Faculty & Staff

A study published in the journal Science uses a global experiment and predictive modeling to illustrate how human impacts to aquatic ecosystems are contributing to the global climate crisis. 

The National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) has named James Hargett, associate vice president for finance and controller among its class of 15 higher education business leaders for the 2024-25 NACUBO Fellows Program.

Dr. Darrin Hanna, a professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Oakland University, recently joined leaders from technology, manufacturing, government, and academia for a roundtable discussion hosted by Automation Alley about crucial issues in cybersecurity, including the latest trends and best practices in securing the digital future.

OU's Dr. Aura Cazares is pictured with ALSAME's co-chairs Dr. Vanessa Reynolds and Salvador Lopez.Oakland University has been selected to host the 2025 Advocates for Latino Student Advancement in Michigan Education (ALSAME) Latino Youth Conference, an event that will bring hundreds of high school students from across Michigan to campus in May 2025. 

Oakland University Professor David Gram’s first book, Contemporary Farce on the Global Stage: Or, Serious Laughter, was recently published by Routledge Publishing. The book examines the evolution of farce as a theatrical genre in the 21st century.

Calvin Goldsmith admits there were times he really struggled with chemistry when he arrived at Oakland University as a freshman. 

Steffan Puwal, special lecturer and adjunct assistant professor of medical physics, recently published an article in NATO Review examining the role that Artificial Intelligence (AI) could play in nuclear defense and deterrence. 

Spend a few minutes talking to Oakland senior Mena Hannakachl and you’ll likely walk away impressed with what she’s been able to accomplish during her time at OU and what she hopes to accomplish in the future.

Each year, Oakland University recognizes outstanding student leaders who demonstrate academic excellence while making a positive impact on campus and in the community. 

Oakland University’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance presented Andrew Lloyd Webber’s blockbuster musical, “Jesus Christ Superstar,” on Feb. 15-18 and Feb. 20-24 in the newly renovated Varner Studio Theatre on the campus of Oakland University. Featuring music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, “Jesus Christ Superstar” is a rock opera loosely based on the final seven days in the life of Jesus Christ, as told through the eyes of Judas Iscariot.

Taras K. Oleksyk, associate professor in OU’s Department of Biological Sciences, has received an award from the American Genetic Association to organize ConGen2025: Recent Advances in Conservation Genetics. 

In an article published in Chemistry of Materials, a prestigious journal under the American Chemical Society, Oakland University Associate Professor of Physics Yuejian Wang explored how high-pressure techniques can induce changes in certain crystalline materials, similar to the way graphite can be converted into diamond when subjected to high pressure and high temperature.

The Department of Theatre at Oakland University is reviving the tradition of retiring faculty presenting a “Last Lecture.”

Music hasn’t completely taken over Terry Herald’s life, but it’s taken up a large chunk of his home. That’s because when Herald was building his house, he included space for a custom music studio.

With the theme of “Cultivating Inclusion Through Connection” Oakland University’s second annual Teaching Symposium aims to unite teaching and research faculty alongside campus educators. This full-day event includes a buffet lunch and requires registration. 

Each year, the Oakland University Professional Advisers Council (OUPAC) presents the university’s top academic advising awards to two outstanding professionals for their commitment to helping students succeed. 

Bioengineering student Daniela Meson De La Fuente is pictured with the research poster she presented at the 2024 Maize Genetics Meeting.Oakland University student Daniela Meson De La Fuente recently presented research at the 2024 Maize Genetics Meeting, an international conference that brought together researchers whose work advances the field of maize (corn) genetics and breeding. 

Oakland Associate Professor of Biology and genomics expert Taras K. Oleksyk, Ph.D. is creating one of the largest genome-wide studies of Type 1 Diabetes in the world, and he’s hopeful his research will provide the data for other scientists to follow. 

Taras K. Oleksyk, associate professor in Oakland University’s Department of Biological Sciences, has been named a U.S. Fulbright Scholar for the 2024-25 academic year. 

In his 2007 book “Masters of the Air,” Professor Donald L. Miller chronicles the riveting history of the American Eighth Air Force in World War II, and the story of the young men who flew the bombers that helped bring Nazi Germany to its knees. 

Oakland University Distinguished Professor of Mathematics Meir Shillor was recently named a Specialist in the Fulbright-Nehru Program, and he will spend five weeks this summer at the Assam Don Bosco University in Assam, India. 

Oakland University has joined the United States Department of State’s Diplomacy Lab, a public-private partnership between the Department of State and a network of U.S. academic institutions that harnesses research and innovation of students and faculty to solve global challenges. 

OU's Joanne and Ted Lindsay Foundation Autism Outreach Services and OU Athletics teamed up on a program to teach children on the autism spectrum the fundamentals of soccer.For the past several weeks, Saturday mornings at Oakland University’s Recreation Center have been abuzz with the sounds of children playing soccer. 

