Our People

Under the leadership of the Center's Senior Director, a wide range of people contribute to the Searle Center's work. We work with colleagues around campus, around the country, and around the world on a variety of teaching-and-learning projects.

Our Staff

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Our staff are skilled scholars and professionals with tremendous experience in learning and teaching. We take pride in working alongside Northwestern University faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate student instructors, and educational support staff.

Lauri Dietz

Director of Pedagogy and Assessment

847.467.2271

lauridietz@northwestern.edu

Lauri Dietz's Bio

Denise Drane

Senior Associate Director of Research and Innovation

847.491.2628

d-drane@northwestern.edu

Denise Drane's Bio

Lina Rombalsky Eskew

Senior Assistant Director of Assessment

847.467.6289

lina.eskew@northwestern.edu

Lina Rombalsky Eskew's Bio

Laura Ferdinand

Assistant Director of Content and Communications

847.491.5676

laura.ferdinand@northwestern.edu

Laura Ferdinand's Bio

Kate Flom Derrick

Assistant Director of Reflective Pedagogy

847.491.3106

kate.flomderrick@northwestern.edu

Kate Flom Derrick's Bio

Jennifer Keys

Senior Director of the Searle Center

847.467.4415

jennifer.keys@northwestern.edu

Jennifer Keys's Bio

Erika Nadile

Assistant Director of STEM Education

847.467.1163

Erika.Nadile@Northwestern.edu

Erika Nadile's Bio

Dreana Rubel

Center Manager

847.467.6778

d-rubel@northwestern.edu

Dreana Rubel's Bio

Eun Sandoval-Lee

Assistant Director of Learning and Teaching

eun.sandoval-lee@northwestern.edu

Eun Sandoval-Lee's Bio

Joshua Watson

Assistant Director of Engaged Learning

847.491.2181

joshua.watson@northwestern.edu

Joshua Watson's Bio

Veronica Womack

Associate Director of High-Impact Teaching

847.467.3046

veronica.womack@northwestern.edu

Veronica Womack's Bio

Maya Mei Wong

Administrative Aide

MayaWong2027@u.northwestern.edu

Maya Mei Wong's Bio

Searle Fellows

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Since 1999, the Searle Fellows program has been a university-wide initiative for early career research- and teaching-line faculty with the mission to cultivate a community of learning & teaching leaders at Northwestern who exemplify excellence and benefit from a shared year-long experience of pedagogical experimentation, critical reflection, and joyful celebration.

The 2025-26 Searle Fellows

Looking for past fellows?

We have an archive list that dates back to 1999.

David Barton

Assistant Professor, Materials Science and Engineering

dbarton@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Lincoln Lauhon

Sruti Bhagavatula

Assistant Professor of Instruction, Computer Science

srutib@northwestern.edu

Mentor: not applicable

Lindsey Block

Lecturer, Obstetrics and Gynecology

lindsey.block@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Monica Laronda

James Brucker

Searle Fellows Small Group Facilitator; Director of Educational Media and Design, Feinberg School of Medicine

Mentor: not applicable

Moses Chan

Assistant Professor of Instruction, Industrial Engineering & Management Sciences

moses.chan@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Jill Wilson

Joaquin Cury

Research Assistant Professor, Otolaryngology

joaquin.cury@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Claus-Peter Richter

Bihter Esener

Assistant Professor, Art History

besener@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Caroline Egan

Michael Fagen

Searle Fellows Distinguished Faculty Mentor; Professor Emeritus, Preventive Medicine

michael.fagen@northwestern.edu

Mentor: not applicable

Jennifer Fowlie

Assistant Professor, Materials Science and Engineering

jfowlie@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Chris Wolverton

Alyssa Garcia

Associate Professor of Instruction, Gender and Sexuality Studies

alyssadgarcia@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Héctor Carrillo

Lauren Jackson

Assistant Professor, English

lauren.jackson@northwestern.edu

Mentor: not applicable

Christian Malapit

Assistant Professor, Chemistry

christian.malapit@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Regan Thomson

