25 OSU Faculty are Promoted to Senior Faculty Research Assistant I/II
As Oregon's land grant university, Oregon State University is committed to educating, both on and off-campus, the citizens of Oregon, the nation, and the international community, and in expanding and applying knowledge. Candidates for promotion are evaluated objectively for evidence of distinction in their performance of assigned duties and in their scholarship or creative activity. The excellence of our faculty is paramount and we are very proud of the faculty recently promoted to the rank of Senior Faculty Research Assistant I/II.
Kaley Adams Senior Faculty Research Assistant I | Environmental and Molecular Toxicology
Kaley Adams is a Senior Faculty Research Assistant I who has been with the food safety and environmental stewardship (FSES) laboratory for the past five years. Kaley has been assisting with various projects and lab processes at the FSES lab that involve working with undergraduates, graduate students and other collaborators. Some of these projects include research and development for a phthalate method, to analyzing worn wristband and pet tag samples for various organic pollutants to monitor personal exposure. In Kaley’s spare time, she is either chasing or playing with her daughter.
Lawrence Steven Andrews Senior Faculty Research Assistant II | Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences
Steve Andrews graduated from the University of New Mexico with a BS in Biology in 1988. He began working at the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife in 1991. His work at OSU has focused on forest associated small mammals and avians in the Coast Ranges and Cascades of Oregon. He has participated in a long-term research study of Northern Spotted Owl demography across the species range. In this capacity he has been fortunate to work with and mentor new wildlife biologists at the start of their careers. Steve enjoys spending time with family, friends, colleagues and the outdoors.
Kei Lin Chang Senior Faculty Research Assistant I | Environmental and Molecular Toxicology
Kei Lin Chang earned a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from UC Irvine and an M.A. in Environmental Arts and Humanities from Oregon State University before becoming a Pesticide Specialist at the National Pesticide Information Center. She is currently pursuing an OSU Undergraduate Certificate in Urban Agriculture. In her free time, she’s either coaching the OSU Women’s Lacrosse Club Team, volunteering at the Corvallis-Benton Library, or cuddling with her cross-eyed Siamese cat, Papa Smurf.
Joseph DeShields Senior Faculty Research Assistant I | Horticulture
Joey DeShields is a Senior Faculty Research Assistant I at Oregon State University. He holds a B.S. in Biology and an M.S. in Plant Pathology from Oregon State and Washington State Universities, respectively. Joey's thesis work established novel molecular detection methods for potato pathogens. At SOREC, he contributes to research on grapevine red blotch virus, pear fire blight, and grapevine water relations. He manages laboratories in Horticulture and Botany & Plant Pathology, actively participating in all phases of research projects, from design and data collection to publication and presentation.
Jennifer Gervais Senior Faculty Research Assistant I | Environmental and Molecular Toxicology
Dr. Jennifer Gervais holds an MS in natural resources from Humboldt State University and a PhD in wildlife management with a minor in ecotoxicology from Oregon State University. She has over 30 years of research and conservation management experience as a wildlife ecologist and has worked as a science communicator at the National Pesticide Information Center for over 9 years.
Olivia Hakanson Senior Faculty Research Assistant I | Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences
Olivia Hakanson started working at the Fish Performance and Genetics Lab as an undergraduate student in 2008. In 2012 she was hired full time as a Faculty Research Assistant and at the end of 2019 her position description changed to include the title Hatchery Manager. At the FPGL Olivia has been responsible for rearing over 500,000 fish that have been used in various studies including dam passage and survival, reintroduction, thiamine deficiency, and gut microbiome to list a few. She has been responsible for multiple species including Spring Chinook salmon, Winter steelhead, bull trout, Pacific lamprey, Warner suckers, tilapia, white sturgeon, and koi.
Anita Holman Senior Faculty Research Assistant I | Environmental and Molecular Toxicology
Anita Holman holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Oregon State University. Ms. Holman’s current position is Senior Faculty Research Assistant I in the Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology. Her primary duty is to test for endophyte mycotoxins in feed that can cause health problems for livestock as a team member of the Endophyte Service Laboratory (ESL). Ms. Holman is also responsible for training undergraduate students to help support the ESL's quantitative testing. She is a proud member of OSU. It is important to her that what she does makes a difference in helping people and animals around the world.
Julia Honneffer Senior Faculty Research Assistant I | Environmental and Molecular Toxicology
Dr. Julia Honneffer grew up in Corvallis and left the west coast to earn her BA (Chemistry) from Macalester College, MS (Inorganic Chemistry) from University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, DVM (Clinician Scientist) from North Carolina State University, and her PhD (Biomedical Sciences) from Texas A&M University. She primarily assists with the workflow in the Endophyte Service Lab and oversees the Quality Assurance/Quality Control program in the laboratory, as well as helping with research projects in the Duringer Lab. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, road cycling, and outdoor activities year-round.
