NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — MCLA announced that three new faculty members will be joining the Trailblazer community for the College's fall semester: Dr. Samuel Bruun, Dr. Yavuz Ceylan, and Dr. James Page. 

 

Read more about our new faculty members: 

 

Dr. Samuel Bruun joins MCLA's Psychology Department as an assistant professor. He graduated with a Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky in 2020, where he taught courses relating to developmental psychology, neuroscience, statistics, and gender development. Bruun's teaching style largely focuses on showing how course content can allow one to develop a greater appreciation for the world at large. "No knowledge is limited to just the classroom, and the more you know the more you can appreciate the complexities of life!" Bruun said. Additionally, he focuses on how cultural context can change how we view different psychological phenomena. What may present a psychological risk in one context could be protective in another, so understanding the context in which something occurs is just as important as understanding the phenomenon itself.   

 

Bruun's academic work has largely focused on two main lines of research. The first examines the challenges and successes faced by gay and lesbian parents navigating the adoption system, and the outcomes of their family systems. His second line of research deals with examining what drives people to make choices about their appearance, and how these appearance choices can be identity-affirming or negating. Bruun is especially interested in the effects of being "forced to choose" which identities are going to be most visible to others, and the impact of not being able to reach one's ideal self-presentation.   

 

Dr. Yavuz Ceylan joins MCLA's Chemistry Department as an assistant professor. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Gaziosmanpasa University in Turkey and a doctorate in inorganic chemistry from the University of North Texas in 2019. His research experience continued in organometallic catalysis design and transition metal-drug interaction, which was followed by postdoctoral research until 2021 in plasmon dephasing. Then, he joined MCLA as a visiting assistant professor of chemistry from 2021 to 2023. 

 

Dr. James Page joins MCLA's Business Administration Department as a visiting assistant professor. Page is a transformational leader and business professor of accounting who has a keen passion for the enhancement of student learning, development, and academic excellence. He is a relationship builder who believes in student engagement and building community. His vision is to help all students achieve their academic dreams through a strategic and holistic approach. His mission is to improve and enrich lives by meeting the needs of lifelong education and workforce development needs of the communities he serves.