Mary McBride

Searle Fellows Small Group Facilitator; Professor, Pediatrics (Cardiology), Medical Education

Mentor: not applicable

Nicole Meredyth

Assistant Professor, Surgery

nicole.meredyth@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Angira Patel

Darcie Moeller

Adjunct Lecturer, Medical Social Sciences

darcie.moeller@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Bing Chang

Alex Polzin

Clinical Assistant Professor, Earth, Environmental, & Planetary Sciences

alexander.polzin@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Brad Sageman

Maria Pyra

Assistant Professor, Medical Social Sciences

maria.pyra@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Arend Kuyper

Ziyou Ren

Assistant Professor, Dermatology

ziyou.ren@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Amy Paller

Diane Saunders

Research Assistant Professor, Pediatrics

diane.saunders@northwestern.edu

Mentor: not applicable

Charif Shanahan

Assistant Professor, English

charif.shanahan@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Rebecca Johnson

Lizhen Shi

Assistant Professor of Instruction, Statistics and Data Science

lshi@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Arend Kuyper

Sean Sinclair

Assistant Professor, Industrial Engineering & Management Sciences

sean.sinclair@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Jill Wilson

Matt Smith

Instructor, Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences

matthew.smith@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Chamille Lescott

Dayne Swearer

Assistant Professor, Chemistry

dayne@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Joshua Leonard

Abbe Walker

Assistant Professor of Instruction, Classics

abbe.walker@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Francesca Tataranni

Robert Ward

Assistant Professor of Instruction, Cook Family Writing Program

robert.ward@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Michael Spikes

Stephen Xia

Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering

stephen.xia@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Russ Joseph

Jesse Yeh

Assistant Professor of Instruction, Legal Studies

jesse.yeh@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Laura Beth Nielsen

Distinguished Fellows

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Searle Center Distinguished Fellows

Recipients of the University Teaching Awards become Distinguished Fellows of the Searle Center, amplifying exemplary teaching practices through public engagements and enriching the Center’s work with their unique perspectives and approaches.

Masi Asare

Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence

Michael Beltran

Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Lecturer

Thomas Bozza

Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence

Barbara Butts

Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Professor of Instruction

Melissa Foster

Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Professor of Instruction

Ben Gorvine

Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Professor of Instruction

Mei-Ling Hopgood

Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Clinical Professor

Brent E. Huffman

The Alumnae of Northwestern Teaching Professor

Daniel Immerwahr

Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence

Ilya Mikhelson

Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Professor of Instruction

Cynthia Nazarian

Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence

Elizabeth Norton

Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence

Aaron Peterson

Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Professor of Instruction

Reuel Rogers

Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence

Lilah Shapiro

Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Professor of Instruction

Amy Stanley

Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence

Shirin Vossoughi

Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence

Grad & Postdoc Collaborators

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Graduate and Postdoc collaborators include:

Logan Fenimore

Graduate Student

Chemical & Biological Engineering

About Logan Fenimore:

Logan participates as a Peer Session Leader at the Academic Kickoff and in the Graduate Teaching Fellows and Formative Feedback Partners programs.

Gerpha Gerlin

Graduate Student

Anthropology

About Gerpha Gerlin:

Gerpha participates in the Graduate Teaching Fellows and Formative Feedback Partners programs

Olabanke Goriola

Graduate Student

Performance Studies

About Olabanke Goriola:

Olabanke participates in the Reflective Teaching Guide program within Reflective & Effective Teaching.

Christina Hemmingsen

Graduate Student

Chemistry

About Christina Hemmingsen:

Christina participates as a Peer Session Leader at the Academic Kickoff and in the Graduate Teaching Fellows program.

Jennifer Lin

Graduate Student

Political Science

About Jennifer Lin:

Jennifer is a Formative Feedback Partner.

María Palacio

Graduate Student

Spanish & Portuguese

About María Palacio:

Maria participates as as a Peer Session Leader at the Academic Kickoff and in the Reflective Teaching Guide program within Reflective & Effective Teaching.