Faculty

Ronald R. Sundstrom is Professor of Philosophy at the University of San Francisco. He is also a member of USF’s African American Studies program, teaches for the university’s Honors College, and is the Humanities Advisor for the SF Urban Film Festival. His research focuses on the philosophy of race and the related areas of racism, xenophobia, and mixed-race identity; political philosophy and urban policy; and figures in African American political theory, especially Frederick Douglass. He...

David is an associate professor at the University of San Francisco. His research interests are natural language processing, machine learning, and databases — specifically on the personal and cultural/demographic information transmitted during speech and typing. This research may lead to more accurate speech recognition systems.

Prior to joining USF, David was a research assistant in the Speech Lab at Queens College and an instructor at Hunter College. He has previously worked for the City of...

Dr. J Garrett-Walker is an Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at the University of San Francisco. Dr. J Garrett-Walker is a developmental psychologist whose research focuses on mental health and multiple identity development for two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (2SLGBTQ+) emerging adults with a focus on Black and other racialized communities. Prof. Garrett-Walker teaches courses in research design, developmental psychology, and privilege, power, and...

Candice Harrison joined the department in Fall 2008 after completing her PhD at Emory University. Her teaching interests span the eras of colonial and nineteenth century U.S. history, and include the subjects of economic and labor history, African American history, American popular culture, and comparative race and slavery in the Atlantic World.

Recently, Dr. Harrison received a Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship to support her current book manuscript entitled "Democratizing the Market...

Emille D. Lawrence is a low-dimensional topologist. Her mathematical interests include braid groups, geometric group theory, and spatial graphs. She is also an advocate for broadening participation in the mathematical sciences through outreach and mentoring. She serves as the Senior Director of the Black Achievement, Success and Engagement Initiative at the University of San Francisco.

Dr. Zachary Reese is a social psychologist with expertise in close relationships. His research team, the Love and Communication Lab, examines how people build and maintain meaningful relationships with others.

Outside of the lab, Dr. Reese is passionate about advancing initiatives related to Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI). He is an organizer and principal investigator for USF's Moment to Movement: Anti-Racist Pedagogy Fellows Program, a program which won the USF...

Dr. Stephanie Sears has been a member of the USF faculty since 2002. She is a faculty member in the Department of Sociology and African American Studies and Critical Diversity Studies programs. Before her current role as Associate Dean of Social Sciences, Dr. Sears served as the College of Arts and Science faculty director of JEDI, the director of the African American Studies Program, Chair of Sociology, Chair of the Arts Council, Co-chair of College Council, Co-Director of the Marshall-Riley...

Professor James Lance Taylor is from Glen Cove, Long Island. He is author of the book Black Nationalism in the United States: From Malcolm X to Barack Obama, which earned 2012 "Outstanding Academic Title" - Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries. (Ranked top 2 percent of 25,000 books submitted and top 8 percent of 7,300 actually accepted for review by the American Library Association). Rated “Best of the Best.” The hardback version sold out in the U.S. and the paperback version was...