Faculty Teaching Fellows

Dr. Sriram Aaleti is a Professor and Associate Head for Graduate Studies in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at The University of Alabama. He teaches undergraduate and graduate structural engineering courses, integrating research, professional practice, and real-world design projects into the classroom. His teaching emphasizes conceptual understanding, collaborative learning, hands-on problem-solving, and preparation for professional engineering practice. Dr. Aaleti has mentored more than 30 undergraduate researchers and supervised 7 Ph.D. and 27 M.S. students. He currently advises 7 Ph.D. students, 3 M.S. students, and 3 undergraduate students. His dedication to teaching and mentoring has been recognized through the National Alumni Association’s Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award, College of Engineering Faculty Excellence Awards in Undergraduate and Graduate Education, and multiple departmental teaching awards. As a Teaching Fellow, he hopes to further advance student engagement, inclusive learning, and evidence-based teaching practices across the University.

Megan Snider Baileyis an Associate Professor and Director of Experiential Education in the Honors College at The University of Alabama. She serves as President of the Alpha of Alabama chapter of Phi Beta Kappa honor society. Dr. Bailey teaches transdisciplinary seminars on social and applied ethics, coordinates the UH 205: Foundations of Community Engagement course, and facilitates the annual James P. Hayes Moral Forum Debate Tournament. Dr. Bailey studies college student learning and philosophy of community engagement; her research has appeared in The Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, Philosophy & Theory of Higher Education, Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council, and Engaged Scholar Journal. She has also led faculty development institutes focused on teaching and learning for community-based pedagogies and participated in the National Collegiate Honors Council’s Place as Text Faculty Institute in Amsterdam. She received the Council on Community Based Partnership’s Excellence in Community Engaged Scholarship Award for Civic Engagement. She earned her B.A. from Birmingham-Southern College and her Ph.D. in Instructional Leadership with a concentration in Social and Cultural Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Research from The University of Alabama.

Lucy Barnard-Brak is a Professor of Special Education at The University of Alabama. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Texas Tech University in 2008. She began her academic career at Baylor University in 2008 as an Assistant Professor and then returned to Texas Tech University in 2011 until leaving for The University of Alabama in 2018. Dr. Barnard-Brak has published over a 100 scholarly, peer-reviewed articles. Her research has focused on examining the educational experiences and outcomes of students with disabilities, with a particular interest in students with autism and other developmental disabilities. Her research has utilized advanced quantitative methods such as structural equation modeling, item response theory, and Monte Carlo simulation techniques. Dr. Barnard-Brak has been involved with several inclusive curricular activities of Crossing Points students since arriving at the University of Alabama.

Sarah M. Barry, MFA, CLMA, is a Professor of Dance and Head of the BA in Dance Program. She is passionate about teaching contemporary technique, choreography, pedagogy, experiential anatomy, and somatic practices. Sarah is a recipient of the University of Alabama’s Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award and the Druid City Arts Award for Dance Educator of the Year, recognizing her dedication to student learning, mentorship, and excellence in dance education. Nationally, she serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors for the National Dance Education Organization and as a member of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Schools of Dance. Her choreography has been presented throughout the United States and internationally, and her creative and scholarly work has received grant support, including from the NEA, and has been published in leading dance education and dance science journals.

Shameka L. Cody, PhD, AGNP-C, PMHNP-BC, FAAN|Associate Professor is the PhD Program Coordinator and Saxon Endowed Chair in Rural Nursing at The University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing. She graduated with her PhD in Nursing from UAB in 2017. Her research is grounded in community and interdisciplinary collaboration, with a focus on HIV and co-occurring conditions in older adults. She is the principal investigator of a NIH-funded R01 clinical trial examining the effects of a behavioral sleep intervention on insomnia and cognition among adults with HIV (age 50+). Her work is recognized nationally and internationally, with publications in leading peer‑reviewed journals. She serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing Excellence. With 17+ years of clinical experience, she continues to serve as an advanced practice nurse in rural Alabama.

Matthew J. Dolliver, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at The University of Alabama. His teaching and research focus on juries, media effects, criminal justice attitudes, and research methodology. Dr. Dolliver’s work frequently examines how media consumption shapes public perceptions of crime, justice, and civic participation. In addition to his research, he has extensive experience mentoring graduate and undergraduate student researchers and is deeply interested in active learning, student engagement, and cultivating meaningful classroom discussion around complex social issues. He currently serves as co-leader of the Alabama chapter of the Scholars Strategy Network and was selected as a 2026–2028 UA Faculty Teaching Fellow.

Dr. Heather Ashley Hayes is an Associate Professor and Director of Doctoral Studies in the College of Communication and Information Sciences, where she leads the largest doctoral program on campus. A first-generation college graduate, she works from a bold premise: communication and information are infrastructure, as essential as roads, power, and water. Access to them is a public good.

