The Beloit community is welcoming five new professors for the 2022-23 academic year, including scholars in anthropology, biology, education, and economics.

“We are delighted to welcome these innovative scholars to Beloit this fall,” said Eric Boynton, provost and dean of the college. “It takes a diverse range of expertise to develop Beloit’s liberal arts curriculum and these educators will bring fresh perspectives to the classroom and to our students.”

Jason Alley

Jason AlleyJason Alley transitions to assistant professor of anthropology after serving as a visiting professor. Alley earned a doctorate and master’s degree in anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a bachelor’s degree in film from the University of California, Berkeley. Alley’s research interests include aging, health inequalities, care, visual anthropology, race, and feminist and queer studies.

Allan Farrell

Allan FarrellAllan Farrell, a doctoral candidate in sociology at Rice University, joins the college as an assistant professor of sociology. Farrell’s research and teachings are rooted in racial identity, racial perception, and their relationship with racial inequality. Farrell earned a master’s degree in sociology at Rice and a bachelor’s degree in sociology and political science from Gonzaga University.

Gana Ndiaye

Gana NdiayeGana Ndiaye, a doctoral candidate in sociocultural anthropology at Boston University, will be an assistant professor of anthropology. Ndiaye’s research and teachings focus on migration, transnational Islam, Ajami literature, African languages, race, and ethnicity. Ndiaye completed a master’s degree in French Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a master of science in intercultural mediation: identities, mobility and conflicts at KU Leuven, and a bachelor’s degree from Mohammad University in English studies.

Kevin Smith

Kevin SmithKevin Smith, a doctoral candidate in economics from Lehigh University, joins the economics department as an assistant professor. Smith attended the University of the West Indies at Mona, Jamaica, earning a bachelor of science and master of science in economics. Smith was a research assistant to an adjunct professor where he received the Teaching Assistant of the Year Award. Smith focuses on quantitative methods, econometrics, health economics, labor economics, and economic history.

Helen Werner

Helen Werner was promoted from Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology to a tenure-track position. Werner is a physiologist and molecular biologist with specific interests in human osteology, palaeopathology, and infectious disease. She has studied the expression of respiratory bacterial infections in skeletal remains and how the marginalization of a community compounds the intensity of disease. Her current research interests include examining how the soil biome impacts the use of molecular biology in archaeology. In her spare time she enjoys reading voraciously, listening to podcasts, and coaching roller derby. She teaches Human Biology, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Human Anatomy, and Human Physiology.