Faculty Interactions

Housing and Residence Life offers a number of opportunities for residents and faculty to interact in the residence halls in meaningful ways. By bringing faculty and residents together, residents are empowered to form academic support systems, engage more deeply in their studies, and form lasting relationships with their community. Tulane offers the following faculty driven programs:

The Faculty in Residence (FIR) is a full-time faculty member who lives in a residence hall on campus and serves as a positive and visible leader, teacher, and mentor to students living in the residence halls. FIRs facilitate, promote, and encourage intellectual, social, and cultural development, as well as provide assistance to students seeking academic support and guidance through programming, one on one relationship building, and the sharing of academic resources. FIRs work with our Housing and Residence Life staff to provide supportive environments where students can learn and develop.

Dr. Lisa Molix  (Faculty In Residence, Greenbaum Residence Hall): Dr. Lisa Molix is an Associate Professor in Tulane's Department of Psychological Sciences. Though raised in Kansas City, Missouri, as a child she spent most summers with family just up the road in St. Francisville, Louisiana. Dr. Molix is a social and personality psychologist by training and she joined the Tulane community in 2007. Her primary research interests are in intergroup relations and health/well-being among marginalized populations. When she is not writing, teaching, or in her research lab, Dr. Molix enjoys being creative and physically active. If these activities can somehow include her entire family and the outdoors, even better! She has served as faculty in residence for four years and lives in Greenbaum House with her husband Dr. Chuck Nichols (Associate Professor at Loyola) and their children Olivia and Emmett.

Dr. Jananarthanan (Janan) Jayawickramarajah (Faculty in Residence, Weatherhead Residence Hall): Dr. Jayawickramarajah was born in Sri Lanka, but spent much of his childhood abroad and moved to the United States for his undergraduate education. He joined the faculty at Tulane in 2007. His research work has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health and broadly encompasses biological and materials aspects of supramolecular chemistry. Dr. Jayawickramarajah views the role of a faculty member as not only conducting transformative research and education but also as a facilitator who supports the growth of students into civic-minded and community-engaged leaders. Whenever the opportunity arises, he loves to travel with his family and to explore new countries, cultures, and cuisines. Dr. Jayawickramarajah will be joined in Weatherhead by his wife, Dr. Mehnaaz Ali, an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Xavier University, and their three children.

Dr. Carrie Wyland (Faculty in Residence, Wall Residence Hall): Dr. Wyland is thrilled to be a part of the Wall community with her husband, Nathan, and two boys, Sammy and Ernie. She is a Senior Professor of Practice in the Psychology Department and has been at Tulane since 2006.  She is s social psychologist and her research has focused on understanding the biases related to understanding the self and others. A native Clevelander, she completed her BA in psychology and English at Case Western Reserve University and then earned her PhD in psychology from Dartmouth College, after which she completed a two year postdoc at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. For Dr. Wyland, one of the most enjoyable aspects of being a professor is getting to mentor and interact with such enthusiastic students. One thing she wishes is that she had been able to get to know her professors better and she hopes students know she is not just approachable but truly values getting to know them.  She truly loves living in New Orleans; it is one of the most interesting cities full of such passionate people and amazing culture.  Mardi Gras is one of her favorite times of the year; she tries to eat as much king cake as possible and has caught close to a dozen Muses shoes! 

Residential Faculty Mentors (RFM) are professors at Tulane who are partnered with first-year residence halls. The purpose of the RFM program is to foster an intellectual community within the residence halls, to encourage students to cross the boundaries between academic and student spaces, and to increase faculty-student engagement. By bringing faculty into the residence halls, we are offering co-curricular experiences for students that facilitate learning and holistic student growth through faculty lobby hours, community programming, and one-on-one relationship building.

Butler RFMs:

• Dr. Katie Russell (Professor of Practice, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering) - Favorite course to teach: Unit Operations Laboratory. Advice for first-year students: Don’t be afraid to reach out to your professors. Favorite thing about New Orleans: Food and festivals.
• Dr. Ryan McBride (Administrative Associate Professor, English and Center for Public Service) - Favorite course to teach: Aristotle in New Orleans (a section of persuasive writing ENLS 3650). Advice for first-year students: Buy a used bike and explore the city. Favorite thing about New Orleans: The friendly openness of the people here is good for your soul.
• Dr. Mollye Demosthenidy (Clinical Associate Professor, Global Health Management and Policy)

Josephine Louise RFMs:

• Anna Mahoney (Administrative Assistant Professor, Newcomb College Institute) - Favorite course to teach: Women’s Legislative Leadership. Advice for first-year students: Be yourself - it is the best way to find your people. Favorite thing about New Orleans: Food.
• Chloe Raub (Head of Newcomb Archives and Vorhoff Library Special Collections, Newcomb College Institute) - Favorite course to teach: I don't teach my own courses but I love working with professors to bring special collections and archives into the classroom. Advice for first-year students: Make time for the many wonderful speakers Tulane brings to campus, these are often a once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Favorite thing about New Orleans: Year-round gardening!
• Professor Holly Flora (Associate Professor, Newcomb Art Department) - Favorite course to teach: Medieval Manuscripts. Advice for first-year students: Stay true to who you are. Favorite thing about New Orleans: There is truly no other city with New Orleans’ cultural riches. Plus, food.

Monroe RFMs:

• Sam Brandao (Clinical Instructor, Civil Rights and Federal Practice Clinic, Tulane Law School) - Favorite course to teach: I love teaching in the clinic because I get to work with both clients and students. Advice for first-year students: Push through any awkwardness you might feel and seize your changes to connect with faculty, with each other, and with everytone in our community. Favorite thing about New Orleans: The city is a great way to expose myself and my kids to a broad and rich spectrum o human experience. Also muffulettas.
• Katie Black (Professor of Practice, Neuroscience) - Favorite course to teach: Brain and Behavior. Advice for first-year students: Go to office hours and get to know your professors, They are here to help and will be great resources to you. Favorite thing about New Orleans: There are always flowers in bloom.
• Amy George (Senior Professor of Practice, Spanish and Portuguese and Linguistics) - Favorite course to teach: Translation Studies Theory and History. Advice for first-year students: If you’re having a hard time with something, don’t be afraid to ask for help! Favorite thing about New Orleans: The people! The food! The community!

Sharp RFMs:

• Prof. Brittany Powell Kennedy (Senior Professor of Practice, Spanish and Portuguese) - Favorite course to teach: Colloquium on Modernism. Advice for first-year students: Don’t let preconceived notions of “college life” determine your college experience. Be open to things you may not think you like and that challenge you. Favorite thing about New Orleans: The sense of community you feel even as you walk down the street. Everyone says hello, and there are times when you feel like we’re all in this NOLA thing together. 
• Dr. Jimmy Huck (Administrative Associate Professor, Latin American Studies) - Favorite course to teach: Liberatory Education and Ethical Service. Advice for first-year students: Daily attendance in class if worth a letter grade. Be there! Favorite thing about New Orleans: Crawfish boils, po-boys, and Commander’s Palace bread pudding soufflé. 
• Brooke Grant (Professor of Practice, Teacher Preparation and Certification Program)