The Asian University for Women is pleased to introduce its academic leaders and inaugural faculty. These pioneering educators are eager to create a process that educates and empowers our students.
Provost and Acting Vice-Chancellor
Hoon Eng Khoo was educated at Smith College, St. Mary’s Medical School at the University of London, and the University of Dundee. From 1998 to 2003, she was Vice Dean of the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore. Most recently she served as Deputy Head of the Medical Education Unit, Associate Director of the Centre for Development of Teaching and Learning, and Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry. Dr. Khoo has 32 years of teaching, research and administrative experience. She has authored three books on medical education, two books on biotechnology in Singapore and more than 120 research articles in biochemistry and medical education. She serves on the Executive Committees of regional and international professional organizations for Biochemistry and Medical Education. Dr. Khoo has helped set up NGOs in environmental protection and women’s rights in Malaysia and was active in a women’s advocacy group in Singapore.
B.A., Biochemistry, Smith College (1973)
Ph.D., Biochemistry, St. Mary’s Medical School, University of London (1976)
Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Education, University of Dundee, UK (2003)
Smith College Scholarship (1970-73)
Buttle Trust Postgraduate Scholarship (1973-76)
NUS Annual Excellent Teacher Award (2004-05)
Biochemistry, Medical Education
Amin, Z and Khoo, H.E. Basics in Medical Education. (2nd Edition) World Scientific Publishing, Singapore, 2009
Koh GCH, Khoo HE, Wong ML, Koh, D. (2008) The effects of problem-based learning during medical school on physician competency: a systematic review. CMAJ 178:34-41
Wang, YW, Yap, LL, Chua KL and Khoo, HE. (2008) A multigene family of Heteractis magnificalysins (HMgs), Toxicon 51: 1374-1382
Professor & Acting Dean of Undergraduate Studies
Dr. Polly Pook received B.A. degrees in Mathematics and Fine Arts from Brown University, her M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Rochester and a postdoctoral fellowship at MIT in the United States. As an entrepreneur specializing in Artificial Intelligence, Dr. Pook helped to found two successful technology companies. She enjoys travelling, construction, cooking and gardening. “I try to imagine our students 10 years from now, engaged with local communities, working in cities, or defining national policies. How can we help them to build a network of information, ideas, and colleagues now that will support them in the future? I’m thrilled by the challenge and by how much I am going to learn from these young women.”
B.A., Fine Art, Brown University (1981)
B.A., Mathematics, Brown University (1981)
M.S., Computer Science, University of Rochester (1991)
Ph.D., Computer Science, University of Rochester (1995)
Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT (1996-1997)
Artificial Intelligence
iRobot Corporation, Co-creator, Sr. Research Scientist (1997-1998), Director of Research (1998-1999), Vice President of Research (1993-2003).
Pook, P.K and C.K. Debolt, “Robotics for Mine Clearance.” International Journal of Robotics Research, 1999.
Pook, P.K. “Human-guided Machine Learning in the MIT Intelligent Room.” 1997 AAAI Spring Symposium: Computational Models for Mixed Initiative Interaction, March 1997.
Pook, P.K. and D.H. Ballard, “Deictic human/robot Interaction.” Robotics & Auntonomous Systems, Nov. 19, 1996.
Honorary Dean of AUW's Graduate School of Information Technology
Lone Dirckinck-Holmfeld is professor within ICT and learning at Aalborg University, and Ph.D. from Roskilde University in Denmark. She has been working within the area of ICT and learning since the beginning of 1980s. She is research director for E-learning Lab, Center for User-driven innovation, learning and design, and responsible for several research projects within the academic area of computer supported collaborative learning. Further more, she is the Director of the Postgraduate Research School on Human Centered Informatics. She has authored and co-authored several books, and more than 100 papers, articles, and reports on ICT and learning. Some of her recent works include Dirckinck-Holmfeld, L & Fibiger, B (Eds.): in Virtual Environments, Samfundslitteratur Press (2002), and Dirckinck-Holmfeld, L et. al. (2004): Det Digitale Nordjylland - IKT og omstilling til netværkssamfundet? (The Digital North Denmark - ICT and the transition towards the network society?) Aalborg University Press.
Academic Director of the Access Academy
Kathy Schneider was educated at Springfield College, Boston University, and Saint Michael’s College. Ms. Schneider has over 25 years of experience teaching ESL/EFL courses as well as health and physical education courses in the US, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Most recently, she taught Business Communications courses and served as the manager of the Academic Support Center at the American University in Kosovo.
In her free time, Ms. Schneider enjoys running, body building, and swimming. As a self-described global nomad, she also finds discussing world affairs and current events from different cultural perspectives stimulating. Ms. Schneider promises to bring energy and passion to the Access Academy to empower and facilitate the positive growth of each woman's spirit, mind, and body.
Sara Nuzhat Amin is a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology, currently completing her dissertation on the conversations and debates in the Canadian and American Muslim leadership and faith. She specializes in Political Sociology and Quantitative Methods, and she has worked with Demographic Health Surveys, Survey on Labor Income Dynamics, Youths in Transition Surveys and various United Nations, World Bank and IMF datasets.
After ten years at McGill University and Montreal, Canada, she and her husband are looking forward to enjoying the culture and beauty that Chittagong and Bangladesh have to offer. “I believe it will be an extraordinary professional and personal experience to be at the AUW with the young women and new faculty from around the world.”
B.A., International Development Studies, McGill University (2002)
B.Sc., Mathematics, McGill University (2002)
M.A., Sociology, McGill University (2003)
Ph.D., Sociology, McGill University (2008)
Political Sociology and Quantitative Methods
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Grant (2008-2009)
Canada-US Fulbright Fellowship (2007-2008)
Cloustan, S., Verdery, A., Amin, S., and R. Gauthier. “The Structure of Undergraduate Association Networks: A Quantitative Ethnography.” Presented at the International Sunbelt Social Networks Conference, January 2008: St. Pete’s, Florida.
Dr. Bryce Battisti obtained his Ph.D. in Agricultural and Environmental Science Education from the University of California, Davis, and his M.Sc. from Brigham Young University in the United States. He specializes in Science and Sustainability Education, and this past academic year has been teaching plant and animal biology in Vietnam while helping the faculty and administrators of the small agricultural university improve their curricula and teaching/student assessment methods.
In his free time, Dr. Battisti likes to kayak, play the harmonica, listen to blues music, play with his children and garden. Since the beginning of his university studies, he has researched ways to make higher education more meaningful and engaging for the students and more sustainable for the world and its populace. He believes that one of the simplest ways to achieve this for students is to help universities grow their own food – setting up a food-growing project is one of the many things he hopes to contribute to AUW. Dr. Battisti looks forward to adding to the creation of a sustainable and empowering program of higher education at AUW.
B.Sc., Ecology, Massey University (2001)
M.Sc., Biological Science Education, Brigham Young University (2004)
Ph.D., Agricultural and Environmental Science Education, University of California, Davis (2008)
Science and Sustainability Education
Battisti, B.T., Passmore, C., & Y. Sipos. (In press). “Action Learning for Sustainable Agriculture: Transformation through Guided Reflection.” NACTA
Battisti, B., Grimm, K, Y. Sipos. “Achieving Transformative Sustainability Learning: Engaging Head, Hands & Heart.” International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 9(1), 68-86. (1998) Parr, D.M., Trexler, C.J., Khanna, N.R., & B. Battisti. “Designing Sustainable Agriculture Education: Academics’ Suggestions for an Undergraduate Curriculum at a Land-Grant University.” Journal of Food, Agriculture, and Human Values, 24(4), 523- 533. (2007)
Dr. Carol Coleman received her Ph.D. in Mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and her Masters degrees in Applied Mathematics and statistics from Michigan State University in the United States. While concentrating in Mathematics and Statistics, she specializes in undergraduate and online education. She has taught at a number of institutions dedicated to the liberal arts and has a strong commitment to mentoring women in academic and extra-curricular organizations.
Dr. Coleman has been spending time starting a blog and refining Google alerts to gather information on Chittagong, Bangladesh and all of Southern Asia in preparation for her time at AUW. She has also been researching mathematical/statistical education methods appropriate to AUW's students and feels highly honored to be included with AUW's inaugural faculty.
B.A., Mathematics, University of Michigan (1976)
M. Sc., Applied Mathematics, Michigan State University (1983)
M. Sc., Statistics, Michigan State University (1983)
Ph.D., Mathematics, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy (1989)
Mathematics and Statistics
Sample Award:
Adrian College Teacher Scholar Program funded by the Lilly Foundation Grant (1991)
Coleman, C. and J.R. McLaughlin. “Solution of the Inverse Spectral Problem for an Impedance with Integrable Derivative, Parts I & II.”Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics, Vol. XLVI. (1993)
Sharon Doetsch-Kidder completed her PhD in English and Feminist Studies at the University for California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and her MA in English and BA in Women's Studies at Georgetown University. Her dissertation, “The Spirit of Social Change: Love, Faith, and Joy in Intersectional Activism,” argues for the centrality of spirit to the work of antiracist feminist scholarship and social change. Fellowships from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, the National Women’s Studies Association, and UCSB supported her research. Her areas of interest include social movements, race and ethnic studies, theories of genders and sexualities, and feminist spiritualities. She enjoys practicing aikido and meditation and going for walks with family and friends. She is excited about working with the talented and dedicated students and faculty at AUW and is enjoying the challenges of starting a new university.
