Faculty Approved for Tenure

Three Harvey Mudd College faculty members were approved for tenure, effective July 1, at the meeting of the board of trustees this week.

Vivien Hamilton

Vivien Hamilton, assistant professor of history of science has been approved for promotion to associate professor with continuous tenure. Hamilton previously worked as a lecturer at the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at the University of Toronto. Interested in understanding how individuals from different disciplinary cultures have collaborated on scientific and technical problems, Hamilton explores this question in her research, focusing recently on the collaboration of physicists and doctors in the first decades following the discovery of X-rays in 1895.

Hamilton joined the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts in 2011 and teaches a wide range of courses in the history of science, technology and medicine. She earned her history of science PhD at the University of Toronto in 2012.

Gordon Krauss

Fletcher Jones Professor of Engineering Design Gordon Krauss has been approved for continuous tenure. Prior to working at Harvey Mudd, Krauss served as a lecturer in the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. His industry experience includes serving as a staff scientist for Energizer, a technical specialist consultant for Ford Motor Company and as a research and development engineer for Tytronics Corporation. His research interests include the study of friction, wear and lubrication—in mechanical and biological systems—and design education.

Krauss joined the Department of Engineering in 2013. He earned his PhD in mechanical engineering from Boston University in 1999.

Ben Wiedermann

Ben Wiedermann, assistant professor of computer science, has been approved for promotion to associate professor with continuous tenure. Wiedermann researches the design and implementation of programming languages. He is particularly interested in programming languages for communities that might not use existing languages (e.g., people who are not neurotypical or physiotypical) or for communities who should not have to use existing languages (e.g., artists, scientists, engineers, etc., who may not be programmers but who could nevertheless benefit from writing programs).

Wiedermann holds a PhD in computer science from the University of Texas at Austin. He joined the HMC faculty as a visiting professor in 2011 and became a tenure-track professor in 2012.

Three assistant professors—Brian Bryce (engineering), Sal Plascencia (humanities, social sciences and the arts) and Matt Spencer (engineering)—were approved by the board for first reappointment, and Assistant Professor Sharon Gerbode (physics) was approved for second reappointment, all effective July 1.