Meet Our Faculty

Dr. Daniel Wang

Senior Residential Faculty

Yunqiu Wang is a senior lecturer at the UM Biology Department, teaching genetics and conducting biology education research. His current research interests focus on engaging students to construct deep knowledge and active learning skills. 

He is the recipient of the UM Excellence in Teaching Award and has been a consistent contributor to national conferences in biology education research.  His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). He and his wife, Xiyuhan (Filly), and his daughter, Ayla, live in Eaton with their cat, Mimi.

Dr. Lorella Di Gregorio

Faculty Fellow

Lorella Di Gregorio teaches all levels of Spanish and Italian at the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, where she also coordinates SPA 105 and SPA 201. She researches 20th and 21st century Mexican and Southern Italian cultural production related to migration and organized crime and has been awarded numerous research and travel grants. Her most recent article “Exvoto: Folk, Outsider, Transnational. Debating Definitions,” was published by Studies in Latin American Popular Culture, University of Texas Press.  

Her passion for the fine arts and popular cultural production has undergirded Lorella’s entire educational journey, started in Sicily (Italy) and completed with a Ph.D. in Literary, Cultural, and Linguistic Studies at the University of Miami. 

She is currently a visiting co-editor for the 2023 issue of Letras Hispanas on the representation of families and migration from Central and Mesoamerica to the US. 

Lorella lives with her husband Luca, who leads a program for advanced piano students at the Frost School of Music, and their spirited 4-year-old daughter Lara, who thinks that the Coral Gables campus is her playground.

Dr. Kysha Harriell

Senior Residential Faculty

Dr. Kysha Harriell is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Kinesiology & Sport Sciences and the Associate Dean of Race, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Miami. Before joining the Department of Kinesiology & Sports Sciences, Dr. Harriell worked in the University of Miami's Athletic Department from 1997-2005 as an athletic trainer with the University’s athletic teams. She received her master’s degrees in Sports Medicine and Sports Administration from the University of Miami and her Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology. Dr. Harriell is involved in numerous research projects on cultural competency, patient values, women's health, and health and medical conditions that affect ethnically diverse individuals. Dr. Harriell is a native of Washington D.C. and Boston, MA. She lives with her 17-year-old daughter, Viera, and her dog, Patella. 

Dr. Justin Ritzinger

Associate Residential Faculty 

Justin Ritzinger 芮哲 is an associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies. He teaches courses on topics including Buddhism, Chinese religions, karma, and Buddhist social activism. His research focuses on modern Buddhism in China and Taiwan. He has spent nine years in the Chinese-speaking world, primarily Taiwan. There he met his wife, Amei, who now teaches Chinese lessons in Miami. They have two daughters: Anne (15), a budding artist; and Maggie (7), a charismatic chaos agent.

Dr. Joy Beverly

Senior Residential Faculty

Joy Beverly is a Mathematics Senior Lecturer whose research interests include student persistence and inclusive classroom instructional methods. She and her husband, Jerry, live in Pearson and are often joined by various U Pup service dogs in training. The Beverlys, both first-generation college students, were collegiate athletes when they met and now enjoy cheering for UM sports teams.  They love to spend time with their three beautiful daughters Alexandra, Samantha and Gabriela who are all proud Hurricanes. 

Dr. Nick Carcioppolo

Associate Residential Faculty 

Dr. Carcioppolo’s (Dr. C) approach to research is largely divided among three complementary approaches: (1) the identification of salient attitudinal, belief-based, and normative risk perceptions that can be addressed through intervention; (2) the design and evaluation of persuasive messaging interventions to improve health outcomes; and (3) the development and validation of health communication measurement. Taken together, his research involves understanding the complex network of attitudes, beliefs, and norms that contribute to the (non)performance of recommended health behaviors, designing and testing strategic interventions targeted toward specific audiences, and developing sound measurement to empirically assess intervention effectiveness.

You’ll often find me walking around on campus with my dog Toasty and my 5 year old daughter Eloise. My wife (Dr. D) is faculty at Florida international University. I’m a big fan of reading (sci-fi/fantasy, contemporary fiction, non-fiction), music (my favorite genre is progressive metal although my tastes are broad), games (cards, chess, tabletop boardgames), and probably pay more attention to fantasy football than any reasonable person should.

Dr. Zheng Wang

Faculty Fellow

Dr. Zheng Wang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science. He also has joint appointments in the Department of Biology and the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. His research is to apply cutting-edge deep learning or artificial intelligence (AI) to biological and medical problems, e.g., studying the 3D structure of the DNA in the nucleus, predicting the function and structures of proteins to facilitate drug design, and understanding why certain damaged neurons can regenerate after injury. The deep learning architectures used in his research have also been applied in other applications such as ChatGPT, image generation, and video prediction by other computer scientists.

Dr. Wang and his wife Michelle have triplet 6-year-old sons who were born on the night of Thanksgiving and early morning of Black Friday, minutes apart from each other. Before having these three lovely and energetic boys, Dr. Wang's hobbies included playing various sports and musical instruments, as well as occasionally playing computer games.

Dr. Marc Knecht

Senior Residential Faculty

Dr. Marc Knecht is a professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts & Sciences. He was born and raised in a small town outside Pittsburgh, PA, and is a first-generation college student. He completed his BS degree in Chemistry from Duquesne University and received his Ph.D. in chemistry from Vanderbilt. His research is focused on the use of bio-based, sustainable methods for functional materials. When he is not researching in the lab, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Leslie Knecht, their two boys, and their dog Proton.

Dr. Leslie Knecht

Senior Residential Faculty 

Leslie Knecht is a Senior Residential Faculty in Stanford Residential College and a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry. She grew up on a tobacco farm up a holler in rural Southeastern Kentucky and was a first-generation college student. Her research interests focus on bioanalytical chemistry.  Her husband, Marc Knecht, is a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry. They enjoy taking their two sons and dog Proton on many adventures.

Dr. Melvin Butler

Associate Residential Faculty 

Dr. Melvin L. Butler is Associate Dean in the Office of Academic Enhancement for Undergraduate Affairs and Associate Professor in the Department of Musicology. He teaches in the Frost School of Music’s Experiential Music Curriculum and also offers courses on Caribbean and African American music. As a saxophonist, he has toured and recorded with numerous internationally renowned artists. A native of Kansas City, Kansas, he moved to South Florida in 2016 with his wife, Lori, and their son, Stanley. Outside of his academic and professional interests, he enjoys chess, science fiction, sports, and listening to jazz and gospel music.

Dr. Karoline Mortensen

Associate Residential Faculty 

Karoline Mortensen is Associate Dean of Business Programs and Professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of Miami Herbert Business School. She is Associate Residential Faculty at Stanford Residential College. She earned her Ph.D. in Health Services Organization and Policy from the University of Michigan. Dr. Mortensen is a health services researcher, and her research interests are focused on health insurance, health care utilization, and the health care delivery system. She was recently named a Poets&Quants top 50 undergraduate business school professor. She lives in Stanford with her son Adeler and her daughter Sofie, and their dogs Henry and Sara. 

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