More than 75 new faculty members from across disciplines are joining UTSA to begin the new academic year.
The incoming group includes tenured, tenure-track and full-time fixed-term-track faculty and come to UTSA from leading institutions around the United States and the world.
Within this new cohort, 94% of the 48 tenured and tenure-track (T/TT) faculty received their highest level of academic degree, or terminal degree, from Carnegie R1 institutions, an 11% increase from last year’s faculty cohort.
In addition, 63% of these T/TT faculty received their terminal degree from member institutions of the Association of American Universities — a premier organization composed of the nation’s leading research universities — including Princeton University, New York University, The Ohio State University, Stanford University and the California Institute of Technology.
“For me, joining UTSA was really driven by the exciting growth happening here — especially with its cluster hiring initiative.” — Jie Zheng
“We are pleased to welcome this distinguished cohort of new faculty and academic leaders to UTSA,” said Heather Shipley, UTSA provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “Their scholarly expertise, academic distinction and commitment to student success will enrich our learning community and support our continued momentum as a Carnegie R1 university.”
Through strategic initiatives like the Clustered & Connected Hiring Program (CCP), she added, the university is building interdisciplinary strength, advancing research excellence and positioning the university for long-term impact.
Excellence program
Six of the incoming T/TT faculty members were hired through CCP and funded in part by The University of Texas System Board of Regents’ Research Excellence Program . The program was created to help UTSA and other Emerging Research Universities within the UT System recruit leading scholars to drive research innovation, grow their national prominence and increase federal funding opportunities.
The faculty were hired in clusters to promote multidisciplinary research in various disciplines . They include:
- Kunal Kate, associate professor of mechanical, aerospace and industrial engineering, and Jie Zheng, professor of biomedical engineering and chemical engineering, will join the cluster focused on transdisciplinary materials for research.
- José Martínez Hinestroza, associate professor of bicultural-bilingual studies and mathematics, will join the cluster focused on STEM education.
- Russell Lang, professor of educational psychology, will join the brain health cluster.
- William Severa, associate professor of computer science and electrical and computer engineering, will join MATRIX: The AI Consortium for Human Well-Being .
“For me, joining UTSA was really driven by the exciting growth happening here — especially with its cluster hiring initiative,” Zheng said. “Also, the chance to build something new and collaborate closely with faculty from different disciplines was really attractive. It just felt like a unique moment and the right place to take my research to the next level.”
Retaining postdoctoral fellows
UTSA also retained several of its postdoctoral fellows, hired to join the T/TT faculty ranks this fall. After receiving individualized mentorship and hands-on preparation for faculty roles during their time as postdocs, five fellows chose to continue their careers at UTSA as assistant professors. They include Natalie Bradford, Priscilla Martinez, Natalie Rangel, Jessica Rivera and Lida Sarafrazarpataphe.
“I am excited to be back at UTSA because it’s a place that is truly invested in promoting the success of students,” said Rivera, a San Antonio native who will join the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.
In addition to the newest faculty hires, UTSA also welcomed Michelangelo Sabatino, who will serve as director of the UTSA School of Architecture + Planning (SA+P) within the Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Sabatino is an architect, historian, preservationist and award-winning researcher. He joins UTSA from the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he was a professor of architecture and director of the school’s doctoral architecture program. He will also hold the UTSA Roland K. Blumberg Endowed Professorship in Architecture.
Prior to the start of the fall semester, the cohort participated in the New Faculty Academy: Bold Beginnings at Roadrunner Nation program, an intensive development opportunity designed to welcome and onboard new faculty to the university.
They will join nearly 1,500 faculty members who teach and conduct research across UTSA’s academic colleges.
