Arts & Sciences congratulates the 10 CAS lecturers who were promoted to senior lecturer and the nine senior lecturers who were promoted to master lecturer. The promotions will be effective July 1.
Master Lecturer Promotions
Kevin Barents, Writing Program
Kevin Barents teaches writing seminars on a range of topics at the intersection of creativity, innovation, and collaboration, including “Bob Dylan’s Lyrics,” “Boston Poetry Now,” and “Improvisation Now.” He has been an active leader of curricular innovation in the Writing Program and is a recognized expert on Bob Dylan, having written chapters on Dylan in the books Dylan: Disc by Disc (2015) and Professing Dylan (2016) and been interviewed by numerous national outlets, including National Public Radio, The Boston Globe, and The Washington Post.
Seth Blumenthal, CAS Writing Program
Seth Blumenthal teaches writing seminars inspired by his own scholarship, with topics like “The Educated Electorate,” “Marijuana in American History,” and “High Stakes: Creating Social Equity in the Massachusetts Cannabis Industry,” which he co-taught in the Cross College Challenge. He has published numerous op-eds in The Washington Post and elsewhere, and his book Children of the Silent Majority: Youth Politics and the Rise of the Republican Party, 1968-1980 (University Press of Kansas, 2018) won the James P. Hanlan Book Award. In 2020, Seth was recognized with Boston University’s Metcalf Award for Teaching Excellence.
Lucia Pastorino, Neuroscience 
Lucia Pastorino received her PhD in Pharmacology/Pharmacognosy in 1999 from the University of Milan and held fellowship and instructor positions at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School prior to joining BU’s faculty in 2013. She is an accomplished neurobiologist whose research explored the cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases. She teaches introductory and advanced courses on these topics and recently designed NE/BI 561, the Neuroscience major’s first upper-level, lab-only course, which provides students with authentic research experiences in a classroom setting.
Jaemin Roh, World Languages & Literatures
Jaemin Roh is an outstanding Korean language educator. She teaches with passion and is a highly skilled, committed, dependable, and hard-working teacher. Throughout the years of teaching at BU, she has consistently demonstrated a willingness to learn and develop as a teacher, adapting her teaching style to match the changing needs of the students. As a leader in the Korean language program, Dr. Roh served as the program’s coordinator. In terms of making an impact on the field of Korean language learning, Dr. Roh’sgreatest accomplishment is in being the co-author of two new textbooks: Anytime Korean 1 (2020), Anytime Korean 2 (2021). Together with the web app publication, these textbooks are distributed internationally and are used by our Korean program. Dr. Roh plans to curate a collection of audio-visual media material for all levels of Korean, and also plans to develop a course tentatively titled as Korean Language Through TV Variety Shows. This, too, she intends to turn into a book project. On the national level, Dr. Roh serves as the Vice-Chair for the ACTFL Korean Special Interest Group, which positions her to play an important role to help shape national policies and guidelines in Korean language teaching and learning.
Melanie Smith, CAS Writing Program
Melanie Smith brings professional experience and academic expertise in public health to writing courses addressing research ethics and environmental issues (“Ethical Missteps in Public Health,” “The World’s Waters”). She has also published numerous personal essays and teaches classes on this genre (“Every Life, AStory”). Ms. Smith has researched the effect of fear of failure on student writing and is interested in how cultural diversity can enrich the writing classroom.
Robin Stevens, Core Curriculum
Robin Stevens has served as Assistant Director of the Core Curriculum since 2019. She oversees the labs and much of the planning for Core Natural Science classes and lectures on many subjects in CC111 and CC212. She is Advisor to the Core Peer Tutors program and the Core House and Floor. She was accepted into the inaugural Inclusive Pedagogy Institute (June 2022) and is working on initiatives with faculty from BI and NE on inclusive pedagogies for non-science majors. Dr. Stevens also teaches NE 101 in the Neuroscience program each spring.
Jason Tandon, CAS Writing Program
Jason Tandon has taught in the Writing Program since 2008 on topics such as modern and contemporary American poetry and existential literature, philosophy, and film, with titles like “Nature Poetry” and “Personal and Political: the Art of Lyric Poetry.” He is the author of five books of poetry, including his most recent publication, This Far North. Jason brings his expertise in language, genre, and craft to students through creative and academic assignments, as well as to writing program faculty as a resource on creative nonfiction.
