BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Paul H. O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs is pleased to announce the hiring of seven faculty members for the 2024–2025 academic year. The new hires bring diverse expertise and perspectives to the school's core areas of public affairs, environmental science, and policy analysis.
“We are delighted to welcome these outstanding scholars and teachers to our O’Neill community,” said Siân Mooney, dean of the O’Neill School. “They each have impressive records of research and practice in their respective fields, and they will enrich our curriculum and our collaborations with partners across campus and beyond.”
Meet the new faculty members
Tara Ali joins O’Neill Bloomington as a full-time lecturer after previously serving as a visiting lecturer. Ali is the undergraduate engagement lead for Law and Public Policy majors and is the lead instructor for V184: Law and Public Affairs. Prior to joining O’Neill, Ali worked in private practice and also as a judicial law clerk for judges both in Indiana and Iowa.
Rafael M. Almeida: Almeida joins O’Neill Bloomington as an assistant professor after spending the past three years in the same position at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He earned his master’s and Ph.D. in ecology from the Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora in Brazil. His research focuses on multiple sustainability dimensions of energy, water, and food systems, including greenhouse gas footprints, land-use change, water quality and quantity, hydrological alteration, and biodiversity impacts.
Andrea Astill joins the O’Neill Bloomington faculty as an assistant clinical professor. She boasts a long career as an educator for a variety of courses at IU’s Kelley School of Business, and she has taught classes on both IU’s Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses. She earned her master’s degree in business from IU and is pursuing her Ph.D.
Shuyi Deng: An expert in nonprofit management and policy, social equity and justice, and policy analysis, Deng joins O’Neill Bloomington as an assistant professor after earning her Ph.D. in public affairs from the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on the racial dynamics in the nonprofit sector and the distributional consequences of nonprofits and philanthropy along the lines of race.
Adriana Molina-Garzón: Molina-Garzón is new to O’Neill Indianapolis, joining the faculty as an assistant professor. She previously worked in the School of Public Administration at University of New Mexico—Albuquerque. Molina-Garzón’s research focuses on understanding conditions that hinder or promote sustainable development in rural areas, specifically as it relates to nongovernmental agents. She earned her Ph.D. in political science from the University of Colorado Boulder. Her work examines climate change and environmental issues as a core area that affects rural, vulnerable communities.
Sanghee Park: Park joins O’Neill Indianapolis as an associate professor. She comes to O’Neill from the School of Public Service at Boise State University. Park studies social diversity and representation within policymaking entities; different forms of service delivery, governance, and cross-sector collaborations; and how governments allocate and manage personnel, financial, and organizational resources in diverse situations and contexts. She received her Ph.D. in public policy and administration from Seoul National University.
Elizabeth Wager joins O’Neill Indianapolis as a lecturer for the new Community and Organizational Leadership Studies program. She previously served as the undergraduate program director and faculty advisor for organizational leadership at the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology. She earned her master’s degree in applied communication from Indiana University.