The University of Richmond’s teacher-scholar culture invites students into the work of discovery — in classrooms, labs, and studios, across campus and beyond. In a community defined by close student-faculty engagement and dedicated academic support, Spider scholars continue to earn recognition for their remarkable achievements.
Leading as Teacher-Scholars
Faculty garner national honors for research, mentorship, and teaching excellence.
Throughout the 2025–26 academic year, University of Richmond professors earned major awards and grants that expanded opportunities for student research, global health impact, and scientific discovery.
Chemistry professor Julie Pollock received the 2025 Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award from the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation. The award supports outstanding early-career faculty at primarily undergraduate institutions and includes $75,000 to advance Pollock’s research in collaboration with undergraduate students over the next five years.
Pollock leads a research program at the intersection of chemistry and biology focused on combating disease. Her lab investigates critical challenges in drug discovery, disease detection, and disease management, with the long-term goal of developing new treatments for conditions such as cancer, inflammation, and antibiotic resistance.
“Collaborating with students in my lab is one of the most rewarding parts of my job,” Pollock said. “I’m grateful for this support from the Dreyfus Foundation, which will allow us to continue our important research.”
Pollock, who has taught at UR since 2014, is well-known for her mentorship.
“Students with a wide range of career goals who are majoring in chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology, biology, and health studies are all drawn to the meaningful work happening in Julie’s lab,” said Jenny Cavenaugh, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences. “They gain hands-on research experience and a genuine feel for how these scientific disciplines are connected. It’s such a distinctive opportunity for our students.”
“Collaborating with students in my lab is one of the most rewarding parts of my job.”
Professors Lauren Tilton and Taylor Arnold
Professors awarded grant to develop AI Tools for TV and film research.
Professors Taylor Arnold and Lauren Tilton received a $250,000 grant to support their work developing AI tools for TV and film research. The funding is part of a larger $750,000 award from Schmidt Sciences and includes collaboration with two other institutions.
In partnership with colleagues at UC Berkeley and Bowdoin College, Arnold, professor of data science and statistics, and Tilton, professor of digital humanities and director of UR’s Center for Liberal Arts and AI, will develop AI models that analyze film and television.
Current AI models can analyze two-dimensional images, but not how or why they were filmed in a particular way. Over the next two years, this project will use new AI models to analyze camera movement, narrative storylines, and how editing and dialogue are used to create meaning. The Richmond team will track the evolution of patterns across 30 long-running television series.
“The project represents significant advancements in both the humanities and AI,” said Tilton. “Our research will further the ability of AI not only to recognize objects in moving images but to analyze patterns, an important step forward for all scholarly communities working with digital media.”
Health Studies Professor Nigel James, University of Richmond students Callia Nickels and Julia Messerman, Penn State College of Medicine student Isabella Dunn, and University of Ghana collaborator Charlotte Ofori received an award at the American Public Health Association 2025 Annual Meeting and Expo in early November.
Health studies professor wins global health award for breast cancer screening research.
Health studies professor Nigel James and three student researchers presented at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Expo in early November. James’s research, which highlights how training nurses to perform breast cancer screening can expand access in rural areas, received the 2025 Global Health Award, the association's highest honor in the global health category.
“It’s wonderful to bring additional attention to the need for breast cancer and other preventative screenings in countries like Ghana, where socioeconomic and development challenges create health system constraints and barriers to affordable screening and treatment services,” James said. “This award is especially meaningful as my students supported this research.”
Additional major faculty recognitions and awards during 2025–26 include:
Journalism professor Kavitha Cardoza received the American Mosaic Journalism Prize for her work as a freelance reporter elevating stories on children, education, and poverty. Cardoza is one of two journalists to receive this highly selective $100,000 prize.
Law professor Julie McConnell, director of the Jeanette Lipman Children’s Defense Clinic, was honored with the 2025 George H. Hettrick Leadership Award for championing the rights of vulnerable youth and mentoring future attorneys.
Saif Mehkari, an economics professor in the Robins School of Business, received the 2025 Harris Award for Excellence in Instructional Technology from the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges. The award honors one faculty member for innovative and impactful use of technology in undergraduate teaching.
Mehkari was recognized for expanding educational technology at Richmond, including the development of SpiderAI, an AI-driven platform that delivers personalized academic advising and support to students while enabling free, campus-wide access to leading generative AI applications.
“Professor Mehkari is an exemplary triple threat: he excels at teaching, research, and service,” said University of Richmond President Kevin F. Hallock. “He’s published scholarship in top academic journals, inspired a family to endow a scholarship, served on multiple important committees, and even greeted new students flying into the U.S. for the first time at the airport and helped graduates walk across the stage at Commencement.”
Leaving a legacy of leadership: Richmond celebrates the contributions of two outstanding deans.