Hannah Lucas Senior Faculty Research Assistant II | Horticulture
Hannah Lucas was a free-range child, locally raised on a farm in the Willamette Valley. She went north to Washington for most of her schooling, including an MS in Biology. She has lived in a lot of places and studied several kinds of critters in many different ecosystems. Hannah’s love for bees developed relatively late in life, but once it did, she decided an ideal job would allow her to apply her molecular biology education and field biology experience to the issues faced by honey bees and beekeepers. Naturally, she is very happy to work in the OSU Honey Bee Lab.
Adam Peck-Richardson Senior Faculty Research Assistant I | Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences
Adam Peck-Richardson is a Senior Faculty Research Assistant I and is currently interested in coastal marine ecosystems; movement ecology; seabird-fisheries interactions; seabird population ecology and restoration; small boat operation, safety, and instruction. Adam’s current research is focused on cormorants, specifically on collecting high resolution tracking and biologging data. These data sets shed light on cormorant ecology and calibrate models of nearshore oceanographic processes.
Jamie Pennington Senior Faculty Research Assistant II | Environmental and Molecular Toxicology
Jamie Pennington joined the Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology in 2010. She currently works as a Senior Faculty Research Assistant II in Dr. Susan Tilton's laboratory where they develop and apply advanced cell culture techniques to investigate the mechanisms of inhalation toxicity and disease outcomes associated with environmental contaminants. Prior to coming to OSU, Jamie worked as a lead technician in a developmental neurology lab at McLaughlin Research Institute in Montana. She received her B.S. at Montana State University with majors in biology and chemistry.
Trevor Williams Senior Faculty Research Assistant I | Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Services
Trevor Williams is a Senior Faculty Research Assistant I in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Services. Trev began their path to a science career while botanizing through the ancient forests of the Hoh River Valley in the Olympic National Forest. What began as a Portland Community College biology class culminated five years later with a Master’s degree from Portland State University’s Center for Life in Extreme Environments, with a focus on plant stress and succession on Mt. St. Helens volcano. In professional positions at both Portland State and Oregon State, Trev has continued to learn and share what they know through their lifelong love of plant life and the ecosystems in relationship with them.
Kelly George Senior Faculty Research Assistant I | Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences
Kelly George is a Senior Faculty Research Assistant I contributing to research on phytoplankton biodiversity in the Northern California Current with Dr. Kavanaugh’s Seascape Ecology Laboratory, where they began as an undergraduate volunteer in 2019. After earning a B.S. in Ocean Science from OSU in 2020, they stepped into a Lab Manager role. Their work combines remote sensing, bio-optics, and experimentation, with a particular focus on phytoplankton taxonomy and pigment analysis. A key part of their research involves using the Imaging Flow Cytobot (IFCB) to gather data and conduct experiments, fueling their passion for plankton diversity and its ecological impacts.
Kathleen Kouba Senior Faculty Research Assistant I | Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences
Kathleen (Kate) Kouba is a Senior Faculty Research Assistant I in the College of Earth, Atmospheric, and Ocean Sciences. She began working with OSU in 2019 as a Marine Technician aboard the R/V Oceanus, supporting a wide range of oceanographic disciplines which she translated into her FRA position in the college under Dr. Boiteau. Currently, her position with PacWave allows her to apply her seagoing and research expertise to support the testing of wave energy instruments.
Steven Lambert Senior Faculty Research Assistant I | Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences
Steve Lambert is a Senior Faculty Research Assistant I with the Ocean Observatories Initiative’s Endurance Array team where he is the electronics and Heavy Lift Winch lead technician. There he works on OOI’s seven moorings off Oregon and Washington and assists the University of Washington team with their Regional Cabled Array maintenance cruises. Originally from Florida, Steve earned both his BS and MS from Florida State University. He enjoys exploring the great outdoors.
Matthew Sroufe Senior Faculty Research Assistant I | Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences
Matthew Sroufe is a Senior Faculty Research Assistant I and has been an Faculty Research Assistant with OSU since 2013. He started with CEOAS at the end of 2021 and was with the department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology for 9 years prior. He works with Dr. Mike Kosro maintaining the HFR (High Frequency Radar) sites on the Oregon and Washington coasts as part of the national network and is currently installing a new site near Kalaloch, WA. He also assists with maintaining a research mooring off Coos Bay. Matthew received his B.S. in Fisheries and wildlife Science from OSU in 2011. Prior to that he served in the US Navy from 1998 to 2002.
Brian VerWey Senior Faculty Research Assistant I | Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences
Brian VerWey is a Faculty Research Assistant in the Glider Research Group in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, maintaining and operating a small fleet of remotely operated underwater gliders used for research projects around the world. He is also responsible for building and maintaining oceanographic moorings as part of the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans. Brian has been at OSU since 2009, first completing a BS in Fisheries and Wildlife, then working as a technician and Faculty Research Assistant for 10 years, and finally receiving his MSc in Botany and Plant Pathology in 2024.
