February 2024

Iuliana Ismailescu, PhD is Professor of Finance in the Finance and Graduate Economics department (Lubin School of Business, NYC). Since joining Pace in 2008, she has been teaching finance courses in the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs, including four field studies in seven emerging markets. During the Fall 2022 semester she was the faculty coordinator of the Sixth Street’s Wall Street Acceleration Program designed to introduce selected Lubin sophomore and junior students to different areas of Wall Street and to finance professionals working in those areas.  

Professor Ismailescu’s recent scholarly activity has focused on the impact of major corporate events on credit risk. Her latest publications include Powerful CEOs and their legacy: Evidence from credit risk around CEO turnovers,” published in Quarterly Review of Economics And Finance (84, May 2022), which analyzes the relation between credit risk and forced CEO turnovers; “Cross-border M&As and Credit Risk: Evidence from the CDS Market,” published in Journal of Empirical Finance (66, March 2022), which explores the relationship between credit risk and cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As); and a follow-up M&A study, “Price Discovery in the CDS Market: Evidence from Corporate Acquisitions,” published in Quarterly Journal of Finance (13, December 2023).

In Fall 2023, Professor Ismailescu was a Fulbright U.S. Scholar at the Bucharest University of Economic Studies, where she worked on a research project on the relation between securities class actions and credit risk. She presented her findings at universities in Romania, Spain and France; delivered guest lectures; and advised doctoral students on their dissertations, among others.

Josh Galperin, JD (Elisabeth Haub School of Law) studies environmental protection, democracy, and governance. His article “A Restatement of Democracy” is forthcoming in the Villanova Law Review. It makes the case for a public understanding of democratic institutions that are not only accountable through elections, but also encompass opportunities for individual contestation, reason-giving, and deliberation. Professor Galperin also has a forthcoming article in the Arizona State Law Journal called “Governing Environmental Governance,” which argues that when private firms take the role of environmental governance leaders, they are insufficiently democratic. The article therefore provides strategies for firms to democratize their governance endeavors.



Much of his past work has had an important impact on the legal academy. He has been cited in top journals such as the Yale Law Journal, Michigan Law Review, Vanderbilt Law Review, Virginia Law Review, UCLA Law Review, and the Georgetown Law Journal. His articles The Life of Administrative Democracy (108 Georgetown Law Journal 1213, 2020) and The Death of Administrative Democracy (82 University of Pittsburg Law Review. 1) were at the forefront of a recent wave of scholarship seeking to identify and improve the democratic capacities of the federal administrative apparatus. He has also recently co-authored a chapter (with Douglas A. Kysar), titled “Uncommon Law: Judging in the Anthropocene,” in Climate Change Litigation in the Asia Pacific (Douglas A. Kysar and Jolene Lin, eds.) (Cambridge University Press, 2020).

 This January, Professor Galperin participated in the annual meeting of the American Association of Law Schools. He was invited to present his work on a panel titled “Political Crime” and to workshop an in-progress article on noise law. In addition to his regular teaching responsibilities, Prof. Galperin is also a Visiting Professor of Law at Yale Law School where he teaches Environmental Law.

Kelley Kreitz, PhD (Provost’s Office/English, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences), Luke Cantarella, MFA (Film and Screen Studies, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences), Charlotte Becket, MFA (Art, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences), Wayne Chen, AIA (Director, Campus Planning and Facilities), and Gary Laermer (Vice President Development and Alumni Relations) were awarded a $200,000 NEH Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grant for their project “Creating Enhanced Environments for Advancing an Experiential Approach to the Humanities at Pace University.” The project will support humanities courses in our liberal arts core and humanities degree programs that feature archives-based research, community collaboration, and creative inquiry through the creation of three new humanities instructional spaces in 1PPE. A Storytelling Studio will serve as an updated seminar room, built for discussion, collaborative student projects, and hosting leaders of local cultural organizations and other community members. A Makerspace and Humanities Lab will enable students to explore and present their ideas through bookmaking, printing, and other forms of fabrication–in addition to housing our Pace Zine Library’s NYC DIY publications. A Multimedia Screening Room will provide access to archival materials from the history of film and television. These new spaces will advance student participation and community collaboration in the production of knowledge about “The American Tapestry” in Lower Manhattan and beyond.

Kelley Kreitz, PhD (Provost’s Office/English, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences), Maria Iacullo-Bird, PhD (Provost’s Office/History, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences), and Sid Ray, PhD (English, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences) were awarded the NEH Humanities Initiatives Grant for their project “The Ground Beneath Our Feet: Centering Place-Based Experiential Humanities in the Pace University Curriculum.” The $150,000 grant supports a two-year project that brings Pace faculty together with staff from local cultural and service organizations—through the launch of a new Lower Manhattan Humanities Consortium (LMHC)-- to support and develop a portfolio of Pace undergraduate humanities courses, internships, and community engagement initiatives. LMHC partners include the NYC Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS), Municipal Archives Division; American Indian Community House; Bowery Residents’ Committee; Billion Oyster Project; South Street Seaport Museum; and Trinity Church Archives.

