8 faculty join Cornell in 170th year

Among the new faculty who arrived at Cornell College this fall in its 170th year are eight full-time faculty. They offer a wide range of experience from their studies and work in the U.S., England, Australia, and China.

Adam Abraham is a visiting assistant professor of English and creative writing. He has written three books, and his research interests include Victorian literature, book history, intellectual property and copyright, film and new media, and adaptation. He holds a doctorate in English from the University of Oxford, a master’s degree in 19th-century literature and culture from the University of York, postbaccalaureate studies in English from Columbia University, a master’s degree in screenwriting/cinematic arts from the University of Southern California, and a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania.

Huan Cai returns as associate professor of finance, having served previously on the Cornell faculty from 2013–2017. Most recently she was associate professor at Shantou University in China. Cai holds a doctorate in finance from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, and a bachelor’s degree in economics (finance major) from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. Her primary research interest is behavioral finance. She has a recent publication in the North American Journal of Economics and Finance and a few working papers. She also had professional experience in the finance and insurance industries and as an entrepreneur.

George Ellerbach ’11 is a lecturer in sociology and anthropology. He has served as a visiting lecturer at Cornell between 2017 and 2021 and most recently has been a University of Iowa graduate fellow. He holds his doctorate and master’s degrees in sociology from the University of Iowa, and majored in sociology and politics at Cornell, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa. His teaching and research interests include social stratification and inequality, culture, and sociology of education. 

Sophia Gillett ’12 is a visiting assistant professor of biology. She taught biology at Lake Forest College in 2021-22 and, just before that, was a postdoctoral scholar in Genomic Engineering at Tempus Labs, Inc. in Chicago and in Genetic Medicine at the University of Chicago. She holds a doctoral degree in genetics from the University of Iowa and a bachelor’s degree in biology and mathematics from Cornell, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa.

Danielle Grimes is assistant professor of engineering and physics. Since 2019 she has been the engineering coordinator, instructor, lab coordinator, and curriculum developer at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science. She has two internationally published research papers, over five years of diversity research in engineering, and over six years of completing engineering outreach efforts. She holds a doctoral degree in engineering education and a bachelor’s degree in biological engineering from Mississippi State University. 

Gabriel Jacobs is a lecturer in geology. He was a teaching assistant from 2017–2021 at the University of Missouri, Columbia and a graduate assistant from 2015–2017 at Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, Texas. His background is in invertebrate paleontology, supported by a doctorate in geological sciences from the University of Missouri, a master’s degree in geoscience from Midwestern State University, and a bachelor’s degree in geophysical and biological sciences from the University of Chicago. 

Sung Mo Kang is an assistant professor of business management. He has taught since 2017 as a graduate research assistant at Iowa State University. He holds a doctoral degree in management from Iowa State University, a master’s degree in human resource management from Purdue University, and a bachelor’s degree with a finance major and applied mathematics and statistics minor from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. His primary research interests are employee voice, team processes and dynamics, and team effectiveness.

Anna Tansik is a visiting assistant professor of biology. She was a visiting instructor in biology from 2020–2022 at Georgia Southern University and from 2018–2020 at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia. She holds a doctoral degree in marine science from the University of Georgia, Athens; a master’s degree in tropical marine ecology and fisheries biology from James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia; and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.