Research Development Academy Scholars

The Office of the Provost, Division of Access and Engagement, and the Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development congratulate the following faculty for being selected into the Research Development Academy!

2024-2025 Cohort

Danielle Procope Bell, Assistant Professor College of Arts & Sciences Bell studies late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century Black feminist thought with a particular focus on motherhood, reproductive/care labor, and femininity. She is also interested in Black maternal health advocacy and often collaborate with local community groups.

Sarah Bolivar, Assistant Professor College of Architecture & Design Bolivar’s research explores how cultivating the public imagination, through multidisciplinary representation, participatory methods, and site-based experimentation, can help confront the biodiversity crisis and anthropogenic climate change.

Daniel Chavez, Assistant Professor Haslam College of Business Having lived in five countries and ten cities, Chavez is currently interested in sales and pricing, applying quantitative models to large data sets and conducting experiments to provide insights to sales organizations on those topics.

James Coda, Assistant Professor College of Education, Health, & Human Services Coda’s research interests include LGBTQIA+ issues in language teaching and learning, gender and sexuality in education, queer theories and pedagogies, and teacher identity—more specifically, how LGBTQIA+ language educators’ identities impact their practice.

Jamien Coleman, Assistant Professor College of Education, Health & Human Sciences Coleman’s research centers on improving skill development in counselor training, exploring the quality of life for persons with psychiatric disabilities in culturally diverse populations, and treating substance use disorders and dual diagnosis.

Dashawna Fussell-Ware, Assistant Professor College of Social Work Fussell-Ware is currently an early-career expert on the mental health of Black, Hispanic, and Latinx youth between the ages of 14 and 25, focusing on mental health literacy and its promotion as a pathway to eliminating these treatment disparities.

KK Kersey, Assistant Professor College of Law Kersey’s career began in the private sector, representing mostly marginalized youth who had been criminally charged in a high-volume public defender office. Her goal is to create scholarship in collaboration with practitioners about reimagining the juvenile carceral system and understanding youth behavior.

Hojung Kim, Assistant Professor College Architecture & Design Kim’s scholarly pursuits focus on examining the confluence of traditional and regional building methods with contemporary design to tackle architectural challenges encountered by marginalized groups. Recently, his research endeavors have entailed collaborations with artisans from Southeast Asia in a reciprocal knowledge-sharing initiative.

Maurice Moore, Assistant Professor College of Arts & Sciences Moore’s research is an exploration of sensorial embodied mark making both in text and performance-drawings. Artistic approaches include using a variety of wet and dry media, vocabularies, and bibliographies; remixing past drawings; collaging visuals and texts; and incorporating queer Black theory to create these new experimental marks.

Christina Najera, Assistant Professor College of Communication & Information Najera’s research interests are in the cognitive and emotional processing of messages related to risky driving behavior and body image. Overall, her work is focused on the development of effective messages that can impact the probability of participation in risky behaviors and serve to facilitate communications that will make our world a safer, healthier, and happier place.

Cynthia Navarro Flores, Assistant Professor College of Arts & Sciences Flores’ research interests focus on reducing mental health disparities for marginalized youth and families—with a specific focus on the Latinx/e community—by understanding mechanisms by which mental health problems and resilience develop following adversity, and increasing access to culturally competent evidence-based interventions.

Larry Perry, II, Assistant Professor College of Arts & Sciences Perry’s work focuses on the history of the American Religious Left, its thoughts, thinkers, politics, practice and its intersection (or lack thereof) with racial justice in the U.S. His current book project is entitled A Black Spiritual Leftist: Howard Thurman and the Religious Left’s Unfinished Business of Race Relations.

Sai Swaminathan, Assistant Professor Tickle College of Engineering Swaminathan’s research develops “smart” technologies for the built environment, enhancing understanding and interaction in these spaces for communities and individuals. His work seeks to address community challenges by finding novel, low-power computing devices with integrated sensing, actuation, and wireless communication.

Phoebe Tran, Assistant Professor College of Education, Health, & Human Sciences Tran’s research research focuses on improving secondary cardiovascular disease prevention in medically underserved US populations. She is especially interested in identifying sustainable and patient-centered strategies to improve access to care and quality of life among individuals with cardiovascular disease living in rural Tennessee.

Jorge Variego, Assistant Professor College of Music Variego’s research in music composition aims to integrate my Argentine cultural influences, innovative technologies, and interdisciplinary approaches. He seeks to create pieces that transcend boundaries, fostering a deeper connection with all audiences.

Alejandro Vázquez, Assistant Professor College of Arts & Sciences Vázquez’s research focuses on identifying avenues for increasing mental health service access among Latinx youth and their families by leveraging advanced statistical approaches to improve scientists’ ability to identify, understand, and provide interventions for youths at-risk for developing emotional and/or behavioral problems.

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