Oakland University’s eighth annual Interprofessional Education Workshop put a spotlight on ways that health care professionals can work together to meet the specific needs of women affected by substance use disorder. 

Oakland University alumni, students, faculty, staff and supporters are encouraged to “Shine a Light on OU” during Black and Gold Giving Day on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. 

Oakland University has created a new contest inviting students to express their opinions on free speech issues. Perhaps the most well-known and revered American constitutional right, freedom of speech has generated countless debates throughout the nation’s history and continues to fuel spirited discussions, particularly on college campuses. 

Generative AI systems, such as ChatGPT and its many relatives, have taken the world by storm. 

Dr. Dawn Woods, an assistant professor in the School of Education and Human Services at Oakland University, has received a five-year, $781,196 CAREER award from the National Science Foundation in support of her research project, entitled “Sparking ‘Number Talks’ to Strengthen Mathematical Identities.”

A recent beaver sighting on the campus of Oakland University has researchers optimistic about what the animal’s return to the OU Biological Preserve could mean for the ecosystem.

Oakland University has been officially designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (NCAE-C) by the National Security Agency (NSA) since 2018 and has been re-designated through the 2029 academic year. 

Oakland University Professors Jeremy Barnett and Whitney Locher recently traveled to the Republic of Bulgaria — a country located on the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe — to help bring Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” to the stage at the Sofia National Opera and Ballet.

OU theatre professors Karen Sheridan and Beth Guest were nominated for awards presented by Broadway World Michigan.

Oakland University is one of the safest colleges in the country, according to rankings published by AcademicInfluence.com. The website ranked OU seventh on its 2024 list of the 15 safest colleges in America. 

For “exceptional commitment” and success in community engagement, Oakland University has received the 2024 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. The highly regarded national designation was announced January 8 by the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. 

Oakland University Assistant Professor of Chemistry Zhe Wang is helping combat the opioid crisis and protect law enforcement officers with his project, “Development of a Low-Cost, Portable, Rapid Opioid Detection Tool for Enhanced Field Decision-Making,” which just received a $300,000 grant from the Department of Justice.

Seven remarkable student leaders will be recognized at Oakland University’s 32nd annual Keeper of the Dream Scholarship Awards Celebration, an event that honors the legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

The Oakland University physics department features some of the top scientists in the world according to the list of the top 2% of scientists published by Stanford University.

Sergey GolovashchenkoZissimos MourelatosLianxiang YangThree Oakland University mechanical engineering professors, Drs. Sergey Golovashchenko, Zissimos Mourelatos and Lianxiang Yang, were recently named among the “top 2% of scientists in various disciplines.” 

Oakland University researchers garnered three CAREER Awards from the National Science Foundation in 2023, the fourth-most among Michigan’s public universities. The recipients are Ngong Kodiah Beyeh, Jun Chen and Wing-Yue Geoffrey Louie and their work has potential to revolutionize many fields, from materials science to transportation to healthcare and education. 

Each year, nearly 40,000 infants (10% of total live births) are born prematurely (before 37 weeks of gestation) in the United States, and that number is growing. Premature infants have a high risk of developing lifelong low vision. Their eyes can also develop myopia, a common vision condition in which near objects appear clear, but objects farther away look blurry. 

Corewell Health recruiters spoke with OU nursing students about career opportunities at the November 3 event.Leaders from Oakland University School of Nursing and Corewell Health in Southeast Michigan came together to celebrate the inaugural cohort of students from the Accelerated Second-Degree (ASD) Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and the BSN (fall 2023 direct admits) programs who received the Corewell Health Nurse Scholars Program grant. 

Oakland University Industrial and Systems Engineering Professor Richard Olawoyin has been reappointed as chair of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) Advisory Council at ABET (the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology). The appointment is effective for two years. 

Oakland University will welcome Loni Love to campus as keynote speaker for its 32nd annual Keeper of the Dream Awards Celebration. The Detroit native is a two-time Emmy, two-time NAACP Image and three-time Gracie Award-winning TV/radio host, comedian, actress, author and philanthropist. 

From November 6-10, Oakland University will host a series of events and activities for Veterans Appreciation Week. Check the list below for opportunities to support and celebrate veterans, including more than 200 student, faculty and staff veterans on campus. 

OU graduate student Lizz Parkinson, with the support of her Department of Biological Sciences faculty adviser, Professor Scott Tiegs, has published an article regarding her light pollution research in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B.

Oakland University’s Black Faculty Association (BFA), in partnership with Academic Affairs, and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, have jointly sponsored the creation of the Black Faculty Association Legacy Board.

The 2023 OU-Pontiac Initiative Town Hall Meeting was held on October 21 at Oakland University’s Oakland Center as leaders and supporters gathered to celebrate accomplishments, set new goals and expand its network for even greater collaboration.