����AV��Ƶ

• Ph.D. in Media & Communication, Texas Tech University (May 2023)
  • Dissertation: “Loving Yourself is Something That's Really Hard to Do ...”: An Interpretive Investigation of Body Image and Body Talk in Interpersonal and Online Relationships
• M.A. in Strategic Communication, American University (August 2020)
  • Thesis: Listen When She Speaks: Young Women on Arriving at Reproductive Rights Opinions
• B.A. in Communication Studies (Minor: Media Strategies), Texas Tech University (May 2019)

Sydney E. Brammer, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Mass Communication at the ����AV��Ƶ. She specializes in research exploring digital and social media, gender, identity, and body image, and has a long-held interest in interpersonal communication and close relationships. As a teacher-scholar, Brammer is dedicated to advancing equity and inclusion for students everywhere. Her instructional and investigative efforts meet at the intersection of (a) investment in emerging adults' holistic wellbeing and (b) a belief that they are living and learning in an unprecedented online media environment. Her work in the classroom and in her research is anchored by a focus on equipping adolescents and young adults with media literacy tools to critically interpret and craft digital and social media. She is fascinated by the real-world impact of media on our lives and passionate about providing practical and theoretical recommendations that improve the holistic lives of all people while also advancing the discipline. Brammer credits much of the richness of her own undergraduate experience to the Texas Tech University Honors College and is delighted to serve as an Honors Fellow.

• Ph.D. Psychological Sciences, Kent State University
• M.A. Psychological Sciences, Kent State University
• B.A. Psychology with Honors in the Major, ����AV��Ƶ 
• A.A. Florida State College at Jacksonville

Dr. Charles Fitzsimmons is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the ����AV��Ƶ. He completed his Ph.D. in Psychological Sciences from Kent State University. Dr. Fitzsimmons is a cognitive-developmental psychologist who studies the way people learn, think, and solve problems across the lifespan. Much of his work focuses on how people self-regulate their learning and awareness of their own knowledge, how they (mis)understand numbers, and individual differences relate to thoughts and feelings about numbers and math. He also studies the way people think about and understand numbers outside of educational contexts, such as when they see health statistics, whether errors can be reduced with visual displays, and how knowledge can be gained through training. In collaboration with colleagues, Dr. Fitzsimmons has secured funding from the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation to improve children’s understanding of fractions and to improve children’s ability to metacognitively monitor and self-regulate their own learning. Dr. Fitzsimmons is currently on the editorial board of the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology and is an Editorial Fellow for the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. In his spare time, Charlie enjoys spending time with his wife, Chelsea, watching live music, reading fiction books, running, cycling, and swimming, or spending time with his dog.

• Wake Forest University, Department of Chemistry, Winston-Salem, NC
  • Postdoctoral Research Scientist, 2019 & 2022
• Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, SC
  • Postdoctoral Research Scientist, 2019-2022
• University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
  • Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry, 2019
• Wake Forest University, Department of Chemistry, Winston-Salem, NC
  • B.S. in Chemistry, 2014

Dr. Will Jones is an analytical chemist by training, with significant experience in a variety of workhorse spectroscopic techniques including inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), and Raman spectroscopy. Instruments currently available in the Jones lab at ����AV��Ƶ are an Agilent 5900 ICP-OES and a prototype liquid LIBS instrument from Applied Spectra. A custom-built LIBS system that will also allow molecular measurements using Raman spectroscopy is currently under construction. His research is focused on the development of novel calibration methods that improve the determination of trace level analytes (milligrams per kilogram, parts per million) and below in a general sense through the creation of strategies that make measurements simpler and faster while improving upon analytical figures of merit. Such low levels of chemical contaminants may seem insignificant at first glance, but many species such as the toxic metals arsenic, cadmium, and lead result in severe negative health effects at even lower levels (micrograms per kilogram, parts per billion), making accurate and precise monitoring of trace level analytes in innumerable sample types a critical field for ensuring human health. As an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Dr. Jones has a particular interest in creating memorable, but practical, experiences in the teaching laboratory. He teaches General Chemistry II, as well as a variety of analytical chemistry courses including Quantitative Analytical Chemistry, Modern Analytical Chemistry, and Spectrochemical Analysis.

Jamie Marchio, DCN, MSH, MBA, RD, LD/N, CSSD is a registered dietitian, educator, and clinical nutrition scholar whose work focuses on food insecurity, community nutrition interventions, obesity prevention, and nutrition care for vulnerable populations. He currently serves as the Director of the Center for Nutrition and Food Security and an Instructor in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at the ����AV��Ƶ, where he teaches undergraduate courses in human nutrition, food science, food fundamentals, and experiential learning capstone.

Dr. Marchio earned his Doctor of Clinical Nutrition from the ����AV��Ƶ. His doctoral research resulted in the development and evaluation of Nourish to Flourish, a community-based obesity prevention program designed for children at risk for food insecurity. This work reflects his broader commitment to applied, service-driven scholarship that integrates nutrition education, community engagement, and public health practice. Through his involvement with the Center for Nutrition and Food Security, Dr. Marchio contributes to initiatives that address social determinants of health and expand access to evidence-based nutrition programming in underserved communities.

His scholarly interests include pediatric obesity prevention, food insecurity, food policy, and sports nutrition. Dr. Marchio is a contributing author to The Florida Diet Manual, with chapters on sports nutrition for adults, sports nutrition for children and adolescents, and nutrition and wound healing. He has presented his research at national conferences, including the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE), and has delivered invited international presentations on nutrition and wound healing.

In addition to his academic and research roles, Dr. Marchio brings extensive professional experience in clinical nutrition and healthcare leadership, including two decades of work in the medical device industry covering acute care, long-term care, and home healthcare for multiple global manufactures such as Novartis Inc., Nestle Health Science, Hollister Inc., and ConvaTec Inc. His service commitment includes leadership roles within professional organizations, community volunteer work with food assistance programs, and participation in global health initiatives focused on nutrition policy for under resourced populations. Across his teaching, scholarship, and service, Dr. Marchio’s work is grounded in a mission to improve nutrition access, education, and health outcomes for individuals and communities facing health inequities.

Dr. Amanda Blakewood Pascale serves as Associate Professor of Higher Education Administration in the College of Education and Human Services. She brings with her extensive experience in University administration having served as Associate Director of Admissions and later as Director of the Graduate School.

Dr. Pascale holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration as well as a M.S. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies - College Student Personnel from the University of Tennessee. Additionally, she holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Central Florida. Dr. Pascale’s research examines leadership in higher education settings, and the praxis of ideas that promote university community success. She has particular interest in college student learning and faculty success.

She is a member of multiple national organizations, routinely presents at national conferences, and has authored over 20 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters.

• United States Naval Academy, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering
• Webster University, Master in Management
• Johns Hopkins University’s, Master in International Public Policy

General Rick Tryon graduated from the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He also holds a Masters in Management from Webster University, and a Masters in International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. He served on active duty for 44 years. As a Marine Corps infantry officer, he commanded at every level in the Marine Corps. In addition, he served with the Special Operations Command and is a Joint Specialty Officer. Career highlights include his time as Deputy Executive Assistant to the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; command of a Marine Expeditionary Unit; command of the Marine Barracks in Washington DC during 9/11 with responsibilities for Camp David and the White House Communications Agency; Commanding General Marine Corps Recruiting Command; Executive Officer for the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe; Commander of the Multinational Force (West) in Al Anbar Province, Iraq; Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps for Plans, Policies, and Operations; and Commander of U.S. Marine Forces Command, Commander of Marine Forces Europe, and Commanding General Fleet Marine Forces, Atlantic.

General Tryon retired to Jacksonville, Florida. He is the Senior Fellow for Leadership in the Honors College. He is also a senior consultant for The Roosevelt Group in Washington, D.C. He has been recognized as a Veteran of Influence by the Jacksonville Business Journal and is a 2019 graduate of the Leadership Jacksonville Program.