Wendy Perdue will conclude her 15-year tenure as the dean of University of Richmond School of Law at the end of this academic year. She plans to remain on the faculty and return to teaching following a sabbatical.
The law school has flourished under Perdue’s direction and is in a position of strength for continued success. Significant accomplishments and examples of progress during Perdue’s tenure include:
- Building a premier first-year Legal Writing Program.
- Launching the Professional Identity Program, which has become a model nationwide.
- Founding the post-graduate Bridge to Practice Program that has helped more than 150 graduates launch their careers.
- Engaging alumni, the legal community, and many others in supporting the law school’s excellence, increasing fundraising, and strengthening the law alumni network.
- Completing a renovation that transformed the law school building into a modern, inviting environment that meets the needs of the community.
Perdue was presented with a Senate Joint Resolution in March honoring her “visionary leadership and outstanding contributions to legal education.”
Jacob Rooksby, who currently serves as dean of Gonzaga University School of Law, will become the new dean of University of Richmond School of Law, effective July 1.
Rooksby is a professor of law and leadership studies, and an accomplished attorney who specializes in intellectual property and higher education law. Prior to his roles in academia, Rooksby worked at leading law firms, including McGuireWoods in Richmond, Virginia, where he lived from 2007 to 2011.
“I’ve long admired Richmond Law for its distinctive combination of academic excellence, collegial culture, and strong sense of place, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to build on what is already a thriving school,” Rooksby said. “The law school’s position within the liberal arts tradition of the University of Richmond and the faculty’s high scholarly standing are impressive, and I’m excited to be part of this community.”
Learn more here.
Miguel “Mickey” Quiñones has served as dean of the Robins School of Business since 2019. He will step down at the end of June and plans to remain on the faculty, as a professor of management, following a sabbatical.
During Quiñones’s tenure, the Robins School has experienced a period of innovation, renewal, and growth, highlights include:
- Launching the Robins Endeavor living-learning community, Spider Business Hub, Bench Top Innovations course, and Digital Marketing Practicum, each expanding opportunities for experiential learning and student engagement.
- Introducing new programs, including the Master of Science in Management and new entrepreneurship and professional sales initiatives.
- Growing global engagement through the International Partner Immersion Program.
- Establishing the Department of Analytics and Operations to strengthen data-driven and technology-focused education.
During Quiñones’s time as dean, the Robins School’s Poets&Quants for Undergrads undergraduate business ranking rose from No. 26 in 2020 to No. 17 in 2025 and 2026, the highest position to date. P&Q also recognized the Robins School as one of “10 Undergraduate Business Schools to Watch” in 2024.
A national search to identify the next Robins School of Business dean is underway.
Stacie Petter, who currently serves as acting dean of the School of Business at Wake Forest University and Peter C. Brockway Chair of Strategic Management and Professor of Management Information Systems, will become dean of the University of Richmond Robins School of Business, effective Aug. 1.
Prior to serving as acting dean, Petter served as Wake Forest’s inaugural associate provost for faculty affairs. Before joining Wake Forest’s faculty in 2022, she held the Ben H. Williams Professorship in Information Systems and Business Analytics at Baylor University and previously served on the faculty at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Her scholarship focuses on how individuals and organizations use and manage technology. At Richmond, she will hold a faculty appointment as professor of analytics and operations.
“I’m a major advocate of the power of bridging disciplines, and I immediately saw that reflected at the University of Richmond through the intimacy and intellectual depth of a liberal arts environment paired with outstanding business education,” said Petter. “I was especially drawn to the teacher-scholar model, the strength and momentum of the business school, and the genuine sense of community across campus. I’m thrilled to serve as a collaborator and thought partner of this tremendous energy.”
Learn more here.
Collaborating as Student-Scholars
Recent graduate Paxton Mills is one of eight in the world to receive prestigious scholarship for work on blood disorders.
Recent graduate Paxton Mills, of Glen Allen, Virginia, was named a Susan Skinner Scholar by the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH). She was one of eight recipients to receive this award, which is open to all women ages 18-60 from around the globe.
Through the award, Mills, a Richmond Scholar and biochemistry & molecular biology major, engaged in leadership training focused on women and girls with bleeding disorders. She traveled to Malaysia in April to participate in the WFH World Congress, Global National Member Organization Training, and the Annual Meeting of the General Assembly.
Mills has a rare platelet disorder and plans on becoming a hematologist to both treat and research blood disorders. Her current work focuses on women and girls, who have been historically excluded from bleeding disorders research, which can result in delayed diagnosis, limited treatment, and poorer quality of life. Her hope is to close that gap.
“I am excited to help advance and represent the perspectives of our diverse community, particularly females with bleeding disorders and affected youth,” said Mills.