An award-winning teacher whose distinctions include the National Communication Association's highest teaching honor and UA's Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award, Hayes brings rigorous scholarship into wide public view, from the TEDx and SXSW EDU stages to The Teach Out, the national nonprofit she founded and grew into a platform reaching educators across the country.

As founding director of the Communication, Access, and Technology Research Lab, she uses the cognitive and behavioral sciences to study a high-stakes problem: why messages fail, and how to make them land. Author of one book with a second forthcoming in 2027, and widely published in leading peer-reviewed journals, Hayes’s work aims to reshape the communication infrastructure we all depend on, from the doctor's office to the public square.

Elizabeth Jernigan is a Principal Senior Instructor in the Department of Marketing at The University of Alabama. She joined UA in 2014 as an Instructor in the STEM Path to the MBA Program, bringing extensive industry experience to the classroom, before transitioning into her current role in Marketing. Her primary areas of academic focus include Marketing Research and Analytics, Marketing Strategy, and Innovation.

Prior to her career in higher education, Elizabeth built a robust professional background by serving in marketing research and analytics roles for industry-leading organizations, including BBVA, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and FedEx. Elizabeth leverages this practical experience to bridge theory and real-world application, equipping students with the data-driven strategies and creative problem-solving skills needed to excel in today's dynamic business environment.

Daiquiri Steele, J.D., Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Law at The University of Alabama School of Law where she teaches Employment Law, Labor Law, Employment Discrimination, Education Law, Torts, Civil Rights, and Legislation & Regulation. Professor Steele is a nationally recognized expert in retaliation and whistleblower law. Her scholarship has been published in leading law journals, and she is a co-author of the second edition of Learning Employment Law.

Professor Steele is the 2024 recipient of the Michael J. Zimmer Award, a national honor recognizing a scholar who advances workplace justice and community engagement. She is an elected member of the American Law Institute and an American Bar Foundation Fellow.

Prior to joining the faculty, she served as a Forrester Fellow at Tulane Law School. She also served as a Civil Rights Attorney with the U.S. Department of Education and previously worked for the U.S. Department of Labor.

As a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES), I believe the primary purpose of health education is to inspire and prepare college students to become the next generation of health professionals and educators who are committed to promoting well-being for diverse populations. To achieve this goal, I am dedicated to creating student-centered learning environments that nurture students’ passion for health education and promotion while supporting the translation of content mastery into real-world practice. Through a combination of interactive class activities, group discussions, games, and field-based projects, I strive to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and practical experiences necessary for health education and promotion.

Anneliese Bolland (PhD, 2012) is an interdisciplinary scholar whose research primarily focuses on risk and protective factors related to growing up in communities characterized by poverty. She is the current principal investigator of the Mobile Youth and Poverty Study. She experience evaluating a variety of federally and state-funded projects. She prioritizes integrating experiential learning opportunities into the courses she teaches.  

Dr. Dalila John is the MSW program director and clinical assistant professor in the School of Social Work. She received her Bachelor of Social Work degree from Illinois State University, her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan, and her Doctor of Social Work degree from the University of St. Thomas. Dr. John has taught a variety of social work courses focusing on all levels of practice. Her current research agenda focuses on the following areas: the relevancy and value of the DSW degree, social skills and relationship development with autistic children and their neurotypical peers, assessing social work educators and practitioners’ competency in neurodiversity, and building communities for online education. Dr. John has over 14 years of experience teaching and leading in social work education, where she has continued to prioritize social justice, relationship-building, experiential learning and community collaboration.

Dr. Hongsheng He is an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science. He specializes in intelligent robotics and machine learning. The core of his research is knowledge-driven machine intelligence that closes the loop of planning, learning and doing in dexterous robotic manipulation and autonomous navigation. His research has been funded by NSF, NASA, DOT and the private sector. He has been teaching AI and robotics courses, including “Reinforcement Learning” and “Intelligent Robotics.”

Dr. Kim Parker has served as a clinical assistant professor at the Capstone College of Nursing at The University of Alabama since 2019. She teaches across the undergraduate, graduate and RN to BSN mobility programs and currently teaches three courses, including serving as the course leader for the undergraduate Professional Leadership course. Dr. Parker is actively involved in service at both the college and university levels, serving on several committees and as secretary of the Faculty Senate. She is a dedicated mentor to new faculty and undergraduate students, and she is a first-generation college student. A published author, Dr. Parker has contributed to scholarly work and participated in several grants focused on innovative teaching strategies, including the use of gaming and other creative methods to enhance critical thinking and clinical judgment, skills essential to success in nursing and other professions. Her work reflects a deep commitment to advancing education, student development and academic excellence.

Clare Ryan is an associate professor of Law. She writes and teaches in the areas of family law and international human rights. Her scholarship focuses on the parent-child relationship and protecting children’s rights in both constitutional and international human rights frameworks. Her recent work can be found, or is forthcoming, in Cornell Law Review, UCLA Law Review, Washington University Law Review, Law & Contemporary Problems, and the University of Chicago Law Review Online. Professor Ryan holds a JD/PhD in Law from Yale Law School and a BA from Macalester College. Previously, she served as the Harry S. Redmon Jr. Assistant Professor of Law at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center. Professor Ryan has also served as a Robina Human Rights Fellow at the European Court of Human Rights and as a law clerk to the Hon. M. Margaret McKeown on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Dr. Jolene Hubbs is a professor in the Department of American Studies. She teaches and writes about the literature and culture of the U.S. South. Hubbs is the author of Class, Whiteness, and Southern Literature (2023) and the editor of Whiteness and American Literature (2025), both from Cambridge University Press.

Dr. Arleene P. Breaux serves as a clinical professor and coordinator of the Executive EdD Program in Higher Education at The University of Alabama. Since 2012, she has taught numerous courses in UA’s master’s and doctoral higher education administration programs and is responsible for the marketing, admissions and enrollment management of UA’s Executive EdD program. Dr. Breaux has worked with the Alabama Commission on Higher Education on research projects related to undergraduate research and microcredentials and has constructed an ACHE-funded summer research fellowship for higher education doctoral students. Her research and instructional interests include higher education finance, funding and advocacy for public higher education, the college and university presidency, and community college leadership. Dr. Breaux was awarded the E. Roger Sayers Service to the University Award in 2021, a Southeastern Conference Travel Grant Award in 2020, and the College of Education’s W. Ross Palmer Service to Students Award in 2018. She previously served as vice chancellor for University Relations and assistant to the chancellor at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith and as a legislative liaison, working with the University of Arkansas System and the Arkansas state legislature to advance higher education funding.

Dr. Michael Fedewa’s research examines the effects of physical activity and exercise on body composition, particularly among individuals affected by overweight and obesity, and seeks to understand how exercise can be tailored to the individual to maximize training effectiveness. Since beginning at The University of Alabama in 2015, his lab group has included nearly 40 undergraduate and graduate research assistants and has successfully published nearly 75 peer-reviewed research studies in scientific journals, as well as providing over 100 symposiums, tutorials and conference presentations. In 2023, the lab’s work on developing an automated technique to accurately measure body composition from a single two-dimensional smartphone image was patented.

Dr. Adrian Erasmus is a philosopher of science, technology and medicine and an assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy, teaching in the Department’s Philosophy and Medicine concentration. He also serves as assistant director of the McCollough Institute for Pre-Medical Scholars. His areas of interest include the nature and effects of bias in scientific research, methodological challenges facing medical inference and clinical decision-making, and how unique features of artificial intelligence as a science impact its ethical and societal consequences. He received his BA and MA from the University of Johannesburg and his PhD from the University of Cambridge. His classes cover a range of topics, including medical methodology and inference, the nature of science and scientific knowledge, values in research, and AI ethics and epistemology.

Daniel Balena is a clinical instructor of Applied Statistics in the ISM department of the Culverhouse School of Business. He was recently named the course coordinator for ST 260 Statistical Data Analysis. Daniel is passionate about teaching challenging concepts clearly and empowering students to become independent critical thinkers.

Dr. Armen Amirkhanian, PE is an associate professor in the Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering department. For over a decade, he has performed numerous applied research projects on civil engineering materials and concrete pavements. He is actively involved in educational activities both at UA and in the industry. At UA, he has developed the “Will It Tornado?” project, where students design a concrete wall that can survive the impact of a 2×4 traveling at 150 mph. He has also performed activities with numerous summer camps and programs on campus. Outside the university, he is a voting member and secretary of the American Concrete Institute committee S802 (Teaching Methods) and has taught numerous industry technology transfer courses. He is a registered engineer in three states and brings that real-life experience to the classroom.

Dr. George L. Daniels is an associate professor in the Department of Journalism and Creative Media. He teaches multiple courses at the undergraduate and graduate level including Journalistic Principles & Practices and Race, Gender & Media. Dr. Daniels is in his 21st year at The University of Alabama after working as a television news producer for eight years. His research on diversity issues in the media workplace and change in the television newsroom has appeared in Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, Journalism and Mass Communication Educator and the Journal of Radio Studies.

