In my work within and without higher education to promote equity and inclusion I have repeatedly uncovered incivility among faculty that has been ignored creating somewhat hostile work environments. I have begun working in earnest to document these practices and pursue ways to restore harmony and build community. I have worked with Lehigh’s faculty senate to create a faculty code of ethics and more equitable positions for non-tenured faculty. And I am a member of the advisory board for the Academic Parity Movement a non-profit organization currently working to define bullying among the faculty in Higher Education.
I have been a professor of Biological Sciences at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA for over 25 years. My career began in circadian rhythms where I worked to identify multiple circadian and food entertainable oscillators. I then moved to neuroendocrinology and behavior. My work showed that sex steroids induce neural plasticity in limbic areas but only in the male. And that these changes required BDNF. At present, my lab is on hiatus as I pursue my other interests which include: conflict management and negotiation; creating and reviewing open-access educational resources, and restorative practices.
