News

Geology

Professor John Jaeger is the Department of Geological Science’s new chair. He received his Ph.D. in geological oceanography from the State University of New York in 1998. He joined the University of Florida as assistant professor in 2000. Jaeger’s specialty is marine geology, with his recent research examining seafloor environments where glaciers and the ocean interact. 

Geography

Jason Blackburn, a professor and graduate coordinator for the Department of Geography, the associate director for research resources at the Emerging Pathogens Institute and the founder of the SEER Lab, now adds department chair to his list of roles at UF. He received his Ph.D. in medical geography from Louisiana State University in 2006. His research at UF focuses on disease transmission and persistence. 

English

Kenneth Kidd, a professor of English and the former experiential learning coordinator in the Department of English, is now the department chair. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas-Austin in 1994 and came to UF in 1998. He specializes in children’s literature and how it influences broader culture and intersects with other cultural projects, such as philosophy, psychology and critical theory.

Samuel Proctor Oral History Program

Formerly an associate dean of the University of West Florida’s College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, Jamin Wells will be coming to UF to lead the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program. Wells received his Ph.D. from the University of Delaware and has since taken on multiple public and oral history projects covering the history of Florida and the southern United States. 

African American Studies

Riché Barnes, an award-winning professor of anthropology, is now the director of the African American Studies program. Barnes received her Ph.D. in anthropology from Emory University and her research focuses on her conceptual framework, Black strategic mothering, and its application to the politics of survival. Barnes is the author of “Raising the Race: Black Career Women Redefine Marriage, Motherhood, and Community.” From 2019 to 2021 Barnes was the president of the Association of Black Anthropologists.

Bob Graham Center

Marianne Vernetson is senior lecturer and interim director of the Bob Graham Center for Public Service. Vernetson received her master’s in public administration from New York University and came to UF in 2019 to serve as the center’s associate director. In this position, she has overseen day-to-day operations, strategic partnerships, public programming and major student initiatives.

Bud Shorstein Center for Jewish Studies

Harry Rich Professor of Holocaust Studies Natalia Aleksiun is the new interim director of the Bud Shorstein Center for Jewish Studies. Holding doctoral degrees from Warsaw University and New York University, Aleksiun’s work focuses on Holocaust survivors and Polish-Jewish history. She has served as an editor on multiple columns and has written several books on these topics, with her most recent being 2021’s “Conscious History: Polish Jewish Historians before the Holocaust.”