{"id":360,"date":"2023-01-31T17:08:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-01T01:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/new-faculty-bring-expertise-in-diverse-topics-from-space-time-ripples-to-social-connection-to-bacterial-plasticity\/"},"modified":"2023-08-29T12:26:46","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T19:26:46","slug":"new-spring-2023-faculty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/new-spring-2023-faculty\/","title":{"rendered":"New faculty bring expertise in diverse topics from space-time ripples to social connection to bacterial plasticity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3810-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3810-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"New faculty bring expertise in diverse topics from space-time ripples to social connection to bacterial plasticity\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Scholars joining USC Dornsife this spring include (left to right from top): Elisa Baek, Peter Foster, Kelly Luo (center), Julia Schwartzman and Kris Pardo. (Composite: Letty Avila. Photos: Courtesy of each person.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=faculty\">Faculty<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>New faculty bring expertise in diverse topics from space-time ripples to social connection to bacterial plasticity<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Learn more about the cohort of scholars joining USC Dornsife this semester.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Margaret Crable<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">January 31, 2023<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 2.518315-1.68841575 4.0350275 0 1.5167124.60096154 2.9475732 1.68841575 4.0350274 1.058837 1.0874543 2.51831502 1.6884158 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xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>A new semester brings fresh faces to campus, including a new round of faculty joining the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Their expertise includes topics from ripples in space-time to the curious plasticity of single-celled organisms to the psychology of social connection.<\/p>\n<p>Some of our newcomers recently sat down to share a bit more about themselves and their research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <hr style=\"clear: both;\" \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/cf\/psyc\/psyc_faculty_display.cfm?person_id=1111325\"><strong>Elisa Baek<\/strong><\/a><strong>\u00a0|\u00a0<\/strong>Assistant Professor of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/psyc\/\">Psychology<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/new_faculty_spring_instory_baek-3810.jpg\" style=\"width:125px;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>My research broadly focuses on social connection. For example, I ask questions such as: How does sharing information help us feel socially connected to each other? How are individuals who are well-connected in their social networks different in the way that they use their brain?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read any good books lately?<\/strong> I finally finished Tolstoy\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simonandschuster.com\/books\/Anna-Karenina\/Leo-Tolstoy\/9781451685558\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Anna Karenina<\/i><\/a>\u00a0after many years of reading it on and off. The last few chapters of the novel had me completely immersed.<\/p>\n<p>No wonder it\u2019s called the best novel to have ever been written!<\/p>\n<p><strong>What food or condiments will we always find in your kitchen?<\/strong> Bananas. I always end up eating just one or two and then they sit on the counter until it\u2019s time to make banana bread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <hr style=\"clear: both;\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/cf\/phys\/faculty_display.cfm?person_ID=1111881\"><strong>Peter Foster<\/strong><\/a><strong>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<\/strong>Assistant Professor of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/physics\/\">Physics and Astronomy<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/new_faculty_spring_instoryb_foster-3810.jpg\" style=\"width:125px;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I work on the physics of living systems, with a focus on the cytoskeleton &mdash; the cellular machines that drive processes ranging from motility to cell division. I&rsquo;m interested in understanding how the properties of cytoskeletal materials emerge from the interactions between the materials&rsquo; protein constituents and the flows of energy through the system.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What are your hobbies?<\/strong>&nbsp;When I can, I love to get outdoors! I&rsquo;ve really been enjoying exploring the hiking trails near L.A.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read any good books lately?<\/strong>&nbsp;I&rsquo;m currently reading&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/wwnorton.com\/books\/Endless-Forms-Most-Beautiful\/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>Endless Forms Most Beautiful<\/i><\/a>&nbsp;by Sean B. Carroll.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What food or condiments will we always find in your kitchen?<\/strong> I&rsquo;ll always have a soft spot for Cabot cheddar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <hr style=\"clear: both;\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/cf\/phys\/faculty_display.cfm?person_ID=1111492\"><strong>Kelly Luo<\/strong><\/a><strong>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<\/strong>Gabilan Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/new_faculty_spring_instoryc_luo-3810.jpg\" style=\"width:125px;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>My lab is passionate about understanding interactions between the quantum degrees of freedom in solid-state systems such as electron spins, photons and magnons. We investigate their couplings, propagations and nonequilibrium dynamics, and explore new device concepts for spin-based quantum information processing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you could invite one person to dinner, living or dead, who would you select? What would be on the menu? <\/strong>Marie Curie; anything.