• Ph.D in Leadership and Change, Antioch University
• MA in Leadership and Change, Antioch University
• MS in Mass Communication, San Diego State University
• BS in Sociology and Communication, University of the Pacific

• Columbia University School of Social Work, Social Intervention Group (SIG), New York City, NY
  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow, NIDA T32 in HIV & Substance Use Prevention in the Criminal Justice System, 2022-25
• Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Department of Community Health and Prevention, Philadelphia, PA
  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Community Health and Prevention, 2018-2022
• Washington University in St. Louis Brown School, St. Louis, MO
  • Master of Public Health (MPH), Urban Design Specialization , 2015-17
• Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies, Washington, DC
  • Bachelor of Science (BS) in Human Science, Minor in Public Health, 2011-15

Dr. Nishita (Nishi) Dsouza is a public health researcher focused on multicomponent, multilevel interventions to eliminate health disparities and improve health outcomes. Dr. Dsouza has significant experience in urban health, systems science, implementation science, and community-engaged research with Black and Latino populations. Her dedication to urban determinants of health research is due to multiple formative experiences in community health research and practice and a transdisciplinary educational background. In her role as a Commissioner’s Fellow at the Tennessee Department of Health with the Office of Primary Prevention, she built a significant foundation in strategical approaches to advance public health goals through cross-sector collaboration to examine and intervene upon upstream determinants of health. Dr. Dsouza entered Drexel University’s PhD program interested in building my skills related to community engaged research methods to learn more about redesigning urban systems to promote one’s ability to lead a livable life and how that influences the health and wellbeing of populations, especially underserved racial and ethnic minorities affected by systematic urban inequalities. Her passion for focusing on equity and underserved populations led her to Columbia University, where she served as a postdoctoral research fellow looking at housing as a harm reduction intervention. As an Assistant Professor of Social & Behavioral Science, Dr. Dsouza teaches Public Health Research, Health Communications, and Theory of Health Behavior. 

María Ángeles Fernández Cifuentes, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Spanish at the ����AV��Ƶ. Her research focuses on learner variability and the design of participatory learning environments that expand access, foster learner autonomy, and create meaningful pathways for learning. Grounded in Universal Design for Learning (UDL), she examines how emerging technologies can support these environments while strengthening rather than replacing human judgment, dialogue, and collaboration.

A certified UDL practitioner through the Harvard Graduate School of Education and an EdSAFE AI Fellow, she is completing an Executive Program in Artificial Intelligence at the Instituto de Inteligencia Artificial (IIA). Her projects include open educational resources that explore different approaches to accessible and participatory learning, from a Spanish textbook designed by students for students and multimedia adaptations for readers with reading difficulties to immersive virtual experiences and AI-supported avatars for archival inquiry.

This work grows from her scholarship in Cervantes and early modern Spanish literature, where she first explored the complexities of human experience: how perspective shapes meaning, how stories connect us to experiences beyond our own, and how reading deepens our understanding of ourselves and others. Her work with digital media and AI extends these questions into learning: how environments can respond to learner variability, how learners exercise judgment, and how they learn with and from others. Ultimately, her research asks what technology can meaningfully support, and which dimensions of interpretation, judgment, dialogue, and shared meaning-making should remain centered on the human.

Sebastian P.L. Fourné is Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at ����AV��Ƶ. Previously, he worked at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada. He obtained his PhD at the Rotterdam School of Management in 2014. His research focuses on how organizations can combine incremental progress and efficiency seeking with radical innovation, the exploration of new technologies, decision-making under uncertainty, funding of start-ups, resource allocation to early-stage scientific inventions, and the role of senior and middle managers in implementing technological innovation in larger organizations. Dr. Fourné takes a keen interest in offering experiential learning experiences, writes case studies, and enables his students to provide recommendations to the leaders of his case companies. He has been a visiting scholar at leading business schools in The Netherlands, Germany, and Singapore. 2007-2009 he was an executive responsible for entrepreneurial projects at the De Beers Group in London, United Kingdom. Dr. Fourné is an Editor at the Journal of Business Research. His scholarly work has appeared in highly respected management and entrepreneurship journals such as Journal of Management Studies, Research Policy, Human Resource Management, California Management Review, Small Business Economics, Journal of World Business, and Long Range Planning. Dr. Fourné teaches (Corporate) Entrepreneurship and Strategic Management classes.

Dr. Andrea Gaytán Cuesta is an Assistant Professor of the English and Word Languages Department at the ����AV��Ƶ, where she has taught since 2022. She earned her Ph.D. in Spanish Languages and Literatures from Rutgers University and draws on fifteen years of international teaching experience to illuminate contemporary Mexican and Latin American studies and film.

Her research moves fluidly across three interconnected terrains — apocalyptic imagination, environmental humanities, and digital humanities — tracing how film, literature, fashion, and border cultures reveal the fractures and resilience of a region in constant reinvention. She is currently completing a book proposal, Cathartic Dead: Zombie Cinema in Mexico from El Santo (1962) to MexZombies (2022), and has recently published in Ecokritike and Amerika.

Gaytán Cuesta drives digital humanities initiatives including Shared Lines/Líneas Compartidas: ����AV��Ƶ Digital Archive of Poetry and LatinX: Podcasting la Cultura Latina, and collaaborate in the interdisciplinary project "Mexico Here and There: Culture, Language and History across Borders" with Dr. Anne Pfister. She also directs Movies on the House film cycle and has strengthened ����AV��Ƶ's presence at Downtown Jacksonville's Art Walk — especially during the — and the International Poetry Festival. She looks forward to joining the Hicks Honors College as a Faculty Innovation Fellow, bringing that same spirit of connection to a new community of scholars.

• Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA.

  • Ph.D., Computer Science
• Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA.

  • M.Sc, Electrical and Computer Eng.
• Computer Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
  • B.Sc Engineering

Dr. Indika Kahanda is an Associate Professor in the School of Computing at ����AV��Ƶ, where he directs the BioMedInfo (Bioinformatics and Biomedical Informatics lab). Prior to that Dr. Kahanda worked as an Assistant Professor in the Gianforte School of Computing at Montana State University. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Colorado State University in 2016 in the area of Bioinformatics, a Master of Science in Computer Engineering from Purdue University in 2010, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka in 2007.

Dr. Kahanda's research interests lie in the areas of Bioinformatics, and Biomedical Informatics. He focuses on the application of machine learning and natural language processing techniques to solve problems involving large-scale biological, molecular, and biomedical data. In particular, he investigates approaches to (1) develop computational methods for functional genomics and (2) develop natural language processing and text mining tools for biomedical literature. Current projects include (a) developing computational tools for Pangenomics, (b) automated inconsistency/misinformation detection in biomedical literature and social media, and (c) developing novel techniques for automated student misconception detection in STEM.

• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Ph.D. in Accounting, 2024
• KDI School of Public Policy and Management
  • Master of Development Policy (merit-based full scholarship from the government), 2018
• Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) 
  • B.A. in Management Science (merit-based full scholarship from the government), 2014

Dr. Sydney Kim is an Assistant Professor of Accounting in the Department of Accounting and Finance at ����AV��Ƶ's Coggin College of Business. She joined ����AV��Ƶ in 2025. Dr. Kim earned her Ph.D. in Accounting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2024, following a Master of Development Policy from the KDI School of Public Policy and Management and a B.A. in Management Science from KAIST.

Her research examines artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, corporate disclosures, human capital, and textual analysis, focusing on how firms communicate about technology investment and how AI is reshaping financial reporting, auditing, and education. Her work has appeared in the Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, and her work has been presented to audiences including the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the AAA Annual Meeting. Her honors include the FARS Excellence in Reviewing Award and the UIUC Gies College of Business Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching Award.

