New Faculty Bios
Dr. Mary Dozier
College: Liberal Arts & Sciences
Department: Psychology
Title: Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Training
Dr. Dozier is a clinical psychologist with two overlapping research interests: behavioral interventions for older adults and the presentation and treatment of hoarding disorder across the lifespan. Most recently she has been studying the impact of a rural context on hoarding disorder, with grant support from the American Psychological Foundation and the National Institute of Mental Health.
Dr. Dozier earned her B.A. from Rice University in 2011 with a double major in psychology and philosophy. She then earned her Ph.D. from the San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology in 2019, following a one-year clinical internship with a geropsychology emphasis at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, yoga, reading (preferably science fiction), and drinking tea (preferably earl grey).
Dr. Jordan Alexander
College: Liberal Arts & Sciences
Department: Psychology
Title: Libra Assistant Professor of Psychology
Jordan D. Alexander is a tenure-track assistant professor in the University of Maine Department of Psychology. He received his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota in 2026, after completing a yearlong doctoral internship in clinical psychology at Allina Health in Minneapolis. In addition to his role at UMaine, Dr. Alexander is a practicing clinical psychologist affiliated with VA Maine’s Bangor Community Based Outpatient Clinic, where he provides psychotherapy and psychological assessment services to Maine veterans experiencing a range of mental and behavioral health concerns.
Dr. Alexander’s research spans the fields of behavioral genetics, substance use, and adolescent development. His work investigates the dynamic interplay between genetic influences and environmental experiences in shaping mental and behavioral health in adolescents and young adults. A distinctive feature of his research is its use of intensive, real-world measures of day-to-day experiences derived from smartphone sensor and wearable device data. These measures are paired with genetically and causally informative designs, such as twin/family studies and genomic analyses, to investigate how day-to-day environmental experiences, genes, and their interplay jointly influence the development of mental and behavioral health traits.
Dr. Alexander is especially interested in how contemporary changes in young people’s daily lives are shaping their risk for mental and behavioral health conditions. His current work examines how changes in youth social behavior, especially the role of digital technologies and online platforms in youth social life, may contribute to ongoing changes in the prevalence and expression of mental and behavioral health in young people.
Dr. Catherine Babecki
College: Liberal Arts & Sciences
Department: Mathematics & Statistics
Title: Lecturer
Dr. Catherine Babecki is a Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics at the University of Maine. Her research interests lie in the intersection of discrete geometry, combinatorics, and optimization with applications to real world problems. She loves mentoring through both student research opportunities and teaching, be that in a class or a directed reading project.
Catherine started her journey in mathematics at community college, completed a B.S. in Mathematics at Penn State, and went on to earn her Ph.D. in Mathematics at the University of Washington, Seattle. Prior to joining UMaine, she was a postdoctoral instructor at Caltech. This fall, she is teaching Calculus I and Math 101 – The Nature and Language of Mathematics. Outside of work, she enjoys both the great outdoors (hiking, rock climbing, paddling) and the great indoors (arts & crafts — especially ceramics, reading, cooking).
Dr. Hesham Mahmoud
College: Maine College of Engineering and Computing
Department: Civil & Environmental Engineering
Title: Assistant Teaching Professor
Dr. Hesham Mahmoud is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maine. His teaching and research interests include hydrology, hydrogeology, groundwater modeling, and water resources engineering.
His research focuses on understanding groundwater recharge and aquifer dynamics under changing climate conditions and human water use. His recent work integrates hydrologic and groundwater models, field observations, and data-driven methods to investigate recharge, groundwater storage, surface-water interactions, and pumping impacts in cold-region aquifers.
He earned his Ph.D. in Geological Engineering from the University of North Dakota and his M.Sc. in Hydrology and Water Resources from IHE Delft Institute for Water Education in the Netherlands. He also holds a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Cairo University. At UMaine, he primarily teaches Hydrology and Groundwater Hydrology. In his free time, he enjoys playing and watching soccer and spending time with his family.
Alice Guilford
College: Liberal Arts & Sciences
School: Policy and International Affairs (SPIA)
Title: Lecturer I
Alice Guilford is a Lecturer in the School of Policy and International Affairs at the University of Maine. She is an expert in political analysis, strategic program development, and foreign policy in conflict-affected and politically fragile states. She served as a senior advisor for USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives, where she also led teams implementing rapid-response programs in Asia and Africa. Prior to joining USAID, she led a peacebuilding program in South Sudan and managed democracy and governance programs in Egypt, Bangladesh, and Tunisia. She began her career conducting research and supporting community development and education programs in South Africa, Senegal, and Lebanon.
Alice holds an M.A. in International Relations and International Economics, with a concentration in International Development, from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and a B.A. in International Studies from Trinity College.
Dr. Bennett Porter
College: Liberal Arts & Sciences
Department: Psychology
Title: Assistant Professor
Dr. Porter is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology. His research is focused on understanding and improving the health and well-being of military service members and veterans. His work has covered several topics including scale development, modeling populations over time, and the etiology of mental health disorders. Additionally, his work promotes the use of publicly available data, particularly within clinical psychology, to address pressing health questions. Dr. Porter uses advanced statistical methodologies like structural equation modeling, mixture modeling, and item response theory to analyze data.