Brian Walsh, Core Curriculum/CAS Writing Program 
Brian Walsh is the Interim Director of the Core Curriculum in S23, and has a joint appointment with Core and the Writing Program. He has served as the Coordinator for CC102: Antiquity to the Medieval World since S20, and will be Assistant Director of the program in AY24. He teaches multiple humanities courses, as well as CC320: Multi-media Approaches to Core Texts, using a deep dive into Hamlet for students to find creative ways to adapt narrative and explore genre. Dr. Walsh also teaches in the English Department and is co-convener of “Black Classicism: Moving Forward”, national lecture series organized by Core, the Classics Department, and African American Studies.
Emi Yamanaka, World Languages & Literatures
Emi Yamanaka is the recipient of the Neu Family Award for Excellence in Teaching in the College of Arts & Sciences for 2023 and is an outstanding teacher. She has been unstinting in her service, having served as the coordinator of the Japanese program for many terms and continues to provide exemplary counsel and assistance to the current coordinator. Over the past 5 years, Ms. Yamanaka helped devise and implement to many innovative developments in the Japanese language program. One of her most impressive and long-lasting contributions was overseeing the program’s efforts to attach Hub units to all Japanese language courses. Seeking to create a bridge between language and literature courses, she initiated integrating the literature with the language classes. In 2018, To enhance the visibility and standing of the Japanese program, she helped organize the “Japan Day” event, where Japanese language students in the Boston area, including from Harvard, MIT and Tufts, convened for one day at BU. This helped establish BU as a leading institution in Japanese language learning. Although she has already brought a great deal of useful expertise into WLL, we expect her to continue to lead the program and enhance our curriculum development by integrating literature and language learning.
Senior Lecturer Promotions
Derek Anderson, Philosophy
Derek Anderson teaches a wide range of courses in philosophy, including Introduction to Philosophy, Introduction to Ethics, Reason and Argumentation, Philosophy of Gender and Sexuality, Puzzles & Paradoxes, and Metaphysics & Epistemology. Anderson is a much-admired instructor, deeply committed to incorporating issues of social justice and diversity into his curriculum. He is also a productive scholar. He regularly publishes papers in the areas of social epistemology and the philosophy of psychology, and his monograph, Metasemantics and Intersectionality in the Misinformation Age, appeared in 2021. The Philosophy Department congratulates Professor Anderson on his well-earned promotion to Senior Lecturer.
Brett DiBenedictis, Psychological and Brain Sciences 
Brett DiBenedictis makes a vital contribution to the Undergraduate Psychology Curriculum in his teaching of courses that cover the foundational links between brain and behavior. He teaches multiple sections of PS231 Physiological Psychology and PS333 Drugs and Behavior. His expertise regarding the role of drugs and hormones in modulating both brain and behavior is especially valued. He also supervises undergraduate directed study students and students undertaking Honors Projects. In addition, he remains active in research over the summer, providing mentored research opportunities for our students.
Shutan Dong, World Languages & Literatures
Shutan Dong is an exemplary teacher and devoted coordinator for the Chinese program. Under her leadership, the program has revised all existing courses and designed some new ones to meet the needs of our student. Throughout the pandemic, when the regular way of delivering language instruction was thoroughly disrupted, she successfully led the Chinese program through the transition to online, then to hybrid, and finally to a phased return to the classroom. She has mentored part-time colleagues, as well as helped in selecting and mentoring FLTAs. She helped revised and administered the language placement exam, with a special emphasis on improving placement for heritage speakers. She regularly organizes co-curricular activities such as poetry events, and runs—and judges—the annual Chinese translation competition. She has represented the program at the Language and Career Expo, Global House Information Sessions, Virtual Global Café, and various Open Houses. She has performed excellent service as coordinator of the Chinese program, serving in the Department with exemplary dedication and professionalism. Ms. Dong has significant future potential in several areas. She is an actively participant in professional development opportunities both inside and outside BU. In her own words, she wants to grow as “a teacher-scholar” and to continue to contribute to the growth of the Chinese program.