An award-winning teacher, Dr. Kim teaches data analytics, accounting information systems, and financial accounting, and has been recognized on the List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent. 

• University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ,

  • Master of Public Health (MPH), 1994

• Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

  • Bachelor of Arts (BA) in French, Minor in Anthropology, 1992

• Certifications & Professional Development
  • Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC), 2021
  • University of Washington Summer Institute in Epidemiology, 1996

Katryne Lukens Bull, MPH, CLC, is an Associate Instructor, Program Director for the Bachelor of Science in Health in Public Health (BSH-PH), and Coordinator for the Graduate Certificate in Global Health at the ����AV��Ƶ. With more than 25 years of applied public health experience spanning state departments of health and clinical research at the University of Florida, she specializes in epidemiology, health disparities, geospatial analysis, and community-based participatory research.

At ����AV��Ƶ, Katryne teaches core courses in epidemiology, research methods, and data analytics, focusing on bridging data science with real-world public health practice. A dedicated mentor, she has guided more than 175 students and future healthcare professionals through practicum and social-innovation initiatives, earning the 2023–2024 Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award and recognition as an Honors AI Innovation Fellow. Internationally, Katryne directs experiential study abroad programs in Bali, Indonesia, and Nairobi, Kenya, immersing students in the intersections of culture, sustainability, and global health systems.

• 2015 Doctorate of Philosophy, University of South Florida; Tampa, Florida
  • Applied Medical Anthropology
• 2008 Master of Science, State University of New York; Buffalo, NY
  • Multidisciplinary Studies, International Education
• 2008 Diplomado (Diploma), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Mexico City, Mexico
  • Literatura Latinoamericana (Latin American Literature)
• 2000 Post-Bachelor Educator Certification, Fort Lewis College; Durango, CO
  • General Education (K-8)
• 1997 Bachelor of Arts, Colorado State University; Fort Collins, CO
  • Anthropology

Dr. Pfister is Professor of Anthropology - she teaches medical, cultural, and visual anthropology. Dr. Pfister is currently investigating human-insect interactions and imaginaries from an anthropological and humanistic approach, with a focus on Oaxaca, Mexico. She co-founded  with former-student collaborators. Dr. Pfister also researches the experience of deafness among deaf children and their families in Mexico City, Mexico using a community-based approach that incorporates participatory and visual methods including photovoice. Her book "The Evidence is Life: Deaf Pilgrimages to Language and Community in Mexico City" was published with Gallaudet University Press in August 2025. To learn more about Dr. Pfister's research, teaching, and faculty-led research projects, please visit  and .

Dr. Pfister came to ����AV��Ƶ in 2015 from the University of South Florida where she earned a PhD in Applied Medical Anthropology. Prior to moving to Jacksonville, she taught in Mexico City, Cambodia, at a one-room schoolhouse in Colorado, in Tucson, Arizona, and in South Florida. Dr. Pfister loves anthropology, especially the intersections of biology and culture. She also enjoys motherhood and spending time with her family, being outdoors, art of all kinds, and learning new things. 

• The Alan Turing Institute, London, UK 2023-2025
  • Post-doctoral Researcher 
• University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 2019-2023
  • Ph.D. in Computer Science

Yongzhao Wang is an assistant professor in the School of Computing at the ����AV��Ƶ. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Michigan in 2023. From 2023 - 2025, he conducted research at The Alan Turing Institute, the UK's national AI and data science institute. For the past decade, his research has focused on Artificial Intelligence, with a particular focus on multiagent systems and their applications in financial markets and cybersecurity. His work spans empirical game-theoretic analysis, multiagent reinforcement learning, AI safety, financial markets, and reasoning about strategic environments in natural language descriptions. His research has appeared in leading venues including AAAI, AAMAS, IJCAI, ICAIF, and GameSec, and his work on market manipulation using AI received a Best Paper Award at ICAIF 2024. At ����AV��Ƶ, he develops and teaches courses in machine learning and reinforcement learning.