Faculty and Staff

Suzanné Walther, PhD, joined USD faculty in 2015 after teaching at Utah Valley University for 4 years. She teaches courses in physical geography/natural disasters, geomorphology, human impacts on river systems and geospatial techniques such as geographic information systems (GIS). Her research focus is fluvial geomorphology (river science), using GIS, remote sensing, and other quantitative methods to study the role of natural disturbances and human land use in shaping river system dynamics.

Diana A. Chen, PhD, is one of the founding faculty members of Integrated Engineering at the University of San Diego. She earned her BS in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College, and MS and PhD in Civil Engineering from Clemson University. In collaboration with colleagues, Dr. Chen is designing a new engineering curriculum to educate changemakers who understand that engineering is an inherently socio-technical activity. Her passion is studying and encouraging culture change in engineering curricula and spaces to shift engineering to be a field more inclusive of diversity in all forms.

Marcus Lam, PhD, conducts research focused on identifying strategies for the sustainability of health and human service nonprofit organizations. Specifically, his program of research advances two interrelated domains: 1) the effect of organizational and environmental factors on nonprofit sustainable resources and 2) the influence of resources on organizational programs, services, and client outcomes.

Andrew Narwold, PhD, joined the faculty of the University of San Diego's Knauss School of Business in 1990. Narwold is a three-time Fulbright scholar. In Spring 2019, he served as a Fulbright Specialist with the Central Bank of Malta, helping develop a housing price index. He taught in the University of West Indies Program at Sir Arthur Lewis College in St. Lucia in 2002 and at the University of Malta in 2014.

Sophie Taddeo, PhD, holds a master's in Plant Sciences from McGill University and a PhD in Environmental Planning from the University of California - Berkeley. Her work combines field observations, remote sensing, and spatial analyses to inform the conservation of ecosystems in working landscapes. She is particularly interested in studying drivers of biodiversity and ecosystem functions in wetlands and urban ecosystems.

Zhi-Yong Yin, PhD, came to USD in 2003 after teaching at Georgia State University in Atlanta for 12 years. He offers classes in hydrology, climatology, geographic information systems (GIS), and remote sensing. His research focus is hydroclimatology, with special interests in recent and past climate variations and the impact on hydrological systems and water resources.