Experts

Are you a member of the media looking for an expert source?

ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø's faculty and staff are available to provide analysis and context on a variety of topics, including China and the politics of East Asia, repercussions of U.S. drug policy, how to make mathematics fun and accessible to children, and North Carolina politics.

To connect with a ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø expert, please contact Jay Pfeifer, director of media relations, at japfeifer@davidson.edu, 704-894-2920 (office) or 980-297-2355 (cell).

Politics and Elections

Russell Crandall

  • Professor of Latin American Studies

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • U.S. war on drugs
  • Andean politics
  • Hemispheric politics, economics, and security
  • U.S.-Latin American relations, contemporary and historical
  • American Foreign Policy
A white male wearing a blue and white gingham shirt smiles and stands with an arch behind him

Melody Crowder-Meyer

  • Associate Professor of Political Science

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • American Politics
  • Women In Politics
  • Local Politics
  • Candidate Emergence
  • Race and Ethnicity in Politics
Melody Crowder-Myer

Ken Menkhaus

  • Professor of Political Science

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • Africa
Ken Menkhaus headshot

Andrew O'Geen

  • Associate Professor of Political Science

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • U.S. Politics, Supreme Court
Andrew O'Geen headshot

Shelley Rigger

  • Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty | Brown Professor of Asian Politics

shrigger@davidson.edu

704-894-2505

Chambers 1283/Preyer 111

Shelley Rigger

Susan Roberts

  • Professor of Political Science

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • U.S. and N.C. politics
  • Reproductive rights
Susan Roberts Headshot

Return to Top

World Regions

Katherine Bersch

  • Frontis W. Johnston Associate Professor of Political Science

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • Comparative Politics and Policy
  • Latin America
  • Brazil
  • Executive policymaking
  • Public Administration
Katherine Bersch headshot

Britta Crandall

  • Associate Professor of the Practice in Political Science

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • International Political Economy
  • Latin America
Britta Crandall

Russell Crandall

  • Professor of Latin American Studies

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • U.S. war on drugs
  • Andean politics
  • Hemispheric politics, economics, and security
  • U.S.-Latin American relations, contemporary and historical
  • American Foreign Policy
A white male wearing a blue and white gingham shirt smiles and stands with an arch behind him

Scott Denham

  • Dana Professor of German Studies

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • Germany
  • Holocaust
  • Literary Translation
  • Twentieth-Century German Literature and Culture
  • Literary and Cultural Theory
Scott Denham Headshot

Amanda Ewington

  • Chair & Professor of Russian Studies

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • Russian Literature
  • Russia & the West
  • Eighteenth-Century Studies
  • Women Writers
  • Voltaire
  • Translation Studies
Woman smiling at camera with short black hair and glasses

Ken Menkhaus

  • Professor of Political Science

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • Africa
Ken Menkhaus headshot

Shelley Rigger

  • Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty | Brown Professor of Asian Politics

shrigger@davidson.edu

704-894-2505

Chambers 1283/Preyer 111

Shelley Rigger

Return to Top

Music, Arts & Culture

Ann Fox

  • Professor of English

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • Disability Studies in Drama and Art
  • Modern and Contemporary Drama
  • Visual and Cultural Studies
  • Graphic Medicine
  • American Studies

anfox@davidson.edu

704-894-2012

Carolina Inn 201

Ann Fox Headshot

Neil Lerner

  • Professor of Music

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • History of film music, television music, and video game music
  • Music in science fiction and horror films
  • Music and disability studies

nelerner@davidson.edu

704-894-2850

Sloan Music Center 108

Neil Lerner Headshot

Return to Top

Sports

Tim Chartier

  • Joseph R. Morton Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • Data Analytics
  • Sports Analytics, Ranking
  • Numerical Linear Algebra
Tim Chartier Headshot

Return to Top

Geology

Brad Johnson

  • Professor of Environmental Studies

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • Geomorphology and Soil Development
  • Human Impacts on Landscapes
  • Landslides
  • Suburban Streams
  • Landscape evolution
Brad Johnson

Return to Top

History

Michael Guasco

  • Professor of History

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • Colonial America
Michael Guasco Headshot

Rose Stremlau

  • Associate Professor of History

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • Native Americans in the South
  • History and Gender and Sexuality Studies
Rose Stremlau Headshot

Return to Top

Life Sciences

Karen Bernd

  • Professor of Biology

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • Cell Biology
  • Effect of Environmental Toxicants on Lung Cells
  • Waterpipe Tobacco Smoke
Karen Bernd Headshot

Mark Smith

  • Wayne M. & Carolyn A. Watson Professor of Psychology

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • Addiction
Mark Smith Headshot

Return to Top

Family

Gayle Kaufman

  • Chair & Nancy and Erwin Maddrey Professor of Sociology and Gender & Sexuality Studies

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • Gender Equality
  • LGBTQ+ Relationships
  • Work and Family

gakaufman@davidson.edu

704-894-2485

Preyer 104

Pronouns: they/them

Gayle Kaufman

Laura Sockol

  • Associate Professor of Psychology

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • Anxiety & depression related to pregnancy
Laura Sockol Summer Adviser

Return to Top

Business & Economics

Shyam Gouri Suresh

  • Program Director of South Asian Studies | James W. Cannon Professor of Economics

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • International Trade
  • International Migration
  • Macroeconomics
  • Simulation Modeling
  • Economics and Ethics
Gouri Suresh Headshot

John Kello

  • Professor of Psychology Emeritus

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • Meetings
John Kello headshot

Fred Smith

  • Professor of Economics

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • Urban Economics
  • American Economic History
  • Sports Economics
  • Public Economics
  • Economics Education
Fred Smith Headshot

Return to Top

Education

Chris Marsicano

  • Assistant Professor of Educational Studies

Primary Areas of Expertise

  • College affordability
  • Educational Policy
  • Public Policy Analysis and Management
  • Higher Education Finance and Policy
  • Lobbying and Interest Groups
  • Politics of Education
Chris Marsicano Headshot

Return to Top