Dr. Isabelle Drewelow is an associate professor of French and Applied Linguistics. Her research interests include teaching and learning intercultural competence, affective dimensions of foreign language learning, and experiential and transformational learning and pedagogies. She teaches upper-level French language and culture courses, French for Specific Purposes, and media courses, as well as graduate courses on qualitative research methods and special topics in Second Language Acquisition. She is the recipient of the 2017 Alabama World Language Association’s Educator of Excellence Award for post-secondary educators.

Russell Gold is a professor of Law who teaches courses in criminal law and criminal procedure. Much of his scholarship looks comparatively at civil and criminal procedure, considering insights that each system can learn from the other. His scholarship has recently appeared in journals including Arizona State Law Journal, Georgetown Law Journal, the Alabama Law Review and the American Criminal Law Review.  He recently received the Outstanding Faculty Member Award from The University of Alabama’s Student Bar Association, and he received the Podell Distinguished Teaching Award when he taught at the NYU School of Law.

Lori F. Greene, PhD, RDN, LDN is a senior instructor and the director of the Coordinated Program in Dietetics at The University of Alabama, with over 20 years of experience in higher education and the nutrition field. As an educator and registered dietitian nutritionist, Lori is passionate about communicating evidence-based nutrition information and promoting all foods. Current research interests include effectiveness of education techniques, risk perceptions of food and nutrition messages and food/nutrition marketing.

Dr. Abby Grammer Horton is an assistant professor at The University of Alabama’s Capstone College of Nursing and is a four-time graduate of The University of Alabama. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science in 2006, Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2010, and later a Master of Science in Nursing in Rural Case Management in 2011. Most recently, she completed her doctorate in Instructional Leadership with an emphasis in Nurse Education in August 2021. Dr. Horton currently teaches in the undergraduate nursing program at CCN with more than 10 years of higher education experience. Her interests in nursing practice and research include health policy reform; diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging; health promotion and wellness; mental health; holistic care; rural health; spirituality and complementary and alternative medicine practices. Dr. Horton also teaches part-time for the University Honors Program and serves as the WellBAMA wellness class educator on UA’s campus as a certified health and life coach.

Jessica Kidd is an associate professor (RCAP) in the Department of English. She is a lifelong Alabamian with an academic background in geology and creative writing. Her book Bad Jamie was published in Fall 2020 by Anhinga Press. Her poetry has also appeared in The Paris Review, Goblin Fruit, Atticus Review, Waccamaw and other journals. Her fiction has been published in Phantom Drift, Blue Earth Review, Puerto del Sol and The Normal School. Kidd writes in speculative modes, primarily fantasy and magical realism. Her current work focuses on an intersection of Southern environment, family folklore and the fantastic.

Dr. Maura Mills is an associate professor in the Department of Management. She has been at The University of Alabama since Fall 2016, with previous experience at Hofstra University and in consulting roles related to data analytics and organizational behavior space. Dr. Mills teaches a variety of courses at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral level, with the primary goals that students critically engage with the course material and work toward processing and applying the information in their academic and professional lives. Her research focuses on positive organizational behavior, including primary attention to issues regarding employee attitudes and well-being, work engagement and the work-life/work-family interface, particularly as it relates to employee gender.

Dr. Tara Mock is an assistant professor and director of the Capstone Experience with the Honor’s College at The University of Alabama. Dr. Mock comes to the Honor’s College from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where she was a Consortium for Faculty Diversity Fellow of Africana Studies and an affiliated faculty member in Asian Studies. Her research and teaching interests include Modern Africa, Africa-Asia relations, diaspora, cultural identity and community formation, and visual culture. Dr. Mock earned her PhD in African American and African Studies at Michigan State University. Prior to MSU, Dr. Mock studied international business at H.E.C. Paris, received a MALD in International Communication and International Political Economy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, and earned a BA in the History of Non-Western Developing Nations at Louisiana State University. Dr. Mock completed her first book, Contaminated Perceptions (forthcoming, 2026), which critically analyzes the intersection of race, culture and geopolitics in the construction of Africanity in global imagination.

Dr. Brenda D. Smith is a professor in the School of Social Work, where she teaches social welfare policy to MSW and PhD students. Her research illuminates policy and practice inequities in the child welfare system and addresses policy and services disparities between and within states.

Dr. Stefanie A. Wind is an associate professor of Educational Measurement at The University of Alabama, where she teaches graduate courses related to research methodology, measurement and psychometrics, and statistics. Her primary research interests include the exploration of methodological issues in the field of educational measurement, with emphases on methods related to rater-mediated assessments, rating scales, latent trait models (i.e., Rasch models and item response theory models), and nonparametric item response theory. Her collaborative research activities often involve scale development and validation projects, including scales to measure constructs related to affective variables (e.g., empathy, perceptions of instructional quality, perceptions of power dynamics), and student achievement in a variety of domains (e.g., science, mathematics, writing), among others.