College of Science Welcomes New Faculty Members
October 04, 2024
This fall, the LSU College of Science is thrilled to welcome new faculty members across five departments, each bringing unique expertise and fresh perspectives to our community. These talented individuals will contribute to advancing research, enriching student experiences, and fostering innovation within their respective fields. Learn more about our new colleagues below, and be sure to extend a warm LSU welcome as they join our vibrant academic community!
Biological Sciences
Daniel Powell – Assistant Professor
Dr. Daniel Powell earned his bachelor’s degree from Southeastern Louisiana University
and his PhD from Texas A&M University after which he was a postdoctoral scholar at
Stanford University. His research focuses on how the mechanisms of sexual selection
act on reproductive isolation between species. He approaches this broad question from
both a behavioral ecology as well as a population genomics perspective using both
wild populations and laboratory colonies of swordtail fish species (Xiphophorus) known
to hybridize in the wild.
Fabio Mendes – Assistant Professor
Dr. Fabio Mendes obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Universidade de
São Paulo (Brazil) and his PhD in evolutionary biology from Indiana University, Bloomington.
In the following years, Dr. Mendes carried out his postdoctoral work first at the
University of Auckland in New Zealand, and then at Washington University in St. Louis.
His research interests lie in the phenomenon of speciation: when, why, how often,
and where it has happened. Dr. Mendes addresses these questions by developing (and
using) statistical methods that integrate genomic, morphological, biogeographic and
fossil data from variety of groups including turtles, octopuses, fruit flies, coffee,
and primates.
Nathan Gilbert – Assistant Professor
Dr. Nathan Gilbert began his college career at LSU as an undergraduate in the Fall
of 2001. His enthusiasm for LSU and the college of science culminated in a PhD in
Biochemistry being awarded in 2011. Dr. Gilbert than worked as a post-doctoral fellow
at Vanderbilt Medical Center for four years under the guidance of Dr. Tina Iverson
and Dr. Rich Breyer. The start-up biotech environment was Dr. Gilbert's next stop
where he utilized new pharmacology instrumentation that aided in drug-binding quantification
for many big Pharma companies. Dr. Gilbert returned to academia as a beamline manager
at the LSU's synchrotron (CAMD) and initiated his own independent research as a research
assistant professor. Dr. Gilbert was then hired by the Department of Biological Sciences
as a tenure-track assistant professor in Biochemistry.
Sydney Moyo – Assistant Professor
Dr. Sydney Moyo earned his PhD in Zoology from Rhodes University (Makhanda, South
Africa). Before joining LSU, he was an Assistant Professor of Biology at Rhodes College.
He is a community ecologist —a scientist who studies the interactions between plants
and animals — who explores food web dynamics in freshwater and coastal ecosystems
in the Gulf of Mexico and all over the world. Specifically, his research uses fatty
acids and other biochemical biomarkers to explore species’ ecological responses to
environmental stressors (e.g., oil spills and climate change) and to evaluate the
ecological implications of restoration efforts on ecosystem function.
Flavia A. Montaño-Centellas – Assistant Professor
Born and raised in the Tropical Andes, Dr. Montaño-Centellas is an interdisciplinary
ecologist with a broad interest in tropical ecology and conservation. She earned a
PhD in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida and was a
postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Daijian Li's lab at LSU. Her research explores the
patterns and processes behind biodiversity across spatial scales in various taxa,
as well as the role of species traits and interactions in shaping diversity.
Chemistry
Rabi Musah – Patrick F. Taylor Endowed Chair in Environmental Chemistry
Dr. Rabi Musah earned her Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Arkansas
in 1995, completed a postdoctoral fellowship at The Scripps Research Institute from
1994 to 1998, and joined the faculty at the State University of New York at Albany.
Prof. Musah brings a wealth of knowledge and research expertise in environmental chemistry,
plant defense mechanisms, forensic science, and STEM education. Her interdisciplinary
research combines innovative mass spectrometry techniques with a commitment to solving
real-world environmental, health, and forensic-related challenges.
Pu Duan – Assistant Professor
Dr. Pu Duan earned his B.S. in chemistry from Fudan University in 2014 and his Ph.D.
from Brandeis University in 2019, focusing on solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance
(SSNMR) techniques for characterizing disordered materials. He conducted postdoctoral
research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, applying biological SSNMR to
study the structure of pathogenic amyloid fibrils and plant cell walls, including
the high-resolution characterization of Tau filaments linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
At LSU, Dr. Duan aims to use SSNMR to investigate bacterial biofilms, contributing
to the understanding and developing strategies against biofilm-related infections.
Geology & Geophysics
Eirini Poulaki – Assistant Professor
Dr. Eirini Poulaki earned her bachelor’s degree at the National and Kapodistrian University
of Athens, Greece, and her Master and PhD at the University of Texas at Austin. She
did her postdoc at the University of Washington and Scripps Institution of Oceanography
at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Poulaki’s research is focused on the
structural, metamorphic, and geochronological processes in the lithosphere and their
impact on the plate tectonic cycle and natural hazards.
Brandon Shuck – Assistant Professor
Dr. Brandon Shuck is a solid-earth geophysicist who studies the structure and evolution
of the Earth’s lithosphere at tectonic plate boundaries and the processes that control
geologic hazards. He earned bachelor’s degrees in geology and mathematics with honors
from Western Colorado University, a PhD in geosciences from the University of Texas
at Austin, and was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
of Columbia University before joining LSU.
Mathematics
Michael Novack – Assistant Professor
Dr. Michael Novack joined the Math Department as an Assistant Professor, with research
interests in the calculus of variations, geometric measure theory, and partial differential
equations. His work focuses on exploring the mathematical foundations and applications
of these areas. Before joining LSU, Novack held postdoctoral positions at Carnegie
Mellon University, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Connecticut.
He completed his doctoral studies at Indiana University.
Physics & Astronomy
Constantin R. Schrade – Assistant Professor
Dr. Constantin Schrade earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics from
ETH Zurich and his PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Basel in Switzerland.
Dr. Schrade is the Principal Investigator of the “Theory of Quantum Circuits & Materials”
group, focusing on the vibrant intersection of superconducting quantum circuits and
quantum materials. More specifically, the research group is interested in developing
novel superconducting qubits and Josephson devices with applications in quantum information
processing and superconducting electronics. The group maintains active collaborations
with many experimental labs. Current research topics include voltage-tunable superconducting
qubits, novel qubit control protocols, quantum-limited amplifiers, Josephson diodes,
and triple hybrid materials that combine superconductors, ferromagnets, and semiconductors
Non-tenure Track
Biological Sciences
Alexandra Easley – Instructor
Zehua Zhou – Teaching Associate 3
Geology & Geophysics
Emily A Wei – Assistant Professor-Research
Mathematics
Jonathan Gardner – Instructor