Seven new faculty will be teaching at Knox during the 2020-2021 school year—each one adding an array of knowledge, expertise, and teaching experience. Meet the new members of the Knox College faculty. 

Ritwik Bose
Visiting Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Bose received a Ph.D. in computer science from University of Rochester, where he also received his second master of science degree in 2014. In 2010, Bose completed a B.A. at Colgate University in both computer science and mathematics. His teaching interests include natural language processing and semantic parsing. 

Jessa Dahl ’10
Visiting Instructor of History

Dahl is a Ph.D. candidate in history at the University of Chicago. After receiving her B.A. from Knox College in history and Asian Studies, she went on to earn an M.A. in social sciences at the University of Chicago in 2012. Dahl’s teaching interests include the history of East Asia, world history of gender and sexuality, transnational/global history, history of colonialism, historiography and historical research methodology, and urban history/history of space. 

Amelia Goranson ’14
Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology

After receiving a B.A. in psychology from Knox College in 2014, Goranson completed a Ph.D. in social psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2020. Her teaching interests include social psychology, morality, and mind perception.

Mary Lyons
Visiting Assistant Professor of Educational Studies

Lyons completed a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction at University of Illinois in the summer of 2020. In 2012, she received an M.S. in elementary education at Western Illinois University, following a B.A. in elementary education from Monmouth College in 2007. Lyons’ teaching interests include early education and development, pedagogical approaches, instructional models, and assessment practices.

Vera Kazakova
Visiting Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Kazakova received all three of her degrees in computer science at the University of Central Florida. She received her Ph.D. in 2020, after earning her M.S. in 2014, and her B.S. in 2011. Kazakova’s teaching interests include multi-agent systems and evolutionary computation.

Mark Slabodnick
Assistant Professor of Biology

Slabodnick comes to Knox College with experience as an instructor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He completed his Ph.D. in biology from the University of California in 2014, and earned a B.S. in the same field from The Ohio State University in 2007. His teaching interests include cell biology, microscopy, molecular biology, and genetics.

Patricia Xi
Assistant Professor of Psychology

Xi starts her career at Knox with experience as an instructor at both Denison University and Chapman University. She completed a Ph.D. in psychology at Claremont Graduate University in 2019, an M.A. in psychology at Boston University in 2012, and a B.A. in psychology from Whitman College in 2011. Xi’s teaching interests include cognitive psychology, memory, language, aging, cognitive aging, and adulthood.