POTSDAM -- Several professors at Clarkson University have recently been promoted or received special honors.

Daniel Andreescu has been promoted from assistant professor to associate professor of chemistry & biomolecular science in the School of Arts & Sciences. Andreescu also serves as the Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science instrumentation manager.

Andreescu's research interests are in analytical methods for qualitative and quantitative investigations of nanoparticles; synthesis and characterization of ultra-fine and nano-size particles; interactions of nanoparticles with organic and inorganic pollutants, and fate, transformation and toxicity of nanoparticles in the environment; and single-particle electrochemistry. In addition, he teaches Spectroscopy and Instrumental Laboratories.

He is the co-inventor of four patents and the author or co-author of a number of publications.

Kenneth Wallace has been promoted from associate professor to full professor of biology in the School of Arts & Sciences.

Wallace's research focuses on the development of the digestive system and effects of nanoparticles exposure. Wallace uses zebrafish, which are an excellent model research organism, with extensive similarities to the genetics and physiology of human organ development with broad implications for human development and disease states.

Jason Schmitt has been promoted from associate professor to full professor of Communication, Media & Design in the School of Arts & Sciences.

Schmitt is a filmmaker, journalist and chair of the Department of Communication, Media & Design. Schmitt concentrates his research on online education impacting a global audience, open access relating to academic publications, and the reproducibility crisis in science. He has written more than 65 pieces for outlets like The Guardian, Forbes Asia, the Huffington Post, EdSurge, and Slate. He also has had his photographic work featured in National Geographic in 2019.

As a filmmaker, his documentary, "Paywall: The Business of Scholarship," has had 400 public screenings at institutions around the globe and an audience of over 250,000 have viewed the film.

Selma Mededovic Thagard has been promoted from associate professor to professor of chemical & biomolecular engineering in the Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering.

Thagard's area of expertise is in electrical discharge plasma processes with a focus on theoretical and experimental investigations of fundamental plasma chemistry in single and multiphase plasma environments. Her research interests include non-thermal plasma for air and wastewater treatment, plasma chemistry, and mathematical modeling of electrical discharges in gases and liquids. Her work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, US Environmental Protection Agency, US Department of Defense, Global Foundries, Semiconductor Research Corporation, NY Pollution Prevention Institute, Environmental Research & Education Foundation, and United States Air Force. She has presented over 40 conference presentations and made over 30 invited lectures at universities and conferences throughout the world. Thagard has co-authored >40 articles in refereed journals, written four book chapters, and holds two patents.

Jeanna N. Matthews has been promoted from associate professor to full professor of computer science in the School of Arts & Sciences.

Her current research focuses on securing societal decision-making processes and supporting the rights of individuals in a world of automation. She received a 2018-2019 Brown Institute Magic Grant to research differences in DNA software programs used in the criminal justice system.

Other research interests include operating systems, virtualization, computer networking, computer security, file systems, cloud computing, distributed systems, storage systems, open source software development, and database systems.

Alastair Kocho-Williams has been promoted from associate professor to professor of history in the School of Arts & Sciences.

Kocho-Williams is department Chair of Humanities and Social Sciences. He focuses his research on Russian and Soviet history. He has published numerous articles on the topic as well as three books: The Soviet Challenge to British India, 1917-1947 (forthcoming), Russia’s International Relations in the Twentieth Century (2012), and Russian and Soviet Diplomacy, 1900-1939 (2011). He also serves as primary editor for two additional volumes: Stalin’s Russia (forthcoming) and The Twentieth Century Russia Reader (2011).

He is the recipient of multiple grants and fellowships for his research, including the Aberystwyth University Research Leave Grant, the University of the West of England Early Career Researcher Starter Grant, the University of the West of England Research Leave and the University of Leeds Research Support Grant.

Steven Wojtkiewicz has been promoted from associate professor to professor of civil and environmental engineering in the Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering.

Professor Wojtkiewicz’s research interests are focused in computational and data-enabled science and engineering, specifically the uncertainty quantification, modeling, control, identification, and real-time hybrid simulation of civil infrastructure dynamical systems.

His long-term research goal is to enhance the predictive power of computational models of engineered systems — particularly for structural components in civil infrastructure, i.e., buildings, bridges, and roads — to enable the ubiquitous use of computational models in engineering decision-making.

Clarkson University Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Sitaraman Krishnan has received the Tau Beta Pi Faculty Award for the second time.

Tau Beta Pi’s New York Theta Chapter at Clarkson University presents this award annually to a faculty member who has embodied and instilled in students the ideals of integrity and excellence in engineering.

Krishnan’s nomination for the award by current chapter members additionally noted his "dedication to students and increasing the knowledge base they receive beyond the basics required for any specific course."

Tau Beta Pi is the only engineering honor society representing the entire engineering profession. The New York Theta Chapter was established in 1941 and has initiated 3,726 members since then.

Marcias Martinez has been granted tenure in the department of mechanical and aeronautical engineering in the Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering. He is an associate professor of mechanical and aeronautical engineering.

Dr. Martinez is working on the development of a Holistic Structural Integrity Process, known as HolSIP. This process is physics-based and founded upon the primary idea that all failure mechanisms involved in the degradation of the structure are interconnected and should not be analyzed as merely the sum of individual mechanisms.

Clarkson University Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering Hayley H. Shen has been named professor emeritus for exemplary service to the University. Formal recognition will take place at commencement, which is currently planned for August 15.

Over the past 44 years, Shen has been a dedicated educator and researcher.

Shen began her career at Clarkson in 1976 as an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics. She pursued a second Ph.D. degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering after teaching in the Mathematics Department for three years. She then transferred to Civil & Environmental Engineering after completing her Ph.D. in fluid mechanics and thermal sciences in 1982, and rose from assistant to full professor. In addition, she served as the first associate director of the Honors Program from 2003-2011 with a one-year break for sabbatical.