College of Science Welcomes New Faculty Members

October 04, 2024

This fall, the LSU College of Science is thrilled to welcome new faculty members across five departments, each bringing unique expertise and fresh perspectives to our community. These talented individuals will contribute to advancing research, enriching student experiences, and fostering innovation within their respective fields. Learn more about our new colleagues below, and be sure to extend a warm LSU welcome as they join our vibrant academic community!

 


Biological Sciences 

Daniel PowellDaniel Powell – Assistant Professor  
Dr. Daniel Powell earned his bachelor’s degree from Southeastern Louisiana University and his PhD from Texas A&M University after which he was a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University. His research focuses on how the mechanisms of sexual selection act on reproductive isolation between species. He approaches this broad question from both a behavioral ecology as well as a population genomics perspective using both wild populations and laboratory colonies of swordtail fish species (Xiphophorus) known to hybridize in the wild. 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Fabio MendesFabio Mendes – Assistant Professor  
Dr. Fabio Mendes obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Universidade de São Paulo (Brazil) and his PhD in evolutionary biology from Indiana University, Bloomington. In the following years, Dr. Mendes carried out his postdoctoral work first at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, and then at Washington University in St. Louis. His research interests lie in the phenomenon of speciation: when, why, how often, and where it has happened. Dr. Mendes addresses these questions by developing (and using) statistical methods that integrate genomic, morphological, biogeographic and fossil data from variety of groups including turtles, octopuses, fruit flies, coffee, and primates. 


 

 

 

Dr. Nathan GilbertNathan Gilbert – Assistant Professor 
Dr. Nathan Gilbert began his college career at LSU as an undergraduate in the Fall of 2001. His enthusiasm for LSU and the college of science culminated in a PhD in Biochemistry being awarded in 2011. Dr. Gilbert than worked as a post-doctoral fellow at Vanderbilt Medical Center for four years under the guidance of Dr. Tina Iverson and Dr. Rich Breyer. The start-up biotech environment was Dr. Gilbert's next stop where he utilized new pharmacology instrumentation that aided in drug-binding quantification for many big Pharma companies. Dr. Gilbert returned to academia as a beamline manager at the LSU's synchrotron (CAMD) and initiated his own independent research as a research assistant professor. Dr. Gilbert was then hired by the Department of Biological Sciences as a tenure-track assistant professor in Biochemistry.

 

 

 

Dr. Sydney MoyoSydney Moyo – Assistant Professor  
Dr. Sydney Moyo earned his PhD in Zoology from Rhodes University (Makhanda, South Africa). Before joining LSU, he was an Assistant Professor of Biology at Rhodes College. He is a community ecologist —a scientist who studies the interactions between plants and animals — who explores food web dynamics in freshwater and coastal ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico and all over the world. Specifically, his research uses fatty acids and other biochemical biomarkers to explore species’ ecological responses to environmental stressors (e.g., oil spills and climate change) and to evaluate the ecological implications of restoration efforts on ecosystem function.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Flavia MontanoFlavia A. Montaño-Centellas – Assistant Professor 
Born and raised in the Tropical Andes, Dr. Montaño-Centellas is an interdisciplinary ecologist with a broad interest in tropical ecology and conservation. She earned a PhD in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida and was a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Daijian Li's lab at LSU. Her research explores the patterns and processes behind biodiversity across spatial scales in various taxa, as well as the role of species traits and interactions in shaping diversity.

 

 

 

 

 

Chemistry 

Dr. Rabi MusahRabi Musah – Patrick F. Taylor Endowed Chair in Environmental Chemistry 
Dr. Rabi Musah earned her Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Arkansas in 1995, completed a postdoctoral fellowship at The Scripps Research Institute from 1994 to 1998, and joined the faculty at the State University of New York at Albany. Prof. Musah brings a wealth of knowledge and research expertise in environmental chemistry, plant defense mechanisms, forensic science, and STEM education. Her interdisciplinary research combines innovative mass spectrometry techniques with a commitment to solving real-world environmental, health, and forensic-related challenges.

 

 

 

 

Pu DuanPu Duan – Assistant Professor 
Dr. Pu Duan earned his B.S. in chemistry from Fudan University in 2014 and his Ph.D. from Brandeis University in 2019, focusing on solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) techniques for characterizing disordered materials. He conducted postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, applying biological SSNMR to study the structure of pathogenic amyloid fibrils and plant cell walls, including the high-resolution characterization of Tau filaments linked to Alzheimer’s disease. At LSU, Dr. Duan aims to use SSNMR to investigate bacterial biofilms, contributing to the understanding and developing strategies against biofilm-related infections.

 

 

 

 

Geology & Geophysics

Eirini PoulakiEirini Poulaki – Assistant Professor 
Dr. Eirini Poulaki earned her bachelor’s degree at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, and her Master and PhD at the University of Texas at Austin. She did her postdoc at the University of Washington and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Poulaki’s research is focused on the structural, metamorphic, and geochronological processes in the lithosphere and their impact on the plate tectonic cycle and natural hazards.

 

 

 

 

 

Brandon ShuckBrandon Shuck – Assistant Professor 
Dr. Brandon Shuck is a solid-earth geophysicist who studies the structure and evolution of the Earth’s lithosphere at tectonic plate boundaries and the processes that control geologic hazards. He earned bachelor’s degrees in geology and mathematics with honors from Western Colorado University, a PhD in geosciences from the University of Texas at Austin, and was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University before joining LSU.

 

 

 

 

 

Mathematics

Michael NovakMichael Novack – Assistant Professor 
Dr. Michael Novack joined the Math Department as an Assistant Professor, with research interests in the calculus of variations, geometric measure theory, and partial differential equations. His work focuses on exploring the mathematical foundations and applications of these areas. Before joining LSU, Novack held postdoctoral positions at Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Connecticut. He completed his doctoral studies at Indiana University.

 

 

 

 

 

Physics & Astronomy

Dr. Constantin SchradeConstantin R. Schrade – Assistant Professor  
Dr. Constantin Schrade earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics from ETH Zurich and his PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Basel in Switzerland. Dr. Schrade is the Principal Investigator of the “Theory of Quantum Circuits & Materials” group, focusing on the vibrant intersection of superconducting quantum circuits and quantum materials. More specifically, the research group is interested in developing novel superconducting qubits and Josephson devices with applications in quantum information processing and superconducting electronics. The group maintains active collaborations with many experimental labs. Current research topics include voltage-tunable superconducting qubits, novel qubit control protocols, quantum-limited amplifiers, Josephson diodes, and triple hybrid materials that combine superconductors, ferromagnets, and semiconductors 

 

 

 

Non-tenure Track 

Biological Sciences
Alexandra Easley – Instructor  
Zehua Zhou – Teaching Associate 3

Geology & Geophysics
Emily A Wei – Assistant Professor-Research 

Mathematics
Jonathan Gardner – Instructor