PhD in English and Feminist Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara (2009)
MA in English, Georgetown University (1999)
BA in Women’s Studies, Georgetown University (1997)
Social movements, theories of genders and sexualities, race and ethnic studies
Humanities/Social Sciences Research Grant, UCSB (2006 and 2003)
Woodrow Wilson Dissertation Fellowship in Women’s Studies (2005)
Graduate Scholarship in Lesbian Studies, National Women’s Studies Association (2004)
Charlotte Stough Award, UCSB Women’s Studies Department (2002)
Leona Fisher Woman of Distinction Award, Georgetown University Women’s Center (2000)
"Loving Criticism: A Spiritual Philosophy of Social Change.” Forthcoming in Feminist Studies.
Dr. Varuni Ganepola specializes in psychology, sociology, and psychosocial work. She has studied Psychology and Sociology at Australia’s Monash University and the UK’s University of Wales. More recently, she undertook summer studies in social and cultural psychiatry at the Canadian McGill University, where she was also exposed to clinical work in family therapy. She has been an academic and research scholar for many years at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Her academic work there included coordinating postgraduate diploma in counseling and psychosocial work, initiating an undergraduate curriculum in psychology for information technology students, as well as teaching undergraduate psychology to diverse student groups. Dr. Ganepola promotes a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding psychology and mental health and local realities in conceptualizing psychosocial issues. Her research interests include conflict and coping; distress and resilience; child, immigrant, and refugee mental health; and understanding lives of former child soldiers.
B.A., Psychology and Sociology, Monash University (1995)
Ph.D., Statistics and International Development University of Wales (2002)
Psychology, Sociology, and Psychological Work
McGill University Fellowship in Mental Health, Committee of the Canadian Global Research Initiative (2007)
Overseas Research Scholarship, Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principles, UK (2001)
University of Wales Swansea Postgraduate Fellowship and Working Bursary (2001)
Radcliffe-Brown Memorial Fund (2001)
Ganepola, V. and S. Kuruppu. “Displacement in the Context of Development: A contemporary look at Sri Lanka.” Mumbai: Sage Publications, 2007.
Ganepola, V. “Social and Cultural Factors that Impact on Children’s Involvement and Participation in Armed Conflict in Vauniya District.” New York: SSRC, 2006.
Dr. Georgia Guldan received both her Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Nutrition from Tufts University in the United States. With her specialization in nutrition, she has enjoyed teaching in a new program at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where she helped in building the new Food and Nutritional Sciences Program. Bangladesh's rural families taught her a great deal during her doctoral research in nutrition, and she saw a career move with AUW as a chance to educate Asia's future women leaders as a way to give something back to Bangladesh and its people. She has travelled and taught extensively throughout Asia and firmly believes education is an important key to human and national development. Dr. Guldan is thrilled to teach at AUW in the formative years for both the university and its women.
B.Sc., Zoology, University of Wisconsin (1971)
M.Sc., Nutrition, Tufts University (1985)
Ph.D., Nutrition, Tufts University (1988)
Nutrition
Consultancy with World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF
Hong Kong Nutrition Association Representative to the Hong Kong Global Alliance Regional Council for the Prevention of Obesity and Related Chronic Disease (2007)
Advisory Panel on Daily Values, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (2004 – Present)
World Cancer Research Fund – Hong Kong Senior Advisor and Board Member (2001 – present)
Guldan G.S. “Paradoxes of Plenty: Infant and Child Feeding Transition in China.” Chapter 1 (pp. 27-47) in: Jing J, ed. “Feeding China’s Little Emperors: Food, Children, and Social Change.” Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2000.
Woo, J., Guldan G.S., Shing, S., Lau S.F., and H.M.Y. Wong. “A Healthy Eating Guide for Older Adults.” The Chinese University Press, 1999 (Chinese).
Guldan G.S. “Give your Child the Best Beginning: A Nutrition Book Written for Chinese Parents by an American Expert.” Chengdu, Sichuan: Chengdu Science and Technology Press, PRC, 1993 (Chinese).
