Faculty
Faculty
Outstanding educators and researchers joining our team
The School of Environmental Sustainability's faculty continues to grow. Meet the new faculty members who joined SES during the 2022–2023 academic year and in the fall of 2023.
Fall 2022
Marlene Brito-Millán, PhD
Marlene Brito-Millán joined SES in the fall of 2022 as an assistant professor of ecology. She earned her PhD in oceanography/marine ecology at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. Before coming to Loyola, she completed a Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship jointly at Northwestern University and the Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero. Her research efforts are primarily based in Mexico, where she is advancing solidarity science projects alongside Indigenous Campesinos of the mountain region of Guerrero. Brito-Millán finds passion in teaching subjects such as critical ecology, environmental justice, and indigenous ecologies
Sarah Ku, PhD
Sarah Ku is an assistant professor of sustainable business management with a joint appointment in SES and Quinlan School of Business. Her research examines sustainability and equity in business, and she is interested in organizational food waste, circular strategies through biomimicry, and incorporating insects as innovative opportunities for sustainable companies. Before moving to Chicago, Ku completed her PhD in international business and marketing at Georgia State University. She is committed to serving as a conduit between sustainability and business and fostering a positive classroom environment through teaching by example.
Jose Martin Montoya Dura, FSC, PhD
Lecturer Jose Martin Montoya Dura earned a PhD in educational theory and community development from the University of Valencia in 2010 and an MBA in sustainability, strategic vision, and communication from Lewis University in 2018. He values and demonstrates a service-learning approach to education, helping students develop skills through active participation in sustainability, social justice, and community-building efforts. Montoya teaches Environmental Sustainability and the Scientific Basis of the Environment and serves as the faculty coordinator for the Abrams Sustainable Business Challenge.
Fall 2023
Christine Hippert, PhD
Christine Hippert joined Loyola in the summer of 2023 as the School of Environmental Sustainability's new associate dean of faculty. Hippert is a cultural anthropologist holding a PhD in anthropology and an MPH in behavioral and community health sciences. With expertise in the anthropology of food, medical anthropology, and issues of gender, race, ethnicity, citizenship, and human rights, she brings a wealth of knowledge to her role. Hippert is passionate about fostering global perspectives and promoting cultural understanding among students and has taught various anthropology courses and led study abroad programs in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Gordon Getzinger, PhD
Gordon Getzinger is an environmental chemist who graduated from Loyola in 2010 with a BA in chemistry and a BS in environmental science. He earned his PhD from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University in 2016 and returned to Loyola this fall as an assistant professor of environmental chemistry. Gretzinger brings valuable insights to his new position from his diverse background in research, consulting, and academia, including roles at Biobot Analytics and Exponent. His current research projects utilize cutting-edge analytical chemistry tools to understand sources, fates, and impacts of organic pollutants in aquatic environments. He will teach lab and classroom sections of Chemistry of the Environment.
Debjani Ghatak, PhD
Dr. Debjani Ghatak, an accomplished climate scientist with a PhD in earth and environmental sciences, joined SES as a lecturer in the fall of 2023. Ghatak brings a wealth of knowledge to her new role with her interdisciplinary background and expertise in Arctic climate, land-surface snow-atmosphere interaction, hydro-climatic issues in South Asia, and environment-human interaction. Driven by a passion for teaching and mentoring, she aims to create a respectful and open environment for students while fostering a deeper understanding of Earth-system science and climate change.
Mark J. Mackey, SJ, MS
BS in environmental science, BA in chemistry
Mark J. Mackey is a Jesuit brother and an ecologist. He previously taught in SES in a temporary position and became a full member of the faculty in the fall of 2023, taking a position as a lecturer. In college, Mackey followed his passion for nature and animals by majoring in zoology and environmental science. He studied the impacts of pesticides on frog metamorphosis. He continued to pursue these interests in graduate school, investigating how golf courses affect headwater stream ecosystems in the southern Appalachian Mountains. As a Jesuit, Mackey is interested in how learning about natural history can enhance one's relationship with the natural world.