He earned a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Houston followed by seven years in industry working as a biostatistician on the Millennium Cohort Study, the largest prospective cohort of military service members collected to date. He has taught classes in graduate and undergraduate statistics, research methodology, social psychology, and positive psychology. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time with his pet rabbits.
Dr. Heather LeClerc
College: Maine College of Engineering & Computing
Department: Chemical & Biomedical Engineering
Title: Elliott R. Barker III Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering
Dr. Heather LeClerc is the inaugural Elliott R. Barker III Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering in the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Maine. Her research strives to uncover molecular-level insights into real-world complex organic waste streams, such as plastics, food waste, and biomass waste, to enable near-complete conversion to usable fuels, chemicals, and materials. Specifically, her research uses high-resolution analytical tools, with a focus on mass spectrometry, to determine mixture effects on key reaction pathways and intramolecular interactions to guide the rational design of reactors capable of turning trash into a valuable resource. She is also passionate about mentoring and teaching both undergraduate and graduate students and incorporating hands-on activities and real-world applications into her learning objectives.
Dr. LeClerc received her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship recipient and Fulbright Fellow in Aalborg, Denmark. She earned her B.S. in Environmental Chemistry from Saint Vincent College and prior to coming to Maine, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University as a Gaylord Donnelley fellow. At UMaine she is teaching Kinetics & Reactor Design as well as Process Safety. Outside of science and teaching, Dr. LeClerc loves hiking, kayaking, and spending time with her dog, Stanley.
Dr. Zhipeng Liu
College: Liberal Arts & Sciences
Department: Mathematics & Statistics
Title: Professor, Spofford Harris Kimball Endowed Chair
Dr. Zhipeng Liu obtained his PhD from the University of Michigan in 2014. He then spent three years as a Courant Instructor at New York University. Prior to joining the University of Maine, he served as an assistant and then associate professor at the University of Kansas.
Dr. Liu studies problems in probability theory and mathematical physics, employing techniques from applied analysis, probability, and combinatorics. His primary focus is on the mathematical structures underlying various random growth models in the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang universality class. His results have been published in top-tier journals, including the Journal of the AMS, Communications in Pure and Applied Mathematics, Annals of Probability, Probability Theory and Related Fields, and Communications in Mathematical Physics. His research is continuously supported by the NSF probability program and other national agencies.
Beyond his research, Dr. Liu actively supervises and mentors graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.
Dr. Morgan Mastrianni
College: Earth, Life & Health Sciences
School: Economics
Title: Libra Assistant Professor of Economics
Morgan Mastrianni is the Libra Assistant Professor of Economics in the College of Earth, Life, and Health Sciences. Her research interests include agricultural finance and community development. She is particularly interested in conducting research that helps to support the viability of small-scale farming in rural New England communities. Morgan is especially passionate about working directly with rural farmers and business owners in order to gauge what issues are most important to them. These conversations inform her research agenda and support her teaching. She enjoys bringing anecdotes from stakeholder interactions into her lectures. She strives to learn from her students and is always happy to assist them in pursuing their academic interests.
Morgan earned her Ph.D. from Purdue University, her M.S. from Cornell University, and her B.A. from Wellesley College. She grew up in rural New Hampshire, where she helped raise Leicester Longwool sheep on her family’s small farm. In the evenings and on weekends, she and her husband enjoy rock climbing, gardening, sailing, hosting dinner parties, and taking on DIY projects around the house.
Dr. David Sorich
College: Maine Business School
Title: Lecturer of Logistics and Data Analysis
David grew up in South Jordan, Utah before earning a Navy ROTC scholarship. He attended the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with a B.S.E. in Civil Engineering Systems and earned a U.S. Navy Commission as a Supply Officer in 1993. While in the U.S. Navy, he was stationed in Charleston, SC., Pearl Harbor, HI., Mechanicsburg, PA., Everett, WA., and London, UK. He served onboard the fast-attack submarine the U.S.S. Bluefish (SSN-675) and the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72).
Following separation from the U.S. Navy, he joined Staples in various operations and project management roles, attaining certification as a Lean Six-Sigma Black Belt. David began as an adjunct professor with the University of Connecticut and then Manchester Community College. Later, he joined the U.S. Coast Guard Academy full-time as an Instructor of Management.
David and his family moved to Maine after taking an assistant professor position with Maine Maritime Academy before joining the Maine Business School at the University of Maine.
David resides in Blue Hill, Maine with his wife Lara and their four children – Matilda, Charles, Albert, and Henry.
Dr. Julia Barra Netto-Ferreira
College: Earth, Life & Health Sciences
School: Food and Agriculture
Title: Assistant Professor of Agronomy and Agroecosystem Health
Dr. Julia Barra Netto-Ferreira is an Assistant Professor of Agronomy in the School of Food and Agriculture. Julia earned her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Agronomy from the Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro and her Ph.D. in Soil Science from the University of Florida, focusing on management strategies that integrate soil health, nutrient management, and regenerative agriculture to support sustainable agroecosystems. At UMaine, she teaches Plant Sciences, serves as Research Director of the Analytical Laboratory and Maine Soil Testing Service, and conducts research evaluating how conservation practices such as sustainable intensification, crop diversification, optimized nutrient management, cover crops, and reduced disturbance influence soil health and production across different agroecosystems.
