Associate Pedagogy Fellows

Subhadip Chowdhury leads the Mathematics Department’s Collaborative Learning initiative and runs a year-long training program for graduate TAs and undergraduate Lead Junior Tutors. He has taught across the undergraduate curriculum, from introductory calculus through senior thesis, designing courses around active discussion, inclusive practices, and clear feedback. His teaching approach emphasizes alternative grading methods such as mastery, technique, and specifications, as well as project- and discovery-based learning. He is currently updating his course to be AI-aware and to promote responsible use of technology. As mathematics advisor to the Neubauer Phoenix STEM Scholars, he mentors students on course pathways, research preparation, and internships. His favorite aspect of the job has been working closely with undergraduate peer tutors, whose enthusiasm and genuine passion for the job continually elevate the UChicago teaching community. 

Daragh Grant is the co-chair of the Classics of Social and Political Thought Core sequence. For the past decade or so, most of his teaching has involved small seminar classes focused on social and political theory. In these classes, his interest is as much in cultivating students’ skills as writers, readers, listeners, and speakers as it is in developing their content knowledge. The UChicago Core curriculum offers an ideal vehicle for marrying these objectives. Daragh is fortunate to have worked with students here who are not only engaged and generous interlocutors, but also willing to put in the difficult work of learning anew what it is to write and think critically as part of a scholarly community. He also teaches classes on the history of empire and colonialism, which is the focus of his own scholarly research.

Russell Johnson’s research focuses on religious ethics and the philosophy of communication, specifically the ways “us versus them” frameworks shape people's imaginations and behavior in social conflicts. Several of the courses he teaches, including “Star Wars and Religion” and “Villains: Evil in Philosophy, Religion, and Film,” analyze popular films to consider the tendency to think about political conflict in terms of good guys versus bad guys, which often oversimplifies the moral landscape. He has also taught courses in the Humanities Core and helps run the SOSC Core sequence “Religion: Cosmos, Conscience, and Community.” One of his goals as a teacher is to help students realize that ethics, religion, and philosophy are not abstract topics “out there.” They can be found in the video games we play, the news stories we read, the memes we share, and the decisions we make every day.

Jessica Kirzane teaches all levels of Yiddish language and coordinates all aspects of the Yiddish language program at the University of Chicago, including curricular design and assessment development. She also teaches in, and has been involved in curricular development for, the Jewish Civilization sequence. As an instructor, she is committed to creating an inclusive learning environment that is responsive to the needs and unique interests of each student. She received her PhD in Yiddish Studies from Columbia University in 2017. Dr. Kirzane's scholarly work focuses on race and gender in American Yiddish literature. She is also a Yiddish-English literary translator and the editor-in-chief of In geveb: A Journal of Yiddish Studies.

Hannah Lant is an Assistant Instructional Professor in the Department of Chemistry. She greatly enjoys working with the wide diversity of students she teaches: first year undergraduates launching their scientific explorations in the General Chemistry series, senior Chemistry majors in their laboratory capstone course Experimental Physical Chemistry, and non-STEM students in her Chemistry of Artists’ Materials course in the Physical Sciences Core. She promotes scientific literacy skills at all levels through experiential laboratory exercises and strives to foster friendly learning environments that uphold the values of mutual respect, community, and inclusion.

Lisa Rosen’s research focuses on the relationship between education and social inequality and the social context of urban schooling. She is co-author of The Ambitious Elementary School, a 2017 book which examines a radical new model for elementary school organization that approaches the social causes of educational inequality head-on. As Director of Instructional Programs in the Committee on Education, Dr. Rosen is involved in the design and academic administration of the Committee’s curricular offerings at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. These programs include an undergraduate minor in Education and Society and a certificate program for MA students. She teaches discussion based, seminar-style courses for both undergraduate and graduate students, including “Education and Social Inequality,” “Schooling and Identity,” and “Language, Culture and Education.” Her pedagogical goals include learning new techniques from her fellow Pedagogy Fellows, expanding her repertoire of strategies for assessing student learning, and deepening her capacity to support the professional learning of other instructors in the Education and Society program. She loves teaching the students who choose her classes because of the intensity and passion they bring to class discussions and their commitment to helping improve educational outcomes and opportunities for students from marginalized communities.

Zhao Wang is an Assistant Instructional Professor in the Masters in Computational Social Science (MACSS) program. She is trained as a computer scientist focusing on machine learning, natural language processing, and social media analysis. She mainly focuses on teaching and developing computational courses for social science students (e.g., Computer Science with Social Science Applications, Introduction to Machine Learning). She enjoys teaching and working with UChicago students because they are always willing to take on challenges and push their boundaries. Her pedagogical goals are to be professional and passionate, and to cultivate students' talents to the utmost.

Jonathan Williams teaches courses on statistics, leadership and consulting, and academic research within the Master of Science in Applied Data Science (MS-ADS) program. His students are professionals or pre-professionals who come to the University from different paths than those expected by traditional teaching formats, and he strives to connect his students to the material using reference points they find more relatable and more professionally relevant. Some of his long-term teaching goals include optimizing remote learning experiences and increasing academic integrity through greater student "buy-in" of instructor goals.