New Faculty | Worcester State University

ACADEMICS

New Faculty 2020-2021

Every year Worcester State University is pleased to introduce our newest faculty members and librarians, whose in-depth knowledge of their disciplines and dedication to teaching, scholarship, and research will inspire students to transform their curiosity and passion into the knowledge and skills that can shape the future.
Kyle Allaire

Mathematics
Dr. Allaire earned his Ph.D. at the University of Connecticut. His interest is Numerical Analysis. He is most excited about working with the students and his department members at Worcester State University.

Lagnajita Chatterjee

Business Administration and Economics
Dr. Chatterjee earned her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her interests include marketing and consumer psychology.

Sarah DiMeo

Occupational Therapy
Dr. DiMeo earned her Ph.D. at Texas Woman's University. Her interests include pediatrics and assistive technology. She is especially excited about Worcester State University’s commitment to academic excellence and student empowerment. These were significant factors in her desire to work and teach here. As an inclusive, scholarly community that provides access to high-quality instruction for students in the Worcester area and beyond, Worcester State University is the perfect place for her to achieve her goals of shaping and supporting future practitioners in occupational therapy. She is thrilled to be part of such a dynamic and engaging group of teachers and learners.

Riley McGuire

English
Dr. McGuire earned his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. His interests include nineteenth-century British literature; disability studies; queer theory; and sound studies. He is most excited about the people that make up the Worcester State University community. The students made a wonderful impression on me when he visited the campus this spring and his new colleagues have been incredibly welcoming. He looks forward to working with students, faculty, and staff this fall!

Matthew Palm

Urban Studies
Dr. Palm earned his Ph.D. in Geography at U.C. Davis. His interests include affordable housing, transportation equity. He is especially excited about joining the faculty of Worcester State University because of the opportunity to conduct undergraduate focused, community-action oriented teaching and research.

Luis Rosado

Biology
Dr. Rosado earned his Ph.D. at UMass Amherst. His interests include Human movement and perception. Asked about joining the Worcester State Universitycommunity, he said, “During these uncertain times, it gives me peace of mind that the campus at large feels predominantly like a unified community working together towards a common goal. I'm also excited to join my departmental team and to work closely with a great group of students.”

Diana Sharpe

Biology
Dr. Sharpe earned her Ph.D. at McGill University. Her interests include evolutionary ecology and conservation of tropical freshwater ecosystems, and her research focuses on understanding how anthropogenic activities like species introductions and over-fishing are altering the structure and diversity of tropical freshwater ecosystems. She is especially excited to join the dynamic Biology department at Worcester State University and to contribute to teaching and research in ecology, evolution, and conservation. In particular, she is excited to contribute to the department’s field programs, which provide excellent opportunities for students to experience nature first-hand. She looks forward to actively involving undergraduates at WSU in this ongoing research.

Catriona Standfield

History and Political Science
Dr. Standfield earned her Ph.D. at Syracuse University. Her interests include gender, diplomacy, mediation, and the United Nations. She is excited to be joining a public university with diverse students.

Alessandra Bazo Vienrich

Sociology
Dr. Bazo Vienrich earned her Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts Boston. Her interests include immigration, Latinxs, race and ethnicity, and education. What excites her the most about Worcester State University is its people. She is looking forward to teaching and mentoring students and to coming up with creative ways to engage students in the classroom. She is also excited about joining a department that is committed to social justice and to the academic and personal wellbeing of its students. She looks forward to her first semester at Worcester State University, and she hopes to get better acquainted with students and faculty at the University.

Heidi Wojcik

Education
Dr. Wojcik earned her Ph.D. at Lesley University. Her area of specialization is literacy. She is looking forward to collaborating shoulder to shoulder with educators who extend themselves each and every day to give students the richest possible education. She feels fortunate to have a chance to work together. As an adjunct at the University for the past nine years in the graduate reading department, she witnessed the global impact on teachers' abilities to showcase best literacy practices in countless schools across Massachusetts. As she begins this new professional opportunity, she aspires to learn from within and beyond the university walls to lead literacy initiatives that empower our youth today and in the future.

Laura Reynolds

Earth, Environment, and Physics
Dr. Reynolds earned her Ph.D. at the University of California, Santa Barbara in Geological Sciences. Her area of specialization is costal geology. She is excited to work at an undergraduate- focused university in an interdisciplinary department, and she is ooking forward to getting to know the Worcester State University and wider Worcester communities.

Ian Stephens

Earth, Environmental Science, and Physics
Dr. Stephens earned his Ph.D. at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Astrophysics. He is excited to join a department with enthusiastic colleagues, especially in the New England area. He likes the small class sizes at Worcester State University because he believes it allows for the most effective teaching.

Elaine Vescio

Business Administration and Economics
Earning her MBA from Rochester Institute of Technology, Ms. Vescio focuses on Entrepreneurship and Marketing. She is excited about Worcesterr State University because it provides students with the opportunity for a great education, and is well positioned to thrive in the rapidly changing higher education landscape.

Laura Wildemann Kane

Philosophy
Dr. Kane earned her Ph.D. at The Graduate Center, City University of New York. Her interests include feminist philosophy, ethics, and social and political philosophy. She is especially excited about joining such a vibrant community of scholars and students at Worcester State University who believe in the importance of public education and the essential role that universities can play in empowering communities.