Dr. Faheem Hussain completed his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in the Department of Engineering & Public Policy, with a focus on technology and development in the South Asian region. In addition to specializing in Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICTD), Telecommunication Policy and Management, Science and Technology Policy, and Community Media, he currently serves as a faculty member for Carnegie Mellon's Qatar Campus. His present work interests include: comparative effectiveness analysis of different Information Service options in rural South Asia; Applications of sustainable education technologies and community media; Feasibility and impact analyses of ICT enabled services on migrant labor communities; and Emerging telecommunication industry and regulations.
Dr. Hussain is excited about joining the AUW. He believes that being a part of AUW (through teaching and applied research) will give him a hands-on opportunity to be proactively involved in the socio-economic development process of this region.
B.Sc., Computer Science, Dhaka University (2003)
M.Sc., Telecommunication Management, Oklahoma State University (2005)
M.Sc., Engineering & Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University (2006)
Ph.D., Engineering & Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University (2008)
Information and Communication Technology for Development, Telecommunication Policy and Management, Science and Technology Policy, and Community Media
ICTD Research, Bangladesh NGOs Network Radio and Communications (BNNRC)
Institute for Educational Development Research, BRAC University, Bangladesh
Hussain, F. and R. Tongia. “Sustainable Community Radio Network in South Asia: A Techno-Economic Analysis.” The Journal of Community Informatics.
Hussain, F.“An Overview of the Telecommunications Regulatory Environment in Bangladesh,” Journal of Computer Science, Dhaka University. Annual Issue, 2005.
Department of Information Systems Faculty, Carnegie Mellon University, Qatar Campus (2008-2009)
Dr. Agnes Khoo obtained her Ph.D. degree in Sociology at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom and her M.A. in Development Studies at the Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands. She received her B.A. degree in Sociology and Social work from the National University of Singapore where she also studied Translation. Dr. Khoo, a native of Singapore, specializes in Asian Studies, Gender Studies, Development Studies, Sociology, Oral History, Social Movements, and NGO work. She taught at the University of Manchester and the Manchester Metropolitan University before joining AUW. She has published an oral history book on women’s struggles against colonialism in Southeast Asia, which has been translated into several languages. She has also written and translated a number of articles, reports and books, and is currently translating a book about the lives of migrant workers in Taiwan from Chinese into English.
Dr. Khoo loves reading, creative writing, swimming, dancing, acting, and watching movies. She looks forward to sharing life with the AUW staff and students and is excited about the potential for mutual and collective learning in such a stimulating and liberating environment.
B.A., Sociology and Social Work, National University of Singapore (1987)
M.A., Development Studies, Institute of Social Studies, the Hague (1991)
Ph.D., Sociology, University of Manchester (2003), Dissertation: “The Role and Participation of Women and Women’s Movement in South Korea and Taiwan from the 1980s to the Present”
Asian Studies, Gender Studies, Development Studies, Sociology, Oral History, Social Movements, NGO Work
The Lipman-Miliband Trust [U.K.] (2009) - Translation Grant
Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust [U.K.] (2008) – Publication Grant
Economic History Society, [U.K.] (2004) - Research Grant
Royal History Society [UK] (2004) - Research Grant
Mama Cash, Zusters van de Voorzienigheid & the SEPHIS Foundation [The Netherlands] (2001 - 2003) – Research and Publication Grant
Stiftung Umverteilen [Germany] (2002) – Research and Publication Grant
Shaler Adams Foundation [USA] (2001) – Research and Publication Grant
DAAD, (Ministry for Development Co-operation) [Germany] (2000) Scholarship for International University for Women (IFU)
World Council of Churches [Geneva, Switzerland] (1989) Scholarship for M.A. Studies
Singapore Buddhist Association [Singapore] (1984) Scholarship for B.A. Studies
Raffles Girls’ Secondary School Merit Award [Singapore] (1981)
Khoo, A. “Life as the River Flows – Women in the Malayan Anti-Colonial Struggle.” London: Merlin Press, 2007.
Khoo, A. “Trafficking and Human Rights: Some Observations and Questions.” Forum News, Vol. 12, No. 3, December 1999.
Dr. Jalene LaMontagne received Ph.D. degree in Environmental Biology & Ecology from the University of Alberta. She obtained her M.Sc. in Conservation Ecology and B.Sc. in Ecology from the University of Calgary. As a Population Ecologist and Quantitative Biologist, her research interests include behavior, habitat selection and change, population dynamics in both aquatic and terrestrial systems. She has instructed several biology courses and mentored undergraduate and graduate students. She has received a number of distinguished awards, including an Alberta Ingenuity Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Government of Alberta, and an Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship from the University of Alberta.
Dr. LaMontagne has travelled extensively in her native Canada and internationally. She is thrilled to work at AUW and looks forward to being part of the AUW community and the experiences that living in Bangladesh will bring.