Gina Scutelnicu-Todoran, PhD  (Public Administration, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences) and Rebecca Tekula, PhD (Public Administration, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences and Executive Director of the Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship), were awarded an external grant award of nearly $30,000 by the Council of Family and Child Care Agencies (COFCCA), a nonprofit organization in New York City to assess the financial status of approximately 75 agencies under its umbrella. These agencies include those providing child welfare services – foster care, preventive services, and juvenile justice services. Professor Scutelnicu-Todoran and Professor Tekula will be working in collaboration with two graduate students to conduct a financial analysis of cumulative organizational revenues and expenditures, endowment, and other investments among other things. The researchers at Pace will prepare a final report and will deliver several presentations to executive and legislative leadership and staff at the New York state and New York City level.

Achinthi Vithanage, LLM (Elisabeth Haub School of Law) was named to the

2024 Lawdragon Green 500: Leaders in Environmental Law. Since featuring on the inaugural Law Dragon 500 Leading Environmental & Energy Lawyers list in 2021, Professor Vithanage has been recognized on this list for three consecutive years. The prestigious list is comprised of 500 lawyers carefully selected and based on journalistic reporting, nominations, and vetting with peers and experts in environmental law. Also included on the list are Haub Law alumni, Anne Carpenter ’09, Partner, Baker Botts, Samuel Brown ‘07, Partner, Hunton Andrews Kurth, and James May ’91 (LLM), Distinguished Professor of Law, Founder of the Global Environmental Rights Institute, and co-Founder and co-Director of the Dignity Rights Project and the Environmental Rights Institute at Widener University Delaware Law School and former Haub Visiting Scholar and Visiting Professor at Haub Law. The 2024 Lawdragon Green 500 list also included other Haub Law affiliates, including: Former Director of Haub Law’s Environmental Law Program, Alexandra Dapolito Dunn, Partner, Baker Botts, 2021 Haub Law Environmental Law Distinguished Junior Scholar and 2022 Lloyd. K Garrison Lecturer on Environmental Law, Sharmila Murthy, Director for Environmental Justice in the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and 2022 Gilbert and Sarah Kerlin Lecturer on Environmental Law, Roger Martella, Chief Sustainability Officer for GE.

Richard L. Ottinger, LLB (Dean Emeritus, Elisabeth Haub School of Law) published A Tale of Two Cities: A Comparison of Air Pollution, Governance in the Los Angeles Area of the USA and the Beijin-Tianjin-Hebei Area of China. The book was co-authored with Wang Xi, PhD, a leading Chinese environmental law professor and former visiting professor at Haub Law. A Tale of Two Cities focuses on two of the world’s most prominent cases and explores how people in the areas of Los Angeles and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) established governance processes to combat air pollution and how the major actors in each area worked to make their region a better place to live. Employing the expertise of teams of knowledgeable environmental law experts from both China and the United States, the authors identify and analyze similarities and differences in the respective legal and policy experiences as actors succeeded in greatly improving the air quality of their areas.

Martha Westcott Driver, PhD (English, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences) Phi Beta Kappa, and Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in London, was recently unanimously elected to the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee Council of the American Trust for the British Library; she also serves on Lectures Subcommittee of that organization. Professor Driver is also a member of the executive committee and serves as trustee of the American Patrons of the National Library and Galleries of Scotland. Further, she has chaired the Early Book Society since 1987, an international organization of scholars interested in the history of the book. Recently she published volume 26 of the internationally acclaimed Journal of the Early Book Society, an annual with Pace University Press.

Erica Gollub, DrPH (Health Sciences, PLV, College of Health Professions) won a Scholarly Research Award for her study “Provider Perspectives on the PrEP Ring (‘ProPrEP’): views from a maternal and child health program (‘BAMA’) serving young mothers in rural Uganda.”Women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa face a high risk of HIV, accounting for 59% of all new HIV infections with even higher risks for girls aged 15-24 years. Young women encounter numerous challenges when it comes to adhering to a daily pill for prevention, due to gender inequities coupled with social norms. Health system factors that reduce adherence to PrEP include existing delivery practices requiring frequent healthcare facility visits for medication refills and negative attitudes by healthcare providers. This study will collect qualitative data from focus group discussions among 3 levels of health care providers serving young mothers in rural Uganda concerning their attitudes regarding the newly-approved, long acting, Dapivirine vaginal ring for HIV prevention.

Marie Charles, EdD (Undergraduate Nursing, College of Health Professions) received the Gralnick Grant. The  Alexander Gralