Michigan Society of Fellows Welcomes New Postdoctoral Members
In a highly competitive selection process, the Michigan Society of Fellows has announced six new appointees chosen from a pool of over 1,660 applicants. These individuals will commence their roles as postdoctoral fellows and non-tenure track assistant professors this fall, embarking on a three-year journey at the University of Michigan.
These scholars, selected for their significant contributions and interdisciplinary interests, will engage in teaching within their respective departments at the university while advancing their research projects.
Meet the New Fellows
- Amia Davis from Yale University will join the classical studies department at U-M to explore “Unbecoming Roman: Chaos Theory and Identity Collapse in the Roman Balkans (2nd – 7th c. CE).”
- Tanner Kovach of the University of Connecticut will investigate “Neanderthal–Modern Human Interaction and Evolution in the Southern Caucasus” in the anthropology department.
- Jack LaViolette, associated with Columbia University, will delve into “Curriculum, ideology, and the shaping of postgraduate lives: Computational approaches” in sociology.
- Carlos Andres Marcelo Serván from the University of Chicago will focus on “Lefschetz fibrations through the lens of Teichmüller theory” in the mathematics department.
- Maya Samuels-Fair of the University of California, Berkeley, will examine the effect of reproductive strategy on extinction risk using the fossil record in the earth and environmental sciences department.
- Tinaghao Zhou from the University of California, Santa Barbara, will study “At the Ends of Media: E-waste Toxicity and Environmental Politics in Rural China” within film, television, and media.
Continuing Fellows
The Society also maintains its existing members who continue their research endeavors:
- Aabid Allibhai in law.
- Zoë Berman in Afroamerican and African studies.
- James Boyko in ecology and evolutionary biology.
- Dina Mahmoud in comparative literature.
- Justin Miller in classical studies.
- Teresa Paneque-Carreño in astronomy.
- Erik Peterson in physics.
- Sylvia Ryerson in American culture.
- Phoebe Springstubb in the history of art.
- Julio Villa-Palomino in anthropology.
Established in 1970 through grants from the Ford Foundation and the Horace H. and Mary Rackham Funds, the Michigan Society of Fellows supports individuals demonstrating exceptional professional potential and interdisciplinary engagement. The fellowships welcome candidates from a broad array of fields, ranging from the physical and life sciences to the humanities and arts.
