Eight full-time tenure-track faculty members enrich the Mudd community with their expertise and interests.

Anna N. Ahn, Assistant Professor of Biology (previously 2004/05 visiting assistant professor)
B.S., Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Research: Her research focuses on the neural control and mechanics of animal locomotion by examining the neural signals sent to muscles and how the different levels of musculoskeletal organization respond to these signals.
Up Close and Personal: Ahn enjoys running, tennis and traveling to the tropics for scuba diving.

Christine Alvarado, Assistant Professor of Computer Science
A.B., Dartmouth; S.M., Ph.D., MIT
Research: Alvarado’s research interests lie in the conjunction of artificial intelligence and human computer interaction, particularly in the technical challenges of building intelligent interfaces.
Up Close and Personal: At MIT, Alvarado was co-captain of the women’s ice hockey team, and was on the masters swim team and in the triathalon club.

Sarah Harris, Assistant Professor of Engineering (previously 2004/05 visiting assistant professor)
B.S., Brigham Young University; M.S., Ph.D., Stanford
Research: Harris studies computer architecture, with particular emphasis on multiprocessor systems, memory and system design.
Up Close and Personal: Harris is fluent in German and Spanish and can converse in Mandarin Chinese. She has a black belt in Taekwondo and enjoys outdoor activities like windsurfing, climbing and tennis.

Nancy K. Lape, Assistant Professor of Engineering
B.S., University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Ph.D., University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Research: During her post-doctoral fellowship at Laboratoire des Sciences du Chimique in Nancy, France, she conducted research into novel methods for carbon dioxide capture based on polymer absorption and taught courses in chemical product design. She also studies chemical product design, the barrier behavior of skin, and diffusion in micro- and nanophase systems.
Up Close and Personal: Lape recently ran her third marathon, and likes hiking, literature, singing, cooking and speaking French.

Susan E. Martonosi, Assistant Professor of Mathematics
B.S., Cornell University; Ph.D., MIT
Research: Her research interests are in stochastic and optimization models for problems in the public sector, including homeland security, health care, education and public safety.
Up Close and Personal: Martonosi was a high school mathematics teacher with the Peace Corps in the Republic of Guinea, where she learned (two foreign languages). She enjoys Senegalese sabar drumming, running, swimming and playing piano.

Debra Mashek, Assistant Professor of Psychology
B.S., Nebraska Wesleyan University; M.A., Ph.D., State University of New York at Stony Brook
Research: Her current research on the psychology of relationships addresses questions such as: What are the causes and consequences of feeling “too close” to romantic partners? and How do jail inmates manage potentially competing allegiances to the criminal community and the community at large?
Up Close and Personal: Mashek practices yoga, attends dance concerts and enjoys exploring cultures.

Christopher D. Tirres, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies
A.B., Princeton; M.T.S., Harvard Divinity School; M.A., Ph.D., Harvard University
Research: His dissertation was entitled “Transforming the Everyday: The Aesthetic and Ethical Dimensions of John Dewey’s Theory of Religious Experience.”
Up Close and Personal: Tirres said he enjoys running, swimming, music, and, most important of all, raising two small kids.

David A. Vosburg, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
B.A., Williams College; Ph.D., The Scripps Research Institute
Research: His current area of study is the biomimetic synthesis of medicinal natural products with an emphasis on interesting cyclization reactions. While at Scripps Research Institute, he synthesized two antitumor agents.
Up Close and Personal: Vosburg’s hobbies and interests include theology, movies, role-playing games, basketball, hiking and camping.

In addition to the eight tenure-track faculty, Andrea Loettgers joined the HMC faculty as the Hixon-Riggs Visiting Professor of Science, Technology and Society. From Caltech, Loettgers received a three-year research grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation for her project, “Historical and Epistemological Investigation of the Development and Application of Computer Simulations: Neural Networks and Spin-glasses.” She has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Göttingen.