Our Deans
Jennifer Malat, Ph.D.
Dean
Dean Jennifer Malat came to the College of Arts & Sciences in August of 2023. Prior to this, she was associate vice president of development at Virginia Commonwealth University, dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences at VCU, and the inaugural associate dean and divisional dean for the social sciences in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Cincinnati.
Malat received her undergraduate degree in Sociology from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. From there, she received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Michigan and spent the first 20 years of her career at the University of Cincinnati. .
Malat’s academic research on racial inequity in health has received federal funding and has appeared in top journals. She has dedicated her leadership career to equity issues as well, including by increasing the diversity of faculty and college leadership, ensuring fostering interdisciplinary approaches to inclusive education, and promoting community engagement. This work is integral to her leadership of the largest academic unit at UNM, where she leads 24 departments and schools, 26 research and academic programs, and nearly 1,000 faculty and staff at the College.
Our Associate Deans
Peter Fawcett
Associate Dean for Natural Sciences & Mathematics
Originally from Hamilton, Ontario, Professor Peter Fawcett earned an undergraduate degree in geology at McMaster University before attending graduate school at Penn State University. Following a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto, he joined the UNM faculty in 1997. He has served as chair of the department of Earth & Planetary Sciences for the last eight years. Classically trained as a geologist, but with a strong emphasis on an interdisciplinary approach in teaching and research, Dr. Fawcett has worked with a diverse group of earth scientists, biologists, chemists, physicists to study past climate change and its impact on the environment. He has served as principal investigator on three large, continental scientific drilling projects recovering climatic and environmental records from lake sediments from the Valles Caldera in New Mexico, Stoneman Lake, in Arizona, and a large international research group drilling the ancient lake sediments than now underlie Mexico City (Lake Chalco).
Keith Hunley
Associate Dean for Social Sciences & Interdisciplinary Units
Professor Keith Hunley joined the UNM Anthropology Department in 2004. Prior to joining UNM, he earned a Ph.D. in anthropology and held a postdoctoral fellowship in human genetics at the University of Michigan. His research in evolutionary anthropology examines the persistence of genetic and linguistic structure within our species, despite the fluid nature of population boundaries and the ephemeral nature of individual groups. Dr. Hunley's publications have provided insights into the initial dispersal of humans from Africa, the non-existence of biological races, the co-evolution of genes and languages, and the psychosocial and cultural determinants of interest in and uptake of genetic testing for skin cancer. He has served as chair of the Anthropology Department for the last five years.
Sushilla Knottenbelt
Interim Associate Dean for Student Success
Dr. Sushilla Knottenbelt, Principal Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, joined the University of New Mexico in 2004 as a postdoctoral fellow in Bioinorganic Chemistry after earning her Ph.D. in Computational Chemistry from the University of York in the United Kingdom. Driven by a passion for teaching, she transitioned to a lecturer role and contributed to a STEM course redesign initiative focused on using evidence-based teaching methods to improve student outcomes in large General Chemistry courses. Dr. Knottenbelt has supported faculty across UNM in utilizing learning studio classrooms, peer-learning facilitators, and most recently, as Faculty lead for the UNM Student Experience Project, in implementing strategies validated by social psychology to support student belonging. She co-leads a multi-institution community of practice focused on these social psychological interventions within an HHMI Inclusive Excellence 3 learning community. Before joining the Dean’s Office, she served as the A&S Director of UNM’s Combined BA/MD Degree Program for six years.
Sharon Nepstad
Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Studies
Associate Dean Nepstad has been a member of the UNM Department of Sociology and Criminology since 2009. Prior to joining the UNM faculty, she earned a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Colorado-Boulder and held a post-doctoral fellowship at Princeton University’s Center for the Study of Religion. She previously held faculty positions at Regis University, Duquesne University, and the University of Southern Maine and was a Visiting Fellow at Notre Dame University’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. Nepstad’s expertise is in the areas of social movements and contentious politics, peace and conflict studies, and the sociology of religion. Her research has focused on the role of religion in mobilizing movements that aim to obstruct war, protect human rights, and promote democratization. She has also written extensively about nonviolent resistance in revolutionary struggles against authoritarianism. In 2021, she received the Distinguished Career Award from the American Sociological Association’s section on Peace, War, and Social Conflict. Nepstad has served in various capacities within UNM’s College of Arts and Sciences. From 2009-2012, she was the Director of Religious Studies. She served as the Chair of Sociology and Criminology from 2012-2014 and again from 2016-2021.
Anna Nogar
Associate Dean for Humanities & Interdisciplinary Units
Professor Anna Nogar joined UNM as a faculty member in 2007 after completing her Ph.D. in Hispanic Literature at the University of Texas-Austin. An undergraduate alumna of UNM ('00) with degrees in biochemistry, Spanish and Honors, she currently holds the position of professor of Hispanic Southwest Studies in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and is affiliated with the Southwest Hispanic Research Institute, the Latin American and Iberian Institute, and Chicana/o Studies. Dr. Nogar has served extensively on college and university committees. She has expertise in Mexican American cultural and literary studies, nuevomexicano writing and culture, and community oral history. Dr. Nogar’s recent scholarly focus includes exploring the literary legacy of early 20th-century bilingual New Mexican author Felipe M. Chacón and contributing to literary recovery efforts through the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Project. Her publications have garnered prestigious awards, including the 2020 International Latino Book Award in the History and Religious Book categories and a Mellon-funded U.S. Latino Digital Humanities Fellowship. She actively engages in community-centered projects, including co-directing an oral history initiative, and contributes to various academic and advisory roles, reflecting her commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and societal impact. Dr. Nogar is publishing a trio of histories of Mexican literature with Cambridge University Press.