Richmond senior receives one of the world's most prestigious academic honors — a Rhodes Scholarship.
Ibrahim Alkaseer received a highly competitive Rhodes Scholarship, which will fully fund his postgraduate study at the University of Oxford. Rhodes Scholars are selected based on their exceptional academic achievement, leadership potential, and commitment to the common good.
Alkaseer, who graduated from Richmond on May 10, double-majored in political science and economics, with a minor in Latin American, Latino, & Iberian Studies. He is from Damascus, Syria, and received one of only two scholarships offered to Rhodes’ applicants from Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine — becoming Richmond’s sixth Rhodes Scholar.
During his time at Oxford, Alkaseer will pursue a Master of Philosophy in development studies and continue his research on forced migration, post-conflict return, and the political economy of development.
Three University of Richmond students awarded Goldwater Scholarships to further faculty-mentored pharmaceutical, cancer, and ecology research.
Three University of Richmond students — Anna Johnson, Nicholas Parlavecchio, and Eric Zhou — have received Goldwater scholarships, one of the most sought-after and prestigious undergraduate awards in math and science.
The Goldwater scholarship is open to college sophomores and juniors interested in pursuing careers and fostering excellence in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering. The University’s latest Goldwater scholars include:
Anna Johnson, ’27, is majoring in chemistry. With the mentorship of chemistry professor Wade Downey, Johnson is studying synthetic chemistry and developing new chemical reactions.
Her current research focuses on the development of a novel chemical reaction that allows chemists to construct complex nitrogen-containing molecules that may prove valuable in pharmaceutical discovery. Reflecting on what draws her to synthetic chemistry, Johnson said, “I think the goal of every synthetic chemist is to contribute to the betterment of society in some capacity. For me, the idea that I could develop a reaction on a Monday that the pharmaceutical industry uses on a Tuesday is incredibly exciting.”
Johnson plans to pursue a Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry and build a career focused on developing reactions to construct strained hydrocarbons that have traditionally been difficult to incorporate into new therapeutics. By making these structures easier to access, she hopes to give other scientists new tools for designing better medicines.
Nicholas Parlavecchio, ’27, is majoring in biology and geography. With the mentorship of biology professor Jonathan Richardson, his research has focused on urban ecology and how geographic information, urban rodent ecology, and GIS can be leveraged to address ecological questions — for example, to support mammal conservation and mitigate rat populations in cities.
“Through these experiences, I have developed both a strong biological foundation and the technical skills needed to integrate spatial technologies into ecological inquiry,” said Parlavecchio.
Parlavecchio plans to pursue a Ph.D. in ecology and hopes to specialize in coastal ecology and work at a government agency like the National Park Service to inform science-based coastal resource management.
Eric Zhou, ’27, is majoring in chemistry and minoring in biology. With the mentorship of chemistry professor Downey, he is studying organic chemistry — specifically, indole synthesis, which has implications in the pharmaceutical industry. Zhou aspires to pursue a Ph.D. in chemical biology and an M.D. in internal medicine, become a physician-scientist at an academic institution, and open a lab researching chemical probes to explain disease mechanisms.
“For many diseases, we still lack full understanding of their mechanism of action” said Zhou, who is also a Richmond Scholar and Beckman Scholar. “Manipulating biological systems is at the intersection of chemistry and biology and often requires an interdisciplinary approach. My education and research plan will expose me to a wide scope of knowledge so that I may contribute towards new scientific understanding.”
Including these three awards, UR has had 46 Goldwater Scholars since the program’s inception in 1986.
“University of Richmond students are competitive for this prestigious award due to both their commitment to rigorous academics and the steadfast commitment of their faculty mentors,” said Dana Kuchem, director of the Office of Scholars and Fellowships, which facilitates UR’s Goldwater scholar process.
Projects for Peace grant helps student support women artisans in rural Pakistan.
Minahil Mobeen, a rising junior from Lahore, Pakistan, received a $10,000 Projects for Peace grant for her project Women Weave Change.
Mobeen partnered with the Pakistani social development groups Democratic Commission for Human Development and Label STEP to improve the work environments of women carpet weavers in rural Pakistan. The project provided the artisans with a centralized workspace, childcare, and new looms and included workshops focused on workers’ rights, financial literacy, and safe occupational practices.
Mobeen, an economics major, notes that this project supported the financial independence of rural weavers and the preservation of a traditional Pakistani craft.
Past Projects for Peace recipients at UR have completed both international and local projects, including providing energy efficiency kits to marginalized communities in Virginia, supporting coral reefs in Taiwan, mitigating human-wildlife conflict in Kenya, and combating youth unemployment in Nigeria.
“Our students’ intellectual curiosity and their deep sense of responsibility to the world around them inspire me.”
Supporting the Journey
Next-level academic support: The Carole and Marcus Weinstein Learning Center supports all students in every stage of their academic journey.
The University is invested in helping students thrive. Through ample academic support, extensive skill-building opportunities, and meaningful cocurricular experiences, students connect academic interests to research, engage in transformative internships, and take purposeful next steps.
For generations, the University of Richmond has offered academic support services to enhance student learning and outcomes. Over time, these services evolved and developed homes in different areas of campus. Thanks to a transformative lead gift from Carole and Marcus Weinstein, the new Weinstein Learning Center is bringing these programs together and building upon their individual strengths.
The WLC’s new physical home in the Boatwright Memorial Library will open this fall. In the meantime, the Center’s executive director, Marco Ortiz, made significant progress this year, recruiting a leadership team and offering students tremendous opportunities for professional development. The WLC now employs more than 200 students every year across all disciplines as peer educators.
“Our goal is to provide next-level academic support, transforming our students’ development in integrated and innovative ways and complementing our robust curricular and co-curricular offerings.”
AI and the liberal arts: The University is building a framework for thoughtful exploration of AI across disciplines.
How can the University of Richmond prepare students for successful outcomes and flourishing lives in an AI-enabled world? How should the University support faculty across schools and disciplines who wish to explore AI as an academic topic and use AI tools to augment teaching, research, or creative production? And how might the University use AI to support staff and maximize our educational mission? The Presidential Advisory Group on AI (PAG-AI) has been considering these questions this spring.
The University has also launched the Center for Liberal Arts and AI (CLAAI), bringing together students, researchers, and educators from institutions across the Associated Colleges of the South to explore the pressing social, cultural, and legal dimensions of artificial intelligence. The CLAAI hosted 23 fellows this academic year from 10 institutions for a variety of programming opportunities around the theme “under the hood.”
For leadership studies professor Vladimir Chlouba, a CLAAI fellow, the Center’s multifaceted approach reflects the spectrum of opinions scholars have about AI.
“People’s views really vary. Some are quite excited, others scared, many of us are somewhere in the middle,” he said. “I thought joining the CLAAI group was the best way to be aware of trade-offs and make conscious, informed decisions about how I incorporate AI into my research and, possibly, teaching.”
The CLAAI also serves as an innovative leader in AI education. In collaboration with UR’s Digital Scholarship Lab, the Teaching and Scholarship Hub, and the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement, the Center is supporting course development in AI across the disciplines; holding an institute for faculty development around AI; and hosting workshops and lectures to inform critical exploration and AI integration at universities in UR’s network and beyond.
Innovation in action: Empowering the Richmond community to think creatively, test bold ideas, and build solutions.
At Richmond, innovation goes beyond the buzzword — it’s a skill set. The Innovation Studio serves as a central resource where students, staff, and faculty learn to approach challenges with curiosity, creativity, and practical tools. Through workshops, advising, and course partnerships, the studio equips Spiders with skills in design thinking, creative problem-solving, and entrepreneurship that help them turn ideas into real-world impact.
Throughout the year, the Innovation Studio supported projects that spanned disciplines. From science classrooms to startup ventures, students demonstrated how creative approaches can unlock new ways of learning and building.
In one biology class, students explored complex concepts using the LEGO® Serious Play method, facilitated by the studio. By building models with simple bricks, teams visualized genetic diversity and futuristic research labs. Activities like these help students develop innovative mindsets that extend beyond the classroom.
“You go in with no planning, no programming, and no context. You put stuff together, and then ideas come to you. Even for people who are thinking there's no way this is going to work, it does work,” said Director of the Innovation Studio Andrew Ilnicki.
“There is a magic to it.”
The Innovation studio also helps aspiring entrepreneurs turn early-stage ideas into viable ventures. Through the Richmond Summer Incubator, students test business concepts through customer interviews, market validation, and mentorship. Deven Vennera, a rising junior, used the program to refine an online retail platform idea and recruit a technical cofounder, illustrating how structured experimentation can transform a concept into a growing startup.
Ayush Garg and Ryan McCarroll, who graduated in May, developed their AI-powered research tool, AnswerThis, thanks to the Richmond Innovation Fellows program and support from across campus.
“Our company was very well incubated in the Richmond community, with support from University of Richmond professors and the entrepreneurship program,” Garg said.
The company was later selected for a highly competitive Silicon Valley accelerator and received $500,000 in funding to scale the platform, which helps researchers analyze academic literature more efficiently.
“We're building an AI that helps scientists and other researchers find and analyze all the most relevant literature in their field and then take that analysis and boil it into literature reviews,” said Garg, who majored in computer science. “We're serving a lot of academia right now and helping them make their access to literature both faster and better.”
