Welcome to the 2025-206 academic year!

Here is the latest SAS in Focus, a newsletter that reports what’s happening in the School of Arts and Sciences.

 

J. Albert (Al) C. Uy, Dean’s Professor of Biology and current chair of the Department of Biology, has been appointed interim dean of the University of Rochester’s School of Arts & Sciences. He succeeds Duje Tadin, who has served as interim dean since August 2024 and previously held the position in the summer of 2023. Uy will begin serving as interim dean on September 1 and will remain in that role until a permanent dean is appointed. An announcement about the permanent dean is expected in the coming weeks.

A distinguished evolutionary biologist and elected fellow of the American Ornithological Society, Uy’s research explores the genetics, behavior, and ecology of speciation, with fieldwork spanning the Pacific Islands and the Americas. Since joining the University of Rochester in 2020, he has led the Department of Biology, served on key University committees, and advanced interdisciplinary research and conservation initiatives.

Information regarding the interim chair of the Department of Biology will be available soon.

 

Meliora Weekend is around the corner! From Sept. 19 through 21, there will be plenty of excitement and activities including alumni reunions, athletic competitions, and family-friendly fun. This year’s Meliora Weekend is extra special as we proudly mark the University’s 175th anniversary.  Register today.

 

We have more than 20 new faculty members joining the School of Arts and Sciences team this year.

Meet our new faculty:

• Elizabeth Adetiba, Early Career Researcher, Frederick Douglass Institute and Department of Black Studies
• Laura Anderson, Professor of Instruction, Department of Chemistry
• Tanya Bakhmetyeva, Associate Professor, Department of History
• Meghaa Ballakrishnen, Assistant Professor, Department of Art and Art History
• Lucia Casiraghi, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of Modern Languages and Cultures
• Gregg Castellucci, Assistant Professor, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
• Andrew Cohen, Associate Professor of Instruction, Department of Psychology
• Angela Crema, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics
• Sean Crowell, Assistant Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
• Tom Driver, Professor, Department of Chemistry
• Bekki Gibson, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of Mathematics
• Min Sik Han, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of Mathematics
• Grace Helton, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy
• Mark Hibbins, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology
• Abdulbasi Kassim, Assistant Professor, Department of Religion and Classics
• Hannah Kramer, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology
• Hanisha Kulothparan, Assistant Professor, Arthur Satz Department of Music
• Alexandra Paton, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry
• Jonathan Pye, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of Modern Languages and Cultures
• Danielle Shenhar, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of Religion and Classics
• Zoe Walker, Early Career Researcher, Department of Political Science
• Uzma Zafar, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology
• ZJ Zhang, Assistant Professor,  Department of Physics and Astronomy
• Tali Ziv, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Program in Public Health

 

As global temperatures rise, scientists are turning to an unexpected source—the same yeast that makes bread rise and beer fizz—to uncover what allows some life forms to survive extreme heat while others cannot.

In a study published in Molecular Biology and Evolution, University of Rochester biologist Justin Fay and his colleagues compared two closely related species of yeast to understand how organisms cope with heat and why some species manage it better than others. Proteins—the molecules responsible for most of a cell’s essential tasks—are especially sensitive to heat, and if they lose their shape, cells can fail. The researchers found that survival depends not only on how sturdy proteins are but also on the cellular environment that supports them. These insights could reshape how we think about evolution, disease, and life in a warming world.

“We studied yeast, but the findings are likely broadly relevant because mechanisms of protein stability are shared across many organisms,” says Fay, a professor in the Department of Biology. “These insights are also important for understanding evolution and how human pathogens evolve, since growth at body temperature requires similar adaptations.”

Read more about the yeast study.

 

Congratulations to faculty members who recently secured funding for new research projects and fellowships:

• Steven Rozenski, an associate professor in the Department of English, has been awarded €10,800 for a renewed research stay in Germany by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for project “Manuscript study and digital humanities.”

• Steven Landsburg, a professor in the Department of Economics, received $60,000 from the Institute for Humane Studies for project “Speaker series, student mentorship and research.”

 

Hazel Leung helps first year students of the class of 2029 move in at University of Rochester’s Genesee Hall August 19, 2025. See more images in the Welcome Week photo essay.

 

The Office of Academic Excellence has developed a syllabus template to assist University of Rochester instructors. Syllabus items required by the New York State Education Department are highlighted, and the template contains embedded instructions and sample language.  Access the template here.

Send your news tips to Sheila Rayam, director of marketing and communications for the School of Arts and Sciences, at sheila.rayam@rochester.edu. Let her know about unique research, awards, publications, community collaborations and other interesting news. Please put “SAS in Focus” in the subject heading.