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. At the Searle Center. we take pride in working alongside Northwestern University faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate student instructors, and educational support staff.

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

Daisy Haas

Assistant Director of STEM Education

daisy.haas@northwestern.edu

Daisy Haas's Bio

Jennifer Keys

Senior Director of the Searle Center

847.467.4415

jennifer.keys@northwestern.edu

Jennifer Keys's Bio

Dreana Rubel

Center Manager

847.467.6778

d-rubel@northwestern.edu

Dreana Rubel's Bio

Greg Siering

Director of Pedagogy and Curricular Development

847.467.2271

greg.siering@northwestern.edu

Greg Siering'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.

Heidi Bai

Research Assistant Professor, Otolaryngology

junqin.bai@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Anju Peters

James Brucker

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

Mentor: not applicable

Ashley Budd

Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology

ashley.budd@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Heather A. Ballard

Giorgia Chinazzo

Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering

giorgia.chinazzo@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Amanda Stathopoulos

Federico Ciardo

Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Searle Fellow federico.ciardo@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Sinan Keten

Mariana De Niz

Research Assistant Professor, Cell and Developmental Biology

mariana.denizhidalgo@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Timothy Lane

Michael Fagen

Searle Fellows Distinguished Faculty Mentor; Professor Emeritus, Preventive Medicine

michael.fagen@northwestern.edu

Mentor: not applicable

Jesse Gordon

Assistant Professor, Chemistry

jbgordon@northwestern.edu

Mentor: William Dichtel

Kara Ingelhart

Clinical Assistant Professor, Law

kara.ingelhart@law.northwestern.edu

Mentor: Peter DiCola

Carolyn Keller

Lecturer, Integrated Marketing Communications

carolyn.keller@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Michelle Weinberger

Lucy Morse

Assistant Professor, Neurology

lucy.morse@northwestern.edu

Mentor: n / a

Diego Pinto

Assistant Professor of Instruction, Music Education

diego.pinto@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Steven Morrison

Matthew J. Rudolph

Instructor, Family and Community Medicine

matthew.rudolph@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Laurie Aluce

Chiara Sotis

Assistant Professor of Instruction, Economics

chiara.sotis@northwestern.edu

Mentor: James Hornsten

Lisa Volpatti

Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering & Chemical and Biological Engineering

volpatti@northwestern.edu

Mentor: David O'Neill

Li Wang

Research Assistant Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

li.wang1@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Daniel Foltz

Shih-Ting Christine Wang

Assistant Professor, Materials Science and Engineering

stwang@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Jonathan Emery

Nicole Wilson

Assistant Professor, Political Science

nwilson@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Wendy Pearlman

Bo Zhang

Assistant Professor of Instruction, Earth, Environmental, & Planetary Sciences

bozhang@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Rosemary Bush

Yiji Zhang

Associate Professor of Instruction, Computer Science

yiji.zhang@northwestern.edu

Mentor: Christopher Riesbeck

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

Barbara Butts

Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Professor of Instruction

Jonathan Emery

Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Associate Professor of Instruction

Caitlin Fitz

Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence

Ben Gorvine

Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Professor of Instruction

Mei-Ling Hopgood

Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Clinical Professor

Michael Horn

Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence

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

Yumi Shiojima

Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Professor of Instruction

Peter Slevin

Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Professor

Grad & Postdoc Collaborators

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Graduate and Postdoc collaborators include:

Lucas Camara

PhD Student

Political Science

About Lucas Camara:

Lucas participates in the Graduate Teaching Fellows and Academic Kickoff Peer Session Leaders programs.

Hannah GS Injamuri

PhD Student

Christian Education and Congregational Studies

About Hannah GS Injamuri:

Hannah participates in the Reflective Teaching Guides program.

Ouxun Jiang

PhD Student

Psychology

About Ouxun Jiang:

Ouxun participates in the Reflective Teaching Guides program.

Assa Magassa

Graduate Student

Chemistry

About Assa Magassa:

Assa participates in the Graduate Teaching Fellows program.

Grayce Mores

PhD Student

Driskill Graduate Program

About Grayce Mores:

Grayce participates in the Graduate Teaching Fellows and Academic Kickoff Peer Session Leaders programs.

Sharath Narayan

PhD Student

Driskill Graduate Program

About Sharath Narayan:

Sarath participates in the Graduate Teaching Fellows and Academic Kickoff Peer Session Leaders programs.

Kahlil Oatis

PhD Student

Black Studies

About Kahlil Oatis:

Kahlil participates in the Graduate Teaching Fellows and Academic Kickoff Peer Session Leaders programs.

Hannah Reynolds

PhD Student

History

About Hannah Reynolds:

Hannah participates in the Graduate Teaching Fellows and Academic Kickoff Peer Session Leaders programs.

Pia Rodriguez

PhD Student

Musicology

About Pia Rodriguez:

Pia participates in the Reflective Teaching Guides program.

Sierra Rosetta

PhD Student

Theatre and Drama

About Sierra Rosetta:

Sierra participates in the Graduate Teaching Fellows and Academic Kickoff Peer Session Leaders programs.

Janvi Subramanyan

PhD Student

Psychology

About Janvi Subramanyan:

Janvi participates in the Reflective Teaching Guides and Academic Kickoff Peer Session Leaders programs.