People
We are Data Scientists, Information Technology Specialists, Computational Scientists, Geographic Information Specialists and Digital Humanists.
Our faculty are skilled educators and productive scholars who are passionate about developing data-related pedagogy and research projects.
Our Faculty

Professor of Data Science and Statistics
Specialties:
- Data Science
- Digital Humanities
- Linguistics

Professor of Political Science
Specialties:
- Judicial Politics
- Judicial Decision Making
- Federal Courts
- Civil Rights and Liberties
- Constitutional Law
- American Politics
804-484-1556

Professor of Biology
Specialties:
- Disease ecology
- Epidemiology of vector-borne diseases
- Host-parasite relationships
(804) 484-1592

Professor of Psychology
MacEldin Trawick Professor of Psychology
Interdisciplinary Program Coordinator, Cognitive Science
Specialties:
- Face and object recognition in cognitively intact and impaired individuals
- Development and loss of perceptual expertise across the lifespan
- Factors underlying the way we categorize our world
- Racial bias and other-race effects
- PURSUE: Preparing Undergraduates for Research in STEM Using Electrophysiology (www.pursueerp.com)
(804) 287-6830

Professor of Physics
E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Chair in the Liberal Arts
Specialties:
- Big Bang cosmology (theory and data analysis)
(804) 287-6486

Dennis I. Belcher Professor of Law
Specialties:
- Empirical Legal Studies
- Intellectual Property
- Patent Law
- Professional Responsibility
- Computer Law
(804) 484 1574

Professor of Biology, Emeritus
Specialties:
- Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity
- Phylogenetic, Systematics, and Taxonomy
- Developmental Biology

Professor of Chemistry
Clarence E. Denoon Jr. Chair in the Natural Sciences
Associate Dean, School of Arts & Sciences
Specialties:
- Theoretical and Computational Chemistry
(804) 289-8418

Dr. Priscilla Erickson
She/Her
Assistant Professor of Biology
Specialties:
- Evolutionary genetics and genomics
- Quantitative genetics
- Evolutionary developmental biology
804-484-1591

Associate Professor of Biology
Specialties:
- Population ecology
- Physiological ecology
- Conservation of amphibians and reptiles
- Spread of invasive forest pests
(804) 484-1623

Dr. Angie Hilliker
She/Her
Associate Professor of Biology
Specialties:
- Molecular Genetics
- Gene Expression
- RNA Biology
(804) 484-1423

Associate Professor of Chemistry
Specialties:
- Organometallic Chemistry
- Catalysis
(804) 289-1775

Dr. Karen Puccia Kochel
She/Her
Associate Professor of Psychology
Specialties:
- Child and adolescent development
- Peer and gender relationships
- Psychological adjustment
(804) 289-8131

Professor of Music
Ethnomusicologist
Chair, Department of Music
Specialties:
- Southeast Asian Music
- Music and Ethics
- Rhythm Analysis
(804) 287-1807

Professor of Economics
Specialties:
- Fiscal Policy
- Business Cycles
(804) 289-8574

Program Chair, Information Systems
Assistant Professor, Information Systems
Member, SPCS Speakers Bureau
Specialties:
- Information Systems Operations & Development
- IT Security
- IT Auditing
- Cloud Computing
(804) 289-8944

Associate Professor of Chemistry
Interdisciplinary Program Coordinator, Data Science and Statistics
Specialties:
- Organic Chemistry
(804) 289-8247

Floyd D. and Elisabeth S. Gottwald Professor of Chemistry
Specialties:
- Computational and Theoretical Physical Chemistry
(804) 484-1548

Associate Professor of Computer Science
Data Science Advisory Board Member
Cognitive Science Advisory Board Member
Specialties:
- Data science
- Natural language processing
- Argumentation
(804) 287-6549

Associate Professor of Physics
Specialties:
- Electronic transport
- Nanophotonics
- Plasmonics
- Design of optical-electro nanostructures
- Optical properties of metallic and semiconductor nanostructures
- Structure and electronic properties of semiconductor nanowires, quantum dots, hetrojunctions, and superlattices
(804) 662-3147

Associate Professor of Biology
Specialties:
- Urban ecology & evolution
- Wildlife biology
- Conservation genetics
- Freshwater biology
804-287-6628

Associate Professor of History and American Studies
American Studies Advisory Board Member
Specialties:
- United States and the World
- U.S. Cultural and Intellectual History
- History of International Development
- History of Philanthropy
- History of Cooperatives and Capitalism
(804) 289-8338

Professor of Physics
Pre-Engineering Advisor
Specialties:
- Multiwavelength astrophysics analysis
- Data challenges in large survey astrophysics
- Studies of the diffuse radio background
- Instrumentation methods in visible and radio wavelengths
(804) 287-6537

Dr. Stephanie Spera
She/Her
Associate Professor of Geography, Environment, & Sustainability
Data Science Advisory Board Member
Specialties:
- Coupled Natural-Human Environment Systems
- Terrestrial Remote Sensing
- Land-Change Science
- Regional Climate Change Modelling
- GIS
- Spatial Statistics

Associate Professor of Analytics & Operations
Director of Assessment and Accreditation
Specialties:
- Risk Management, Uncertainty Analysis
- Operations Research
(804) 289-1763

Professor of Digital Humanities
E. Claiborne Robins Professor of Liberal Arts
Data Science Advisory Board Member
American Studies Advisory Board Member
Specialties:
- Computational/Digital Humanities
- Visual Culture
- Community Media
- Politics of Representation

Professor of Biology
Specialties:
- Evolutionary ecology
- Local adaptation and speciation
- Plant population biology and genetics
- Evolutionary genetics of invasive species
(804) 289-8712

Assistant Professor of Biology
Data Science Advisory Board Member
Specialties:
- Population Genetics
- Human Evolution
- Computational Genetics/Bioinformatics
- Ancient DNA-based analyses
(804) 662-3126

Associate Professor of Economics
Specialties:
- International Trade
- International Economics
- Quantitative Methods
Our Staff

Business Librarian
Assistant Head, Research and Instruction
Contact: (804) 287-6647

Computational Support Specialist
Specialties:
- Phylogenetic Systematics
- Statistical Biogeography
- Macroevolution
(804) 852-3280

Spatial Analysis Lab GIS Operations Manager
Specialties:
- GIS
- Geovisualization
- Earth Science
- Environmental Science
- Field Methods
(804) 484-1545