Faculty Nominations and Elections Committee Candidate Profiles
Kerry Shaw
Kerry L. Shaw joined the faculty at Cornell in 2007 as Professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior. She received her A.B. from Princeton University in 1985, her PhD in Biology from Washington University in St. Louis in 1993, and previously served on the faculty at Harvard and the University of Maryland. Her research investigates the nature and origin of species, focusing on genetic and phylogenetic behavioral changes that diverge early in speciation. She teaches a variety of courses on the subject of behavior and evolution, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. She is currently a Fellow in the Public Voices Op Ed project, and in 2017 was elected a Fellow of the Animal Behavior Society.
Ruth Richardson
Ruth E. Richardson, Associate Professor in Civil and Environment Engineering, obtained degrees in Chemical Engineering (B.S.) and Civil and Environmental Engineering (M.S. & Ph.D). The Richardson lab at Cornell studies microbial communities of relevance to important environmental engineering challenges including bioremediation of toxic groundwater contaminants, bioenergy, sustainable wastewater treatment, nutrient and greenhouse gas cycling, and pathogen detection. The Richardson lab toolkit includes various techniques in genomics (DNA), transcriptomics (RNA) and proteomics as well as modeling of community kinetics and gene networks. Common goals in lab projects involve development of diagnostic biomarkers for improved monitoring, and modeling of microbial community-controlled outcomes in bioreactors and impacted environmental settings. Dr. Richardson is also active in advising project teams ((ESW Biofuels and AguaClara's sustainable Wastewater treatment subteams) and is a strong supporter of undergraduate independent research. Outside of teaching, Dr. Richardson enjoys hiking and swimming in nature, team sports, and the strategy game Dominion.
Julia Finkelstein
Dr. Julia Finkelstein is the Follett Sesquicentennial Faculty Fellow and Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition in the Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University. She is also an adjunct Associate Professor at St. John's Research Institute in Bangalore, India. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from McGill University, Master of Public Health degree from Brown University, and Master of Science and Doctor of Science degrees in Epidemiology and Nutritional Epidemiology from Harvard University. Dr. Finkelstein is an epidemiologist with expertise in the design and conduct of randomized clinical trials, cohort studies, and surveillance programs in resource-limited settings. The goal of the Finkelstein Laboratory is to elucidate the role of vitamin B12 in the etiology of anemia and adverse pregnancy outcomes, and inform the development of interventions to improve the health of mothers and young children.