Among the 21 new faculty members to join The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) for fall 2025 are, front row, left to right, Bhaskar Gaur, Purva Diwanji, Amanda Markert, Zahra “Ideh” Kashefineyshaburi, Yue Xiao, Joshua Tonkel, Ryan Reynolds and Shauna Bowes, and back row, left to right, Daniel Krenn, Bailey Phillips, Derek Koehl, Jonathan Blakely, Abdullah Yildizbasi, Farhan Majid, April Urban, Sergio Garduno and Philip Burton.
Eirian Waldron | UAH
The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) welcomes 21 new faculty members to its ranks as the 2025-26 academic year begins with the start of classes on Aug. 20. UAH is a part of The University of Alabama System.
“We’re delighted to bring these exceptional new faculty members into the UAH family,” said UAH Provost Dr. David Puleo. “By choosing to work alongside our current outstanding faculty, they demonstrate a shared dedication to academic excellence. We look forward to providing them with the resources and support they need to thrive.
“These talented educators, researchers and scholars will enrich their students’ educational experience while pushing the boundaries of knowledge and innovation in their fields. Their contributions will strengthen our university and create lasting benefits for the wider community.”
More information about the new faculty members is available in the Fall 2025 New Faculty Welcome Booklet on the New Faculty Orientation page on the UAH website.
Here they are listed by college along with their department, title, specialty and the beginning of these roles at UAH:
College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
- Shauna Bowes, psychology, assistant professor, human factors or clinical/counseling psychology, fall 2025
- L. Sergio Garduno, sociology, assistant professor, criminology and quantitative methods, fall 2025
- Zahra “Ideh” Kashefineyshaburi; art, art history and design; assistant professor; graphic design; fall 2025
- Gray Kochhar-Lindgren; art, art history and design; Visiting Eminent Scholar in the Humanities and Visiting Professor of Philosophy; humanities; fall 2025
- Derek Koehl, interdisciplinary studies program, lecturer, spring 2026
- Daniel Krenn, psychology, clinical assistant professor, psychology, fall 2025
- Matthew Bailey Phillips, film and media arts, lecturer, film and video production, fall 2025
- Ryan Reynolds, history, assistant professor, intelligence and security history, fall 2025
- Joshua Tonkel, history, lecturer, U.S. 19th/early 20th century history, fall 2025
College of Business
- Valentina Iscaro, management, clinical associate professor, management/entrepreneurship, fall 2025
- M. Farhan Majid, economics, assistant professor, economics, fall 2025
- Abdullah Yildizbasi, management science, clinical associate professor, management science, fall 2025
College of Engineering
- Jonathan Blakely, electrical and computer engineering, assistant professor, electrical engineering, fall 2025
- Bhaskar Gaur, electrical and computer engineering, assistant professor, electrical engineering, fall 2025
- Yue Xiao, mechanical and aerospace engineering, assistant professor, mechanical and aerospace engineering/plasma science, fall 2025
Salmon Library
- April Urban, lecturer and librarian II, October 2024
College of Nursing
- Yeow Chye Ng, nursing, professor and associate dean of graduate programs, fall 2025
College of Science
- Philip Burton, mathematics, lecturer, mathematics, fall 2025
- Purva Diwanji, engineering technology, clinical assistant professor, engineering technology, fall 2025
- Amanda Markert, atmospheric and earth science, lecturer, atmospheric and earth science – remote sensing, Geographic Information System, fall 2025
- Kimberly Xu, computer science, clinical assistant professor, cyber teaching, fall 2025