From academics to real-world impact, explore stories from our community that highlight the people and experiences making Occidental College a place of opportunity, discovery, and success.
Mira Hart Student Geology Mira Hart ’26 pursued her passion for climate research through international fieldwork in the Philippines—crawling through caves, collecting stalagmites, and uncovering ancient data that could help predict Earth’s future.
Samantha Acuña Faculty Politics Samantha Acuña is interested in constitutional law, immigration policy, judicial behavior, and gender-based violence.
Vikram Shende Faculty Chemistry Vikram Shende's research group studies the structure and function of molecules found in nature, and how we can engineer enzymes—proteins that catalyze chemical reactions—that biosynthesize these “natural products.”
Cristina Awadalla Faculty Latino/a & Latin American Studies Cristina Awadalla is an interdisciplinary sociologist whose teaching focuses on Central American politics, Latin American feminisms, women’s labor, and research methods.
Ben Ratskoff Faculty Critical Theory & Social Justice Ben Ratskoff specializes in histories and theories of antisemitism, race, and fascism; Holocaust and genocide studies; Black diasporic culture and thought; and critical theory and cultural studies.
S.K. Ritadhi Faculty Economics S.K. Ritadhi is an applied microeconomist whose research interests lie at the intersection of development and finance. His current research studies affirmative action for religious minorities in credit markets, and how globalization shocks affect ethnic politics.
Jingyi Li Faculty Asian Studies Jingyi Li's research centers on Japanese popular literature, print culture, and cultural identity in the 19th century,
Samuel Luterbacher Faculty Art & Art History Samuel Frédéric Luterbacher specializes in Early Modern (1500-1800) art, craft, and material culture in a global context and teaches courses on premodern art histories of the wider Mediterranean world.
Lydia Harmon Faculty Geology Lydia Harmon '13 is a geologist who studies volcanoes and magma systems. Her work focuses on the magmatic processes and tectonic influences that govern magma formation and eruption.
Shengyun Gu Faculty Cognitive Science Shengyun Gu is a linguist whose research aims to better understand language (including its structure, acquisition, and processing) through the lens of Shanghai Sign Language and American Sign Language (ASL).
Nicholas Grebe Faculty Psychology Nicholas Grebe's research interests span the fields of psychology, evolutionary biology, and anthropology. He studies how behavioral and hormonal mechanisms have evolved to support social diversity in humans and non-human primates.
Hector Camarillo Abad Faculty Computer Science Hector M. Camarillo Abad has a background in electrical engineering, computer science, and intelligent systems. His research involves designing, developing, and evaluating new interactions using wearable technology aimed at enhancing teaching and learning of physical activities, such as dance.