Jonathan Whitefield Senior Faculty Research Assistant I | Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences
Jonathan Whitefield joined the CEOAS faculty in 2016, working with the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) after receiving his MS degree from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. He spends most of his time working ensuring the fleet of autonomous underwater vehicles are ready for deployment. This brings a lot of sea time for deployments and recoveries, both on OSU and charter vessels. When not in the lab or at sea, he is at home on his hundred-year-old farm with ducks, chickens, geese, dogs, cats and bees.
Matthew Doggett Senior Faculty Research Assistant II | Chemical, Biological, and Enviromental Engineering
Matt Doggett joined the PRISM Climate Group at OSU in 2001 following eight years Active Duty service in the US Air Force which later continued part-time with the Oregon Air National Guard. His education in Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences with expertise in software development and data processing has been instrumental in the computational modeling of spatial climate for the US Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency and crop insurance program. He has a B.S. degree in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington and an M.S. degree in Meteorology and retired from military service in 2015.
Michael Halbleib Senior Faculty Research Assistant I | Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering
Michael Halbleib is a geospatial researcher with the PRISM Climate Group. He played a key role in a project funded by the ODA (Oregon Department of Agriculture) in designing and implementing an interactive mapping tool for specialty seed growers in Oregon, enabling them to visualize field locations and crop types to prevent cross-pollination. He contributed to a multi-year Department of Energy grant focused on suitability mapping and modeling for biofuels, producing spatial datasets that are part of the Billion-Ton Report. Currently, he works on data acquisition, processing, and the development of high-resolution spatial climate datasets.
Aaron Weiss Senior Faculty Research Assistant II | Nuclear Science and Engineering
Aaron Weiss has exceptional knowledge on system operations, instrumentation, software, electronics, signal processing, and program quality assurance. Aaron has an M.S. in Nuclear Engineering and has led the design and operations of numerous large-scale experimental test facilities including those for Battelle Energy Alliance, Department of Energy, TerraPower and Argonne National Laboratory.
Greg Cohn Senior Faculty Research Assistant I | Forest Ecosystems and Society
Greg Cohn is Senior Faculty Research Assistant I in the College of Forestry where he manages multiple networks of meteorological sensors at H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest. He has a background in fire ecology, earning a B.S. in Resource Conservation from University of Montana and working for the Forest Service’s Missoula Fire Lab for nine years developing fire models and wildland fuels assessments to assist managers in making informed decisions. At H.J. Andrews, Greg continues to use data evaluation to drive operational decision making, continuously assessing weather data to find and fix problems or bias. He focuses on creating efficient analyses to identify problems in real time and designing stable and efficient off-grid power systems.
Anson Antriasian Senior Faculty Research Assistant I | Cooperative Institute for Marine Ecosystem and Resources Studies
Anson Antriasian is a marine geochemist specializing in seafloor exploration and dissolved gas chemistry. He manages the Helium Isotope Laboratory at the Hatfield Marine Science Center and works with NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Lab (PMEL). Anson collects geochemical and geophysical data during oceanographic research cruises, and serves in both technical and leadership roles to advance understanding of how marine seeps and hydrothermal vents influence ocean systems. He has been an Faculty Research Assistant since 2021, and his background includes tectonic thermal modeling, crustal heat flow, oceanographic instrumentation, electronics, engineering, and music. Anson holds an M.S. in Geophysics from Oregon State University and a B.S. in Geology from the University of California, Berkeley.
Elizabeth Zepeda Senior Faculty Research Assistant I | Center for Quantitative Life Sciences
Elizabeth Zepeda received her BS in Animal Science, emphasis in Pre-vet med, and later obtained her MS in molecular biology at Humboldt State University. Her Master's thesis involved understanding the molecular mechanisms of a rare movement disorder, and utilized CRISPR technology and stem cell biology to better define these mechanisms. She is passionate about molecular biology, immunology, and neuroscience, as it pertains to understanding diseases at the molecular level, particularly within veterinary medicine. She enjoys working with customers at CQLS and have managed the Sanger sequencing and SSR genotyping for 4 years now. As a scientist, she loves learning about new technologies and working as a collaborative team. In her free time, she loves all things nature and animals, especially hiking in the beautiful PNW. She also takes pride in honoring her Mexican heritage by serving on the Board of a local non-profit that serves the Latino community.
Liping Yang Senior Faculty Research Assistant II | Chemistry
Dr. Liping Yang has been working for Oregon State University Mass Spectrometry Center continuously since 2014 after graduating from OSU with a PhD in Analytical Chemistry. Her job responsibilities include providing technical expertise and support for research projects, training students and researchers, overseeing the operation of mass spectrometers and auxiliary infrastructure. She has grown into a highly skilled and experienced researcher in applied mass spectrometry to solve important research questions in the biomedical and life sciences.