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If time-travel was possible, what era would you head to and why?<\/strong>&nbsp;50 years from now. Maybe we will have another quantum revolution by then?<\/p>\n<p><strong>What food or condiments will we always find in your kitchen?<\/strong>&nbsp;Sichuan peppercorns, both the green and the red kinds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <hr style=\"clear: both;\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/cf\/faculty-and-staff\/faculty.cfm?pid=1111988\"><strong>Kris Pardo<\/strong><\/a><strong>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<\/strong>Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/new_faculty_spring_instoryd_pardo-3810.jpg\" style=\"width:125px;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>My work focuses on how we can use astrophysical data to better understand our universe. Specifically, I&rsquo;m interested in how we can use this data to observe gravitational waves, which are ripples in space-time produced by the mergers of black holes, and to test theories for dark matter, which is a mysterious type of particle(s) that makes up most of the matter in our universe.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What are your hobbies?<\/strong>&nbsp;I try to get outdoors (and away from screens!) as much as possible when not working. I like hiking with my Australian shepherd puppy, trail running and rock climbing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read any good books lately?<\/strong>&nbsp;I recently read and really enjoyed&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/253400\/dark-matter-by-blake-crouch\/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>Dark Matter<\/i><\/a>&nbsp;by Blake Crouch (although it has absolutely nothing to do with actual dark matter, sadly).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <hr style=\"clear: both;\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/meb\/profile\/?pid=1111875\"><strong>Julia Schwartzman<\/strong><\/a><strong>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<\/strong>Assistant Professor of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/bisc\/\">Biological Sciences<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/new_faculty_spring_instorye_schwartzman-3810.jpg\" style=\"width:125px;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I&rsquo;m fascinated by bacteria because they are single cells with the capacity to do many different things. In contrast, most of the cells that make up animals, plants and other forms of complex multicellular life are less phenotypically plastic: They are programmed to exist in a more limited range of states.<\/p>\n<p>How is phenotypic plasticity &ldquo;wired&rdquo; into bacterial genomes? How does it evolve? And how does it scaffold more complex phenomena such as functions that emerge from groups of cells and interactions across kingdoms of life? My group takes inspiration from coastal marine ecosystems to tackle these questions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What are your hobbies?<\/strong>&nbsp;Skiing, hiking, road biking.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read any good books lately?<\/strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abramsbooks.com\/product\/master-and-margarita_9781419756504\/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>The Master and Margarita<\/i><\/a>&nbsp;by Mikhail Bulgakov<\/p>\n<p><strong>What food or condiments will we always find in your kitchen?<\/strong>&nbsp;Cheez-Its.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Related Stories\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/exceptional-faculty-staff-recognized-2026\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >15 exceptional USC Dornsife faculty and staff recognized for excellence<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/2025-communicator-of-the-year-award-honors-public-scholars\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >USC Dornsife honors 2025 Communicators of the Year<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/is-ai-really-writing-ancient-authors-would-have-said-no\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Is AI really \u2018writing\u2019? From a priestess to philosophers, ancient authors would have said\u00a0\u2018no\u2019<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn more about the cohort of scholars joining USC Dornsife this semester.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":363,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[96,95],"class_list":["post-360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty","tag-natural-sciences","tag-social-sciences"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>New faculty bring expertise in diverse topics from space-time ripples to social connection to bacterial plasticity<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/new-spring-2023-faculty\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New faculty bring expertise in diverse topics from space-time ripples to social connection to bacterial plasticity\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn more about the cohort of scholars joining USC Dornsife this semester.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/new-spring-2023-faculty\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"USC Dornsife News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uscdornsife\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-02-01T01:08:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta 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