Residential Faculty & Faculty Fellows

Residential Faculty & Faculty Fellows work with Housing and Residential Life to increase faculty and student engagement and contribute to the development of an intellectual community in the Residential Colleges. 

Residential Faculty & Faculty Fellows achieve this by serving as a mentor to students, serving as an advocate for students, and putting a human face to faculty members.  

Find Your Residential Faculty & Faculty Fellows

• Dr. Yunqiu (Daniel) Wang, Sr. Residential Faculty

  School/College: College of Arts & Sciences

  Discipline: Biology

  About Dr. Wang:  

  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 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 dog, Super, and their cat, mimi.  

• Dr. Karoline Mortensen, Faculty Fellow

  School/College: Miami Herbert Business School

  Discipline: Health Sector Management & Policy

  About Dr. Mortensen:

  Karoline Mortensen is an Associate Professor in the University of Miami Herbert Business School, and Associate Director of the Center for Health Management and Policy. Dr. Mortensen's research interests are focused on health insurance and health care utilization. She has received awards for outstanding teaching and mentoring of graduate and undergraduate students. She is standing member of a federal grant funding committee, and recently testified before the United States Congress House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health.

• Dr. Joy Beverly, Sr. Residential Faculty

  School/College: College of Arts & Sciences

  Discipline: Mathematics

  About Dr. Beverly: 

  Joy Beverly is a Mathematics Lecturer whose research interests are  student persistence and innovative classroom methods. She and her husband, Jerry, advise U Pup and live in Hecht with their dog, Colin, a UHealth therapy dog. They were both collegiate athletes when they met, and they still like to watch and play sports.  They love to spend time with their three beautiful daughters Alexandra, Samantha and Gabriela who are all proud Hurricanes.

• Dr. Brian Arwari, Associate Residential Faculty

  School/College: School of Education & Human Development

  Discipline: Sports Psychology

  About Dr. Arwari:

  Dr. Brian Arwari is an Associate Clinical Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Kinesiology and Sport Sciences. He teaches mainly Sport Psychology and his research interests are centered around the relationship between exercise and cognition. He and his wife, Chiara, are from Italy. Dr. Arwari is the associate residential Faculty in Hecht Residential College. He lives here with his wife, their 4-year-old Leonardo, 1 year old Luca, as well as their very friendly dog Maya.

• Kimberly McGrath Moreira, Faculty Fellow

  School/College: College of Arts & Sciences

  Discipline: English Composition

  About Professor McGrath Moreira:

  Kimberly McGrath Moreira, a Senior Lecturer in the English Composition Program, combines student-centered learning with community engagement (special emphasis on social justice and work with the non-profit Exchange for Change). Her varied educational experiences—from attending school in Nigeria, South Africa, and Singapore to teaching in Japan, Hong Kong and the US—inform her passion and research interest in experiential education and collaboration with diverse communities. She, her husband Alex, daughter Gabriela, and dog Scooby welcome “U”! 

• Dr. Kysha Harriell, Sr. Residential Faculty & Chair of the Residential Faculty

  School/College: School of Education & Human Development

  Discipline: Athletic Training & Sports Medicine

  About Dr. Harriell:

  Dr. Harriell is a Clinical Professor in the Athletic Training Program and the Executive Director of the Office of Academic Enhancement. Previously, she worked as an Assistant Athletic Trainer with many of UM's sports teams. Her research focuses on sports medicine for the female athlete, and she is involved with projects that focus on health care issues impacting ethnically diverse individuals. She lives with her 14 year-old niece, Viera and her dog, Patella.

• Dr. Justin Ritzinger, Associate Residential Faculty

  School/College: College of Arts & Sciences

  Discipline: Religious Studies

  About Dr. Ritzinger:

  Justin Ritzinger 芮哲 teaches Asian religions in the Religious Studies Department. His research focuses on modern Buddhism in China and Taiwan. Between college and grad school he worked as a translator and teacher in Taiwan. There he met his wife, Amei, who now teaches Chinese lessons in Miami. They have two daughters: Anne (12), a budding artist; and Maggie (4), a charming chaos agent. . 若有事情想用中文討論，可以來找我.

