Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry Committee
The Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry Committee comprises faculty members from every college. The committee is supported by the Office of the Provost.
The URCI Committee works collaboratively to identify resources, programs and strategies to support and strengthen a culture that advances scholarly inquiry at Towson University. The 2026-2027 committee members who may serve as points of contact for students and faculty in their respective colleges, are listed below.
Committee Chairs:
Miranda Phair – Publishing & Open Scholarship Librarian, Library; URCI Committee Chair
Erin Lehman, Ph.D. – Lecturer, Department of Art + Design, Art History, Art Education, College of Fine Arts & Communication; Director for Holtzman & Center for the Arts Galleries; URCI Committee Vice Chair
Committee Members:
Tosin Adebayo, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Studies, College of Fine Arts & Communication; Coordinator of Community Studies Undergraduate Research
Maria Brown, MD, EdM – Assistant Professor, Honors College; ex officio
Gilbert (Zhe) Chen, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Department of History and Director of Asian Studies, College of Liberal Arts
Chris Chulos, Ph.D. – Dean, College of Liberal Arts; ex officio
Mary Sajini Devadas, Ph.D. – Professor, Department of Chemistry & Forensic Science, Fisher College of Science & Mathematics; Director of Competitive Fellowships and Awards; ex officio
Joseph Dietrich, Ph.D – Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, College of Liberal Arts
Seth Gitter, Ph.D. – Professor, Department of Economics, College of Business & Economics; Assistant Director of Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry; ex officio
Laura Gough, Ph.D. – Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Fisher College of Science & Mathematics; Director of Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry; ex officio
Melissa Groves, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Department of Economics, College of Business & Economics
Greg Knollman, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Department of Special Education, College of Education
Nicolas Knuth, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology, College of Health Professions
Ji Won Lee, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing, College of Health Professions
Bethany Rice, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Department of Elementary Education, College of Education
Neda Saeedloei, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Department of Computer & Information Sciences, Fisher College of Science & Mathematics
Yingying Shao, Ph.D. – Professor, Department of Finance, College of Business & Economics
Jeffrey Simpson, Ph.D. – Professor, Department of Physics, Astronomy, & Geosciences, Fisher College of Science & Mathematics
Jasmine Thomas – Research & Instruction Librarian, Library