By: Cassidy Delamarter, University Communications and Marketing
The University of South Florida is welcoming 207 new faculty members to its campuses
this fall. Joining USF’s renowned scholars, they represent a range of disciplines—from
artificial intelligence and environmental robotics to cancer research and global health.
With many coming from other Association of American Universities member institutions,
the incoming class reflects USF’s growing reputation as a top destination for academic
talent and research excellence.
“These accomplished faculty members will help power USF’s next chapter,” President
Rhea Law said. “Their contributions will accelerate our impact, drive innovation,
inform policy and prepare the skilled workforce our region and nation need to meet
the demands of a rapidly changing world.”
Here are some of the new faculty members joining USF this fall.
Fourteen faculty members are joining the new Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing, bringing expertise in machine learning, AI, biomedical applications and more. They
join 56 faculty, many from computer science and engineering, who form the academic
core of the new college.
Among them is Chandra Kambhamettu, a world-renowned scholar with a multimillion-dollar
research portfolio and a passion. His work ranges from detecting hurricane dynamics
using computer vision at NASA to developing biomedical imaging tools for cancer research.
“If your research has no impact outside of your discipline,” Kambhamettu said, “you’re
not asking a big enough question.”
Learn more about the new faculty joining the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence,
Cybersecurity and Computing.
About half of the new faculty will join USF Health. USF Health continues to recruit top-tier researchers, clinicians and educators throughout
the year, strengthening the university’s impact on health care and medical innovation.
Dr. Pedram Hamrah, a leader in corneal immunology and ocular neuroimmunology research,
will join the USF Eye Institute with multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health. Hamrah will take on
roles as vice chair of academic medicine, director of clinical and translational research
and co-director of cornea services with the Morsani College of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology.
“I am looking forward to helping develop a research track for USF undergraduate and
medical students, developing a nationally recognized clinical trials program and establishing
a world class center for ocular surface disease and ocular pain at USF,” Hamrah said.
At the College of Public Health, Professor Juan David Ramírez González will join the Department of Global, Environmental and Genomic Health Sciences. He plans to lead genomic surveillance and ecological studies of parasitic diseases
in the United States and Latin America and is excited to help train the next generation
of scientists.
“Florida’s climate and biodiversity create conditions that can favor the introduction
or re-emergence of diseases such as Chagas disease and leishmaniasis, and I see an
important opportunity to contribute my expertise to strengthening the state’s preparedness,
surveillance and prevention strategies,” he said.
USF College of Arts and Sciences is welcoming 30 new faculty across disciplines.
Namrata Gautam, assistant professor of instruction, and Yu-Chen Yen, assistant professor,
will join the Department of Molecular Biosciences.
Yen’s research investigates the molecular mechanisms of disease to support drug development.
Her goal is to translate her findings into effective therapies for Alzheimer’s disease
and cancer.
“USF provides a strong and supportive environment for advancing my research,” she
said. “The Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute at USF offers valuable opportunities for collaboration
with research groups that share similar goals.”
Gautam just concluded her post-doctoral training in cancer immunotherapy at Moffitt
Cancer Center and is excited to start at USF. “I am looking forward to working with
the students and shaping young minds into scientists!”
Gautam just concluded her post-doctoral training in cancer immunotherapy at Moffitt
Cancer Center. She will continue her research in breast cancer at USF and is excited
to work with students. “I am looking forward to working with the students and shaping
young minds into scientists!”
In the Muma College of Business, Jon Kaupla is joining as the associate dean and executive director for executive
and leadership education, coming from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Kaupla
will lead the new Center for Executive & Leadership Education to help build executive education experiences that are tailored to the challenges
leaders face today.
“No matter the format, our goal is to create experiences that exceed expectations,
help leaders grow and keep organizations moving forward,” he said. “We’re building
the Center for Executive & Leadership Education to be the go-to partner for leadership
and executive learning — not just in Tampa Bay, but across the state.”
Assistant Professor Nguyen “Nick” Nguyen will join the Muma College of Business School of Marketing and Innovation from the University of Miami. He’s developing AI systems for content management in
marketing that can enhance a marketer’s ability to make more effective and creative
advertising campaigns.
His most recent work, published in Marketing Science, is an AI model that helps companies test unlimited versions of email campaigns and
instantly predict which campaign will have the best open rate. This AI model not only
saves companies significant time and resources, but can also increase the campaigns’
profitability.
“I chose USF because of its clear and growing commitment to artificial intelligence
research,” Nguyen said. “I’m excited by the prospect of applying AI to solve challenges
in other areas of marketing and I’m looking forward to collaborating with my new colleagues.”
Four new faculty members will join the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus, including Professor Lydia Hanks, who was tapped to serve as the new director of
the School of Hospitality and Sport Management. Hanks is coming from Florida State University and will continue her research in
consumer behavior, service experience, marketing strategy and emerging technologies
within hospitality and tourism.
“I look forward to working with such a talented group of people, growing and building
our programs, and creating deeper connections with our industry and alumni partners.”
Read more about Hanks.
The USF St. Petersburg campus will welcome five new faculty members, including Associate Professor Trevor Williams.
He’s joining the Department of Geological Oceanography in the College of Marine Sciences,
where he will continue his research in ocean drilling, Antarctic ice sheet history
and iceberg-rafted debris.
In the College of Design, Art and Performance School of Music, Steven Lewis is joining as an assistant professor of artificial intelligence and
entrepreneurism in the arts. He will focus on designing multimodal interactive music
systems, augmented instruments and controllers that leverage emergent technologies
in creative domains. He hopes to emphasize live sound processing and improvisation
between the human and the computer.
“I am interested in not only collaborating with and learning from such incredibly
talented people but also dedicated to sharing as many different perspectives on AI
to students in the College of Design, Art and Performance as I possibly can,” he said.
“I think introducing students to different perspectives on this technology is crucial
in an arts-based curriculum, and I am looking forward to cultivating these relationships
in order to do so.”
Learn more about Lewis and the College of Design, Art and Performance’s faculty.
Christopher Brown is joining the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders as an associate professor from the University of Pittsburgh. Brown is bringing a new
R01 grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
that supports his research on understanding speech in the presence of background noise,
hearing impairment and cochlear implant processing.
“I chose USF because of the amazing people. Many of my new colleagues are world-renowned
scientists and educators, and I am eager to be a part of this growing community. I
am most excited about the collaborative opportunities available at USF, and I can’t
wait to get started,” he said.
In the College of Engineering, Xiaomin Lin will join the Department of Electrical Engineering as an assistant professor. He
will lead the Embodied Robotic Automation Lab, advancing perception-enabled autonomy
for real-world robotic systems in challenging and unstructured environments. His research
sits at the intersection of perception and autonomy, focusing on developing intelligent
robotic systems for underwater exploration, environmental monitoring and real-time
decision making in situations where computing power is limited, such as natural disasters.
Learn more about the new faculty joining the College of Engineering.
USF alumna Serene Hasan is joining the College of Education’s Department of Leadership, Policy, and Lifelong Learning as an assistant professor from the University of Central Florida. She plans to further
her research in counselor burnout, including studying the wellness and self-care practices
of counselors.
“I chose USF because it is a university with high-quality research and education.
I also graduated from USF with my bachelor’s and master’s degrees and really appreciated
the education, relationships and experiences I had while at USF,” Hasan said. “I believe
USF has a positive impact on students and the community. I am most looking forward
to making a difference in the lives of students and professionals through education
and research.”
Classes begin Aug. 25. | Learn more about USF’s faculty experts. | 207 new faculty as of August 12, 2025
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