Stacey Gelsheimer, Economics
Stacey Gelsheimer specializes in teaching undergraduate empirical courses, often with students writing original econometric research papers. She has won the department teaching award, served as an LfA coach, helped develop new empirical courses, and led the department in several capacities on issues of teaching and writing. She also developed and continues to teach the online introductory macroeconomics course offered through the summer program. She is currently on professional developmental leave crafting new programming to promote student research opportunities. She is known to students for her caring and passion for their achievement.
Aleksandra Kasztalska, CAS Writing Program
Aleksandra Kasztalska brings expertise in applied linguistics and innovative teaching techniques to the Writing Program’s courses for English language learners (ELL). Her research interests span second language acquisition, teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), and general pedagogy, including collaborations with the Center for Teaching and Learning. In 2022 she won the CAS Award for Distinction in First Year Undergraduate Education.
Heeju Lee, World Languages & Literatures
Heeju Lee is an excellent teacher and much loved by her students. During the difficult time of the pandemic, she has been a leading figure in the Korean program and has provided crucial service over the past few years. Dr. Lee has made several important contributions to curricular development in Korean, both in revising some existing courses and designing new courses., including our new third- and fourth-year courses She is actively involved in the advising of students who minor in Korean, as well as in administering language placement and proficiency exams. She has mentored full- and part-time colleagues in her capacity as Coordinator. She has worked well with the convener as the program expanded and is an exemplary departmental and university citizen, and many colleagues has remarked on her collegiality and professionalism. At the department level, Dr. Lee has served on many search committees. Dr. Lee has impressive achievements in her professional life beyond teaching. She provides peer reviews for prestigious journals and is a regular presenter at national and international annual professional conferences including the American Association of Teachers of Korean (AATK) and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).
Yair Lior, Religion 
Trained as specialist in Chinese and Jewish mysticism and proficient in many languages, Dr. Yair Lior, recently promoted to Senior Lecturer, can now be said to be a scholar of religion as an evolutionary product, having recently coedited the Routledge Handbook for Evolutionary Approaches to Religion . Lior teaches courses in the Introduction of Religion, Religion and Science, the Religions of Asia, and the Kabbalah, each of which offers a range of Hub areas and brings in large groups of students. Lior is also on the Core program staff, where his freshman discussions are especially popular. He is particularly renowned for the warmth and attentiveness with which he interacts with students.
Michele Martinez, CAS Writing Program
Michele Martinez teaches writing seminars on topics ranging from dystopian literature and film to family photographs and stories. She is an active leader in the Writing Program’s ongoing DEI efforts and part of the inaugural cohort in BU’s Inclusive Pedagogy Institute. Her publications and current research focus on the multimedial aspirations and effects of Victorian poetry, painting, and photography. Her 2018 article “Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s ‘Salutation of Beatrice’: Pictures as Victorian Comics” won a best essay prize from the Northeast Modern Language Studies Association.
Lionel Mathieu, Romance Studies
Lionel Mathieu earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Cloud State University in English, French, and the Teaching of English as a Second Language. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Arizona in Linguistics, with a concentration in Phonology and Second Language Acquisition and Teaching. His research interests include phonetics and phonology (with a focus on the orthography interface), second language acquisition and teaching (with a focus on the pedagogy of multiliteracies), psycholinguistics (with a focus on bilingual visual word recognition), contact linguistics (with a focus on loanword phonology), and French linguistics (with a focus on phonology and historical linguistics). He is also a certified DELF A1-B2 examiner.
Sarah Miller, Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies
Sarah Miller is a sociologist whose research focuses on gender, sexuality, education, and new media. Her current book project, The Tolerance Generation: Growing Up Online in an Anti-Bullying Era, explores how intersectional inequalities and digital cultures shape young people’s experiences with bullying. Her work has been published in Gender & Society, Sexualities, and the Journal of Youth and Adolescence and funded by the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, National Science Foundation, and the American Sociological Association. At BU, Miller is the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the WGS Program, where she teaches courses on gender, sexualities, and feminist methodologies.