Cassidy J. Neal, Esq.
College: Liberal Arts & Sciences
Department: Sociology
Title: Adjunct Lecturer
Cassidy is a licensed attorney and Adjunct Lecturer in the University of Maine’s Sociology and Criminal Justice program. He brings a multidisciplinary academic and professional background in criminal justice, corrections, and law to the classroom. Cassidy earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from the University of Southern Maine, a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Boston University, and a Juris Doctor from the University of New Hampshire School of Law.
Cassidy began his professional career as a correctional officer and graduated from the 77th New Hampshire County Corrections Academy as its Honor Graduate. His experience in corrections included working with pretrial services, juvenile diversion programs, electronic monitoring, and work release. These experiences provided him with firsthand insight into the operation of correctional systems and the challenges faced by individuals involved in the criminal justice process.
As an educator, Cassidy is committed to connecting academic theory with the realities of the criminal justice system. His teaching encourages students to think critically about corrections, law, policy, rehabilitation, and punishment while examining the experiences of individuals who interact with the justice system. He seeks to provide students with both a strong academic foundation and a practical understanding of how criminal justice policies impact institutional operations.
Ellen Taraschi
College: Earth, Life & Health Sciences
School: Nursing
Title: Instructor
Ellen Taraschi is a dual-certified Family and Women’s Health nurse practitioner. She currently works in sexual and reproductive health with a focus on infectious diseases in both mobile and brick and mortar settings. She received her MSN at Emory University in 2018. She is a part-time instructor in the School of Nursing.
Ken Deal
College: Liberal Arts & Sciences
School: Policy and International Affairs (SPIA)
Title: Lecturer, National Security Issues
Ken Deal is a Lecturer with the School of Policy and International Affairs. He is a U.S. Army veteran with 30 years’ service specializing in international relations as a Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) response subject matter expert (SME). In this capacity, he led WMD responses worldwide, and conducted arms control inspections in the Former Soviet Union, and nuclear weapons safety and surety for U.S. stockpile. Upon retiring from the Army, he joined the U.S. Department of State where for 10 years, he led a team that provided training and assistance for allies and partners globally, and counterterrorism response. He served as head of delegation, or SME to numerous international engagements including NATO planning committees, ASEAN, and the U.S. Australia, India, and Japan Quadrilateral Security Dialogue “Quad”. He led the U.S. interagency in developing chemical and nuclear weapons use response for the Government of Ukraine and drafted a U.S. supporting plan. He is a graduate of the University of Idaho, and holds Master’s degrees from Syracuse University and the Eisenhower School. In his spare time, he is renovating several homes, and enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time on the water.
Dr. Keren Zhu
College: Maine College of Engineering and Computing
Departments: Electrical and Computer Engineering; Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
Title: Assistant Professor
Dr. Keren Zhu is currently an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Chemical & Biomedical Engineering at the University of Maine. Her research interests span bioelectromagnetics, brain computer interface, neuromodulation, bio-medical sensors, antennas and wireless power transfer. Specifically, her research focuses on designing engineered tools to sense and modulate different parts of the body, bridging traditional electromagnetics with patient-centered biomedical applications.
Dr. Zhu’s publication record includes 1 book chapter, 3 patents, 8 journal articles, and over 18 conference papers and abstracts. She has been recognized with over 6 scholarly recognitions, including the 2018 pre-graduate scholarship at the IEEE MTT-S, and the 2024 graduate fellowship at the IEEE AP-S.
Prior to Maine, Keren was a post-doctoral fellow at Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, from 2023 to 2026. She received her Ph.D. (2022) and B.S. (2017) degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the ElectroScience Laboratory at the Ohio State University in Columbus, OH, USA.
Outside of work, she loves snowboarding and discovering great food.
Also joining us this year:
- Amy Barnes, Lecturer
- Andrew Harms, Assistant Professor
- Ann Delaney, Applied Music Lessons Faculty
- Annie Smith, Lecturer
- Charles Emerson, Senior Lecturer
- Emma Reeve-Lobaugh, Lecturer of Secondary Education
- Gert Nesin, Lecturer
- Isaac Overcast, Assistant Research Professor
- James Brophy, Lecturer in Honors
- Jimmy Fazzino, Lecturer
- Keegan Dalal, Assistant Professor
- Kirsten Havig, Associate Professor
- Kristen Espling, Instructor
- Liam O’Brien, Assistant Research Professor of Building Science
- Matthew Skaves, Lecturer
- Megan Smith, Lecturer
- Nicholas Rowley, Assistant Extension Professor, Maine Sustainable Agriculture, Compost and Soil Health Educator
- Peter Caruso, Lecturer in Mathematics
- Peter Strand, Assistant Research Professor
- Savannah Clark, Lecturer I
- Tom Kiffney, Assistant Extension Professor & Shellfish Aquaculture Specialist