WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Williams College has announced the promotion of seven faculty to full professorships, effective July 1, 2020. 

They include Jessica Chapman, history; Lisa Gilbert, geosciences; Christopher Goh, chemistry; LeRhonda (Rhon) S. Manigault-Bryant, Africana studies; Ashok Rai, economics; Neil Roberts, Africana studies; and Fred Strauch, physics.

In addition, eight faculty have received new named chair positions: Daniel Aalberts is the Kennedy P. Richardson ’71 Professor of Physics; Stephen Freund is the John B. McCoy and John T. McCoy Professor of Computer Science; Marc Gotlieb is the Halvorsen Director of the Graduate Program in Art History; John Limon is the John Hawley Roberts Professor of English; Susan Loepp is the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Mathematics; Lucie Schmidt, is the John J. Gibson Professor of Economics; Eiko Siniawer is the Class of 1955 Memorial Professor of History; and Steven Swoap is the Howard B. Schow ’50 and Nan W. Schow Professor of Biology.

Jessica Chapman

Chapman's specialization is the United States and the world, with research emphases on Vietnam, decolonization, and the Cold War. Her teaching interests include U.S. foreign relations, the Vietnam Wars, the Cold War and decolonization, sport and diplomacy, and the relationship between foreign policy and domestic affairs. Her first book, "Cauldron of Resistance: Ngo Dinh Diem, The United States, and 1950s Southern Vietnam," was published by Cornell University Press in 2013. The recipient of a Mellon New Directions Fellowship, she is currently at work on two book projects. She received her B.A. from Valparaiso University and her Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Lisa Gilbert

Gilbert's areas of interest include undersea volcanoes and hydrothermal vents and science education. Her deep-sea research emphasizes the geophysical and geologic structure of mid-ocean ridges, seamounts, and hydrothermal systems. She is also a field geologist, with projects on ancient underwater volcanoes now accessible in New Zealand, Cyprus, Oman, Canada, Connecticut, and the western United States. Each summer, and part-time during the academic year, she leads the Marine Geosciences Research Group at Williams-Mystic. Her ongoing work includes efforts at improving equity in higher education, building partnerships in sustainability education throughout the learning ecosystem, and systems thinking skills development. She received her A.B. from Dartmouth and her Ph.D. from the University of Washington.