• Professor Lien Tran, Sr. Residential Faculty

  School/College:  School of Communication

  Discipline: Interactive Media

  About Professor Tran:

  Lien Tran (she/her/hers) is an assistant professor and co-director of the New Experience Research and Design Lab (NERDLab) at UM's School of Communication. She is a social impact designer (typically addressing issues of social justice, health, and/or environment) and mentors students to think critically and systemically including when designing and developing interactive experiences, including games, across technology platforms. A classically trained dancer, she loves the performing arts, yoga, board games, and food adventures.

• Professor Clay Ewing, Sr. Residential Faculty

  School/College: School of Communication

  Discipline: Interactive Media

  About Professor Ewing:

  Clay Ewing (he/him/his) is an Associate Professor at the University of Miami.  His research focuses on serious games, implementing game mechanics into real world applications, and social justice. As an award winning game designer and developer, Professor Ewing's games have tackled issues such as vector borne diseases, the cost of health care, social safety nets and labor practices.  Clay has worked with numerous non-profits including Red Cross Red Crescent, Open Society Foundations, ROC United, Oxfam, and the AIDS & Rights Alliance for Southern Africa.  He is also a coffee snob and Netflix junkie.

• Dr. Tywan Martin, Faculty Fellow

  School/College: School of Education & Human Development

  Discipline: Sport Administration

  About Dr. Martin:

  Dr. Tywan G. Martin joined the University of Miami in the fall of 2010 and is currently an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Sport Sciences. Dr. Martin's primary research focus is on the impact of media messages on consumer behavior. His recent work has examined media coverage of sport-related concussions and the implications of sport-related concussions on the future of sport. Additionally, his research also examines brand perception and how associated thoughts and ideas about sport brands are utlized to influence fan behavior. Dr. has taught several undergraduate and graduate courses that are directly in line with his research interests. In addition to his research and academic background, he has a wealth of experience in the sport industry and students affairs. Dr. Martin spends his free time reading, meditating, exercising, and watching and attending sport events.

• Dr. Leslie Knecht, Sr. Residential Faculty

  School/College: College of Arts & Sciences

  Discipline: Chemistry

  About Dr. Leslie Knecht:

  Dr. 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. Marc Knecht, Sr. Residential Faculty

  School/College: College of Arts & Sciences

  Discipline: Chemistry

  About Dr. Marc Knecht:

  Dr. Marc Knecht is a professor 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 students. 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 methods to make functional materials. When he's not researching in the lab, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Leslie Knecht, their two boys, and their dog Proton.

• Dr. Melvin Butler, Associate Residential Faculty

  School/College: Frost School of Music

  Discipline: Musicology

  About Dr. Butler:

  Dr. Melvin L. Butler is an associate professor of musicology in the Frost School of Music. A native of Kansas City, he earned his PhD from New York University and a bachelor's degree from Berklee College of Music. Along with his scholarly work on Caribbean and African American music and culture, he has recorded and toured extensively as a jazz saxophonist. He moved to Miami in 2016 with his wife, Lori, and their son, Stanley.

• Dr. Nick Petersen, Faculty Fellow

  School/College: College of Arts & Sciences

  Discipline: Sociology, Criminology, Law & Society

  About Dr. Petersen:

  Nick Petersen is a Faculty Fellow for Stanford Residential College and has been at UM since 2015 (with faculty positions in Sociology and Law). His research examines criminal justice racial-ethnic inequalities and he teaches courses focusing on criminology/criminal justice involving hybrid/active learning techniques (e.g., videos, podcasts, and jail tours). He is from Northern California, where he attended community college before transferring to the University of California. He enjoys rock climbing, snorkeling, paddle boarding, and running.