Faculty Network

The Center on Aging's impact extends far beyond our core team, thanks to an exceptional network of affiliated faculty who champion our mission across campus. These dedicated scholars from diverse disciplines volunteer their expertise, time and passion to advance aging research and education at K-State.

These faculty friends of the center embody the collaborative spirit that makes interdisciplinary aging research possible. Their service and commitment help us break down academic silos, foster innovative partnerships and ensure our work reflects the full spectrum of aging experiences and challenges. Meet the remarkable scholars who extend our reach and amplify our impact across the university community.

Faculty

This is a listing of faculty who engage with the Center on Aging in the classroom and across campus. You can search for faculty on our list by name, college/department or gerontology interest:

  • Carl Ade, College of Health and Human Sciences, Kinesiology
    Cardiovascular responses across disease interventions
  • Barbara Anderson, College of Architecture, Planning and Design, Interior Design
    Historic building preservation
  • Amir Bahadori, Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
    Radiation environments, Understanding human reaction to radiation exposure
  • Sally Bailey, College of Arts and Sciences, School of Music, Theatre, & Dance
    Drama therapy for staying young
  • Joyce Baptist, Health and Human Sciences, School of Human Sciences/CFT
    Trauma, depression, EDMR, Relational resilience therapy
  • Tom Barstow, Health and Human Sciences, School of Health Sciences/Kinesiology
    Muscle metabolism, Cardiopulmonary physiology, Exercise testing
  • Berni Howe Beard, Center for Child Development
  • Gina Besenyi, Health and Human Sciences, School of Health Sciences/Kinesiology
    Nature-based physical activity in healthcare
  • Mary Cain, College of Arts and Sciences, Psychology
    CNAP- glutamate transmission and hedonic value
  • Joshua Carr, Health and Human Sciences, School of Health Sciences/Kinesiology
    Neuromuscular adaptations and interventions across lifespan
  • Michelle Davenport, College of Arts and Sciences, School of Music, Theatre, & Dance
  • Mohsen Davoudkhani, College of Arts and Sciences, Psychology
    Cognitive aging
  • Judy Delp, College of Veterinary Medicine, Anatomy and Physiology
    Vascular aging
  • Shih-Kang "Scott" Fan, Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
    EMF electromicrofluidic platform that bridges gaps, Novel microfluidics on a single chip with EWOD and DEP
  • Jennifer Francois, Health and Human Sciences, School of Human Sciences/Applied Human Sciences
    Early language and intervention, personnel preparation
  • Jane Garcia, Health and Human Sciences, School of Health Sciences/Communication Sciences and Disorders
    Dysphasia, Diet modifications
  • Robert Garcia, Health and Human Sciences, School of Health Sciences/Communication Sciences and Disorders
    Hearing science, Clinical audiology, Aural rehabilitation
  • Amanda "Mandy" Gaulke, College of Arts and Sciences, Economics
    Economics of caregiving and health disparities in diabetes care
  • Erika Geisbrecht, College of Arts and Sciences, Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics
    Muscle and heart tissue molecular biology
  • Eric Giunta, Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
    Prolonged radiation effects on cognitive health
  • Xiaolong Guo, Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering
    AI and formal methods for hardware security detection
  • Sherry Haar, Health and Human Sciences, School of Consumer Sciences/Fashion Studies
    Ecological and sustainable design with focus on natural dyes
  • Stephanie Hall, College of Veterinary Medicine, Anatomy and Physiology
    Exercise in the treatment and prevention of disease (like Alzheimer’s disease), Exercise-induced neuroprotection
  • Mark Haub, Health and Human Sciences, School of Health Sciences/Food, Nutrition, Dietetics and Health
  • Kim Hiller, Health and Human Sciences, School of Consumer Sciences/Fashion Studies
    Sustainable apparel, textiles, and consumer behavior education
  • Kathleen Hoss-Cruz, Health and Human Sciences, School of Health Sciences/Food, Nutrition, Dietetics and Health
  • Shijiao Huang, College of Arts and Sciences, Biochemistry
    Mechanisms of aging, Developing clinically relevant drugs to delay aging and enhance human health and longevity
  • Justine Irving, Health and Human Sciences, School of Human Sciences
    Well-being in late life, Intergenerational settings
  • Jichul Jang, Health and Human Sciences, School of Consumer Sciences/Hospitality Management
    HR leadership, Innovation, Data analytics
  • Jung Sim Jun, College of Arts and Sciences, Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work
    Improving psychological, social, and physical health among older adults
  • Sim Jung, College of Arts and Sciences, Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work
    Health disparities and health literacy for minority older adults
  • Migette Kaup, College of Architecture, Planning and Design, Interior Design
    Environmental gerontology
  • Kimberly Kirkpatrick, College of Arts and Sciences, Psychology
    Role of timing processes in determining impulsive choices in rats
  • Elizabeth Kiss, Health and Human Sciences, School of Consumer Sciences/Personal Financial Planning
    Financial aspects in aging
  • Meena Kumari, College of Veterinary Medicine, Anatomy and Physiology
    Gene expression and alcohol use disorder, Exosomes and intercellular communication in brain, Cannabis use disorder
  • Cindy Logan, Libraries
    Locating of resources/literature, research
  • Emily Mailey, Health and Human Sciences, School of Health Sciences/Kinesiology
    Reducing sedentary time at work, Physicial activity to enhance quality of life
  • Melinda Markham, Health and Human Sciences, School of Human Sciences
    Post-divorce co-parenting, Communication, Mothering
  • Erin Martinez, Health and Human Sciences, School of Human Sciences
    Health and well-being
  • Megan McCoy, Health and Human Sciences, School of Consumer Sciences/Personal Financial Planning
    Financial therapy, Financial well-being, Financial communication
  • Lauren McDaniel, Health and Human Sciences, School of Health Sciences
    Exercise and chronic disease, Older adults
  • Hande Kucuk McGinty, Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, Computer Science
    AI-driven bioinformatics and knowledge representation
  • Trase McQueen, College of Arts and Sciences, Psychology
    Cognitive aging
  • Omotayo Onanuga, Health and Human Sciences, School of Health Sciences/Kinesiology
    Aging, Physical activity promotion
  • Paola Paez, Health and Human Sciences, School of Consumer Sciences/Hospitality Management
    Food safety training and employee motivation
  • Bethany Plakke, College of Arts and Sciences, Psychology
    Aging in neuro developmental disorders
  • David Poole, Health and Human Sciences, School of Health Sciences/Kinesiology
    Cardiovascular disease, Respiration, Microcirculation, Structure and function of the diaphragm
  • Davood Pourkargar, Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, Chemical Engineering
    AI-driven modeling and process optimization
  • Lior Shamir, Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, Computer Science
    Genetics, Alzheimer’s disease, other
  • Katie Thompson-Laswell, Health and Human Sciences, School of Human Sciences
    Early childhood and human development
  • Michelle Toews, Health and Human Sciences, School of Human Sciences
    Teen dating violence, Campus assault, Relationship education
  • Nick Wallace, Health and Human Sciences
  • Mark Weiss, College of Veterinary Medicine, Anatomy and Physiology
    Stem cell biotechnology, Cellular therapeutics for regenerative medicine
  • Bradford Wiles, Health and Human Sciences, School of Human Sciences
    Intergenerational interactions
  • Linda Yarrow, Health and Human Sciences, School of Health Sciences/Food, Nutrition, Dietetics and Health
    Nutrition, Public health nutrition
  • Eric Ninghao Zhu, Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering
    Tissue-engineered aging model