Members of the Class of 2016 boast a high percentage of international hometowns - as does the collection of new Notre Dame faculty members arriving this fall.
The School of Architecture will welcome visiting professor Julio Cesar Perez Hernandez. A practicing Cuban architect, as well as the first and only Cuban Harvard University Loeb Fellow, Perez will teach a fifth-year studio section on the city of Havana, according to the School of Architecture's Dean's Office.
"He is the author of a master plan for 21st-century Havana," architecture professor Jorge Trelles said.
Hernandez's is the author of "Inside Havana" and "Inside Cuba," and is currently writing a book titled "The Magic Landscapes and Urban Design of Havana."
Anjan Chakravartty will join the University's faculty from the University of Toronto, where he was director of the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology.
"My interests intersect beautifully with the work of my colleagues in the philosophy department - with its celebrated strength in metaphysics - and with the broad expertise of my colleagues in the History and Philosophy of Science graduate program in the [John J.] Reilly Center," Chakravartty stated in a press release.
Chakravartty will assume the role of professor in the Department of Philosophy and the John J. Reilly Center this fall. He also recently became editor of the philosophy and science journal, Studies in History and Philosophy of Science.
The Mendoza College of Business is adding 15 new faculty members this fall, including finance professor Martijn Cremers, a native of the Netherlands.
Cremers taught at the Yale School of Management for 10 years. He has frequently been recognized for his academic accomplishments, with his most recent awards including Inquire Europe Research Grants in 2012 and 2010.
Interdisciplinary artist Carmen-Helena Tellez, a native of Venezuela, joins the Department of Music in the College of Arts and Letters.
"Carmen-Helena is a renowned specialist in 20th- and 21st-century choral orchestral sacred repertory, a major growth area for Notre Dame's new program in sacred music," Margot Fassler, co-director of the Master of Sacred Music program, stated in a press release.
Tellez also serves as artistic co-director of Aguava New Music Studio, a group of artists with which she has recorded and toured internationally.
In addition to the array of new international faculty members, a few familiar faces are returning to teach at Notre Dame.
Lee Gettler, a member of the Class of 2005, is a biological anthropologist who attracted the University's attention with his research on the connection between fatherhood and changes in testosterone.
"[His work] promises to enliven the fields of biological anthropology, human reproductive ecology, and fatherhood," Susan Blum, professor and chair of the Department of Anthropology, stated in an Arts and Letters press release.
Gettler will begin teaching this fall as an assistant research professor. He credited professors Meredith Chesson and Agustin Fuentes with influencing his decision to become an anthropology major, and Professor James McKenna for giving him his first job in a lab.
"Without that year I spent at Notre Dame working in Jim's lab and having many, many members of the department provide me encouragement, I likely would not be pursuing my Ph.D. at this time," Gettler stated in the press release.
Gettler stated he has embraced the "four-field" approach to anthropology he learned at Notre Dame.
"He is at the forefront of a new way of understanding the connection between human biology and behavior," Blum stated. "It is a special treat to have him, and we are honored by his decision to join our department."
Walter Clements, a South Bend native, will join the Mendoza College of Business's Department of Finance this fall. He will serve as a full professional specialist while maintaining his position as managing partner at Orion Consulting Group.
Clements began teaching two years ago at Indiana University, where the Executive MBA Class of 2012 honored him with the 2012 Leo Burke Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award.
The College of Science is adding 12 new faculty members to their ranks, some of who specialize in breast cancer research.
"We made three cancer [research] hires, which is a big deal for us," said Nicolle Hayley, executive administrator for the College of Science's Dean's Office.
Laurie Littlepage, Jenifer R. Prosperi and Siyuan Zhang will join the faculty as assistant professors in the college this fall.
"Littlepage, Prosperi and Zhang examine tumor progression, metastasis and chemoresistance during breast cancer progression," the College stated in a press release.
The release stated these new faculty members will advance breast cancer research at the Harper Cancer Research Institute with the Indiana University School of Medicine-South Bend.
In the College of Engineering, senior administrative assistant Judith Liudahl said the faculty has not made any significant hires, because the College welcomed so many new professors in 2011.
"We will be having some exciting additions in 2013," she said.