B.Sc., Ecology, University of Calgary (1998)
M.Sc., Conservation Ecology, University of Calgary (2000)
Ph.D., Environmental Sciences & Ecology, University of Alberta (2007)
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Calgary (2007 – 2008)
Population Ecology and Quantitative Biology
Alberta Ingenuity Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Alberta Ingenuity Fund, Government of Alberta (2007-2009)
Izaak Walkton Killam Memorial Scholarship, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Alberta (2004-2006)
Postgraduate Scholarship PGS-B, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, University of Alberta (2002-2004)
LaMontagne, J.M. and S. Boutin. 2007. “Local-scale Synchrony and Variability in Mast Seed Production Patterns of Picea glauca.” Journal of Ecology 95: 991 – 1000. 2007.
LaMontagne, J.M., R.L. Irvine, and E.E. Crone. “Spatial Patterns of Population Regulation and Population Viability in Sage Grouce (Centrocerus spp.)” Journal of Animal Ecology 71: 672 – 682. (2002)
Katrina Lewis completed a Bachelor of Interior Architecture and a Master’s of Regional and Community Planning from Kansas State University in the United States. She joined Kansas State University’s Department of Interior Architecture and Product Design and has been teaching engaging and challenging courses to students in a variety of levels. She has served as an educator to a number of institutions around the world, including a school in Jordan, the Czech Technical University in the Czech Republic, Chongqing Jianzhu University in China, and Kabul University in Afghanistan.
Ms. Lewis is interested in housing related issues, travel and study abroad, learning methods and processes, and teaching Beginning Design. AUW’s goals mirror her teaching philosophy: to connect classroom learning with real-world experience. She is energized by AUW’s mission and looks forward to working with women and faculty from around the world in an environment focused on teaching, learning, and leadership.
Bachelor of Interior Architecture, Kansas State University (1998)
Master of Regional and Community Planning, Kansas State University (2001)
Architecture
Faculty Consultant in the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering in Kabul University, Afghanistan (2007 and 2008)
Third Year Architecture Studies, School of Architecture and City Planning, Chongqing Jianzhu University (1998-1999)
Mentor for student individual and team awards: HTI Student Design Competition, Interior Architecture Studio and Portland Courtyard Housing Design
Lewis, K. and M. Klein. Blind reviewed paper entitled “An Inter-Disciplinary Curriculum for Beginning Landscape Architecture Students” to the First International Landscape Studies Education Symposium in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, October 2005.
Dr. Sangita Rayamajhi was the first woman in her home country of Nepal to receive a PhD in English Literature. She has been teaching literature for the past 21 years and her concentration lies in Women's Studies (Issues in South Asia) and Literature – she comes to AUW after having served as faculty at Tribhuvan University. She is highly respected for her work on Women's Studies throughout South Asia and has published in a wide array of fields ranging from gender, to politics, to the use of language in the media. Dr. Rayamajhi has produced three monographs, one authored play, and on co-authored book. She has presented her research at over 15 conferences and workshops in the past 10 years, including institutions such as Harvard University, the Fulbright Commission, and the United Nations Development Fund for Women in Kathmandu. Dr. Rayamajhi recently taught courses on Women's Studies and Cross Cultural Studies as a Scholar Rescue Fund fellowship recipient at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa in the United States. She sees teaching at AUW as an exciting opportunity to interact directly with young South Asian women.
B.A., British and American Literature, Tribhuvan University (1981)
M.A., British and American Literature, Tribhuvan University (1986)
Ph.D., Literature: "Utopia: A Poetics of Disillusionment," Tribhuvan University (1996)
Post Doc. "Cultural Memories as Reflected in Dramaturgy: Nepali and American Women's Experiences" Pomona College of the Claremont Colleges, LA. (Aug 2003-May 2004)
Gender/Women’s Studies and Literature
Scholar Rescue Fund Fellowship: Visiting Professor, University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, USA. (2008-2009)
Research Grant: “The Use of Language in the Nepali Press," DANIDA 1999.
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): Moraga, San Francisco. 1995.
Consultancies and Associations:
Vice President, Working Committee, Nepal Center of the International Theatre Institute (ITI) UNESCO
President, Fulbright Alumni Association of Nepal (FAAN 2006-2008)
Rayamajhi, S. All Mothers are Working Mothers. (A play) Across Publications: Kathmandu 2005
Rayamajhi, S. Can a Woman Rebel? (A collection of Essays) Across Publications: Kathmandu, 2003
Rayamajhi, S. Women in Politics: Semantics of Capacity Enhancement. Kathmandu: MGEP/UNDP, 2003.
