o has been involved with the Schiller Institute since 2022, when she attended COP27 as part of the delegation from Boston College. Dr. Pi帽eros Lea帽o has also been part of the COP selection committee. Trained in transdisciplinary science, Dr. Pi帽eros Lea帽o highly values integrated efforts to address complex societal issues.

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Fazel Tafti is a condensed matter physicist specialized in quantum materials. His research group operates at the nexus of physics, chemistry, and materials science, with a focus on designing novel materials for quantum sensing and quantum information technologies. His work also extends to energy-related and sustainability-focused materials, including magnetocaloric and superconducting compounds. These efforts align closely with the Schiller Institute's core research themes in energy and the environment.听

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Brittney van de Water鈥檚 research aims to improve health equity through nursing research in TB and HIV implementation science and global health systems strengthening. Most of her research takes place in sub-Saharan Africa with multiple studies being implemented in the Eastern Cape, South Africa and a precepting program aimed at increasing confidence and competence among nurses and midwives being implemented in Malawi and Sierra Leone through her role as Associate Director of Pediatric Nursing at Seed Global Health. Professor van de Water has had a SI-RITEA grant funded through the Schiller Institute and she currently serves on their search committee. She is committed to interdisciplinary education and is trained in nursing science, global health, implementation science and pediatric TB epidemiology.

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Sandra Waddock is Galligan Chair of Strategy, Carroll School Scholar of Corporate Responsibility, and Professor of Management in the Boston College Carroll School of Management. Author of more than 200 papers and chapters, she has published 16 books, the latest of which is : Making System Change Happen. A member of the IPBES (Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) Transformative Change Assessment, Waddock focuses on how transformational change towards flourishing ecological and social (eco-social) systems for all, including both humans and nature, can be brought about. Her work emphasizes many aspects of such transformative changing, including eco-social imaginaries, shifting strategic management practice, and stewardship of whole systems, among others. Waddock's work is interdisciplinary in its nature and fits well with the focus of Schiler.

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Liane Young is the Director of the Morality Lab in the Psychology & Neuroscience Department at Boston College. Her lab investigates the cognitive and neural mechanisms that support human social cognition, with a focus on moral judgment and decision making. Current research areas include: intergenerational concern and empathy; perceptions of public virtue and virtue discounting; the impact of social norms on prosocial behaviors; the influence of complex social identities on intergroup attitudes; the role of essentialism in attitudes toward marginalized groups; factors that shape how people think about what is true. The Morality Lab uses the tools of social psychology and neuroscience, including online surveys, fMRI, and computational methods, to address questions in these areas, and leverages research insights to develop interventions for social change in collaboration with field partners.听

The lab鈥檚 work on the psychology of truth, in collaboration with scholars in philosophy and communication, has been generously supported by the Schiller Institute. Professor Young has also partnered with the Institute on a line of research aimed at understanding the impact of engagement in interdisciplinary work on intellectual humility. The Morality Lab has also collaborated with scholars on campus and beyond in philosophy, theology, communication, political science, counseling, education, computer science, management and organization, and law. Visit to learn more.

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