UAH welcomes 30 new faculty members as classes begin for fall 2026 semester

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) welcomes 30 new faculty members at the start of the 2026-27 academic year. They include, front row, left to right, Danielle Ford, Timothy McCorry, Juyoung Park, Einaam Alim, Xiaokang Wang, Lorenzo Federici and Sukrith Dev; middle row, left to right, E. Yuji Jones, Pamela Manasco, Xin Li, Autumn Wakefield, Grace Carlisle, Allison Ruzicka, Josephine Jackson, Tianyou Bao and Justin Clay; and back row, left to right, Ferrell Horn, Addison Pond, Mark Williams, John Morris, Matthew Van Den Broeke, Lee Ellenburg, Xin An and Yizhou Liu.

Michael Mercier | UAH

Thirty new faculty members have joined the academic ranks at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) for the fall 2026 semester, which begins with the start of classes on Aug. 19. UAH is a part of The University of Alabama System.

“We’re thrilled you are here,” said UAH Provost Dr. David Puleo, executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “You have joined a remarkable community of faculty who are outstanding educators, creative scholars, and engaged contributors to the world around them. That you chose UAH says something important about your ambitions, and we intend to make the most of this partnership.

“We are genuinely invested in your success. Through your teaching, you will shape the trajectories of our students’ lives; through your research, scholarship, and creative work, you will advance knowledge and strengthen the community and world we share. Those contributions matter, and the Office of Academic Affairs is here to support you at every stage.”

New faculty members are listed by college along with their department, title and the beginning of these roles at UAH. More details are available in the Fall 2026 New Faculty Welcome Booklet on the New Faculty Orientation page on the UAH website.

College of Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences

• Justin Clay, Art, Art History, and Design, lecturer, Aug. 5, 2026
• Marissa Hartwig, Psychology, assistant professor, Aug. 5, 2026
• Ferrell Horn, Office of Intelligence and Security, clinical assistant professor and director of the Office of Intelligence and Security, Oct. 1, 2025
• Ethan Yuji Jones, Music, Theatre, and Film, visiting assistant professor and director of bands, Aug. 5, 2026
• Yizhou “Louis” Liu, Psychology, assistant professor, Aug. 5, 2026
• Pamela Manasco, English, lecturer, Aug. 5, 2026
• Nate Tenhundfeld, Psychology, associate professor, Dec. 23, 2026
• Mark Williams, Theatre, assistant professor, Aug. 5, 2026

College of Education, Sport, and Human Sciences

• Xin Li, Curriculum and Instruction, assistant professor, Aug. 5, 2026
• Addison Pond, Kinesiology, assistant professor, Aug. 5, 2026

College of Engineering

• Mohammad Einaam Alim, Electrical and Computer Engineering, lecturer, Aug. 5, 2026
• Pongkrit “Boom” Darakorn na Ayuthya, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, lecturer, Dec. 13, 2025
• Tianyou Bao, Electrical and Computer Engineering, assistant professor, Aug. 5, 2026
• Sukrith Dev, Electrical and Computer Engineering, assistant professor, Aug. 5, 2026
• Lorenzo Federici, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, assistant professor, Aug. 5, 2026
• John Morris, Industrial and Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, assistant professor, Aug. 5, 2026
• Dennis Smith, joint Chemistry and Chemical and Materials Engineering, professor, Aug. 19, 2026 (also in College of Science)
• Xiaokang Wang, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, assistant professor, July 29, 2026

College of Nursing

• Grace Carlisle, Nursing, clinical instructor, Aug. 5, 2026
• Danielle Ford, Nursing, clinical assistant professor, Dec. 13, 2025
• Josephine Jackson, Nursing, clinical instructor, Dec. 13, 2025
• Juyoung Park, Nursing, professor, Aug. 17, 2026
• Brooke Powers, Nursing, clinical assistant professor, Aug. 5, 2026
• Allison Ruzicka, Nursing, clinical instructor, Aug. 5, 2026
• Autumn Wakefield, Nursing, clinical instructor, Aug. 5, 2026

College of Science

• Xin An, Space Science, assistant professor, Aug. 5, 2026
• W. Lee Ellenburg, Atmospheric & Earth Science, associate professor, Aug. 5, 2026
• Serge Fobofou, Chemistry, clinical assistant professor, January 2026
• Timothy McCorry, Computer Science, lecturer, Aug. 5, 2026
• Dennis Smith, joint Chemistry and Chemical and Materials Engineering, professor, Aug. 19, 2026 (also in College of Engineering)
• Matthew Van Den Broeke, Atmospheric & Earth Science, associate professor, Aug. 5, 2026