Meet the newest NAS faculty

The Natural and Applied Sciences division is excited to introduce the newest faculty joining the sciences for the 2022-23 academic year.  They bring to Loyola a wealth of experience, inspirational energy, and passion for education.  Be sure to say hello and welcome when you see them on campus!

Hoang Bui, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Computer Science

 

Dr. Hoang Bui received the B.S and M.S in Computer Science in 2004 and 2007 from Midwestern State University. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science in 2012 from the University of Notre Dame. From 2012 to 2015, he worked as a post-doctoral researcher at Rutgers University. He spent the last seven years at Western Illinois University where he often taught programming and system courses as an Associate Professor. He is excited to join the Loyola Computer Science department this Fall as an Associate Professor. In addition to teaching, his research focuses on big data, storage, high-performance computing, and parallel and distributed systems.

Craig Myrum, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology

Dr. Craig Myrum comes to us from the NIH, where he was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) here in Baltimore. After earning a BA in Biology from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, he moved to Norway, where he obtained an MS in Medical Cell Biology and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, both from the University of Bergen.

Much of Dr. Myrum’s graduate work focused on Arc—a gene that is essential for long-term memory formation. That research took a multi-disciplinary approach to better understand Arc function—from examining Arc genetic variation and transcription/translation regulation to identifying novel protein-protein interactions and characterizing the basic structural properties of the Arc protein. Using animal models, his work at the NIA examined whether Arc might contribute to cognitive outcome in aging. More recently, Dr. Myrum has focused on how sleep duration and quality can influence cognitive capacity later in life, and this line of research will be a major focus of his here at Loyola.

At Loyola, Dr. Myrum will be teaching neurobiology, introductory biology courses, and other courses of interest. Outside of work, he enjoys long-distance running, the outdoors, traveling, and spending time with his wife and one-year-old son.

Anson Xuan, Assistant Teaching Professor of Mathematics and Statistics

Anson Xuan was born in China, came to this country and got a Master’s degree in math from Arizona State University. Since then, he’s mostly worked in Salt Lake City Utah where he also became a registered nurse (RN). His academic interests are in graph theory and stochastic point processes, and his hobbies are running, swimming, reading, and hiking.

 

 

Sudeshna Basu, Ph.D., Assistant Teaching Professor of Mathematics and Statistics

Dr. Sudeshna Basu grew up in Kolkata, India. She is a mathematician by training and her current research interests are in Geometry of Banach spaces and operator theory. She is trained in music and performs all over the world . Her hobbies include reading, listening to music, watching films, and travelling.   

 

Hillevi Ets, Ph.D., Assistant Teaching Professor of Biology

Dr. Hillevi Ets began teaching in 2016 after earning her Ph.D. in Pharmacology & Physiology from Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. Prior to joining the faculty at Loyola, she taught at Salisbury University, in Salisbury, MD, and Montgomery College, in Rockville, MD. She sees teaching as a dynamic, evolving challenge that requires persistent reevaluation—much like the process of science itself! Outside of work, Hillevi enjoys hiking, admiring different types of lichen, and practicing yoga.   

 

 

 

Hoyeon Kim, Ph.D., Assistant Teaching Professor of Engineering

Dr. Hoyeon Kim came from South Korea in 2011. Dr. Kim received his M.S and B.S. degree from the department of mechanical engineering, Korea University, Korea, in 2010 and 2008 and the Ph.D. degree from Drexel University, PA in 2016. From 2016 to 2018, he was a postdoctoral research fellow at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. He was a head of R&D in the robotic company, York Exponential Co. Before Dr. Kim joins Loyola University Maryland, he had been an adjunct faculty at Pennsylvania State University Harrisburg, and York College of Pennsylvania. His research interests are autonomous navigation, motion control, mobile robot, microrobotics and collaboration robotics.

Nicola (Nicky) McDougal, Ph.D., Assistant Teaching Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Below is how Dr. McDougal likes to introduce or re-introduce herself:
Hi everyone, I'm Nicky McDougal and I'm back at Loyola teaching chemistry for the third time. I just love it here! I first started teaching at Loyola back in 2011.

So a bit about me. I was born and raised in England and graduated with my PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Cambridge. At that time, I wanted to travel the world and do really exciting things, so I joined the UK government as a scientist/analyst. I have lived in several countries and continents, done really exciting things, and I met my American husband along the way.

In 2011, I left the government and settled in the US and started the next exciting adventure of my life, teaching undergraduate chemistry. I love chemistry, and I love teaching it! I taught at Loyola until 2014, and then we left to live in Wiesbaden, Germany for a couple of years. I came back in 2016 until 2021. I have spent the last year with my family in the UK but now I am back and raring to go.

I teach a variety of chemistry courses and if you are a student reading this, the chances are you will have me teach you at some point in the future. Outside of teaching chemistry I enjoy running, hiking, kayaking (a new found hobby), and spending time with my pets - Victor the dog (who you may meet, as he comes in occasionally), and Linus the cat.

I am really looking forward to meeting and working with you all!