32 New Faculty Join NYU Shanghai in 2021-2022

As 500 first-year students embarked on their college journeys on August 30, NYU Shanghai this fall welcomed an additional 32 full-time faculty from 11 countries. Spanning 19 academic fields – from Philosophy to Environmental Studies, the new faculty members are poised to add both breadth and depth to the university’s research and course offerings.

“Last year's faculty recruitment was very successful despite having to be conducted almost entirely online,” said Provost Joanna Waley-Cohen. “Our new faculty members' scholarship meets the highest standards, while the range of disciplines and backgrounds they represent will open up new vistas for our students. We are delighted to welcome them into our growing NYU Shanghai academic community.” 

Since 2013, NYU Shanghai’s full-time faculty ranks have more than doubled from 118 members to 264 this year, representing 29 nationalities and 48 academic fields.

Tyler Haupert, newly-appointed as Assistant Professor Faculty Fellow of Urban Studies, arrives in Shanghai with plans to build upon his efforts to use data science to better understand and address issues such as racial disparities, segregation, and exclusion in urban areas. 

“I'm honored to have the opportunity to work with such talented students and colleagues,” said Haupert, who has also worked as a Policy Research Fellow at NYU New York. “I am also looking forward to being a part of a campus with a truly global outlook and a spirit of collaboration and exploration. I hope to leverage new, Shanghai-based data to expand the reach of my research, and to make teaching and research connections across Shanghai.”

Incoming Associate Professor of Economics Emiliano Catonini will arrive in Shanghai in January from Moscow, where he taught at the Higher School of Economics for eight years. Catonini, a native of Italy, will teach Advanced Game Theory and Advanced Economic Theory at NYU Shanghai this Spring. 

“I think game theory provides very general insights about human interactions that people can relate to, even while going about their everyday life. Getting students interested and enthusiastic about game theory is one of the things I would like to achieve at NYU Shanghai. I would also like to contribute more broadly to the development of the university and of my department,” Catonini said.

Canadian-Iranian neuroscientist Amirsaman Sajad will also join the university as an Assistant Professor Faculty Fellow of Neural Science in January 2022. Sajad’s research focuses on how the brain controls human behavior and thought. His research can help deepen our understanding of neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, and also has applications in robotics. 

“I am truly excited to establish my laboratory in China where neuroscience research is growing at a rapid rate,” Sajad said. “I am passionate about bridging the gap between psychology and neuroscience and applying scientific knowledge to real-world applications in mental health and industry. … By applying methods in experiential and inductive teaching, I hope to make learning experience refreshing for my students.”

For Assistant Professor of Computer Science Xue Jie, a native of Changzhou city, Jiangsu province, who earned his PhD from ​​University of Minnesota, the new post at NYU Shanghai will be his first faculty position. “I wanted to join the university because of its excellent academic environment and also because it's a Sino-US university. This perfectly matches my educational background. I hope at NYU Shanghai I will go further in my research, find more collaborators, teach and advise students in my area,” he said.

See the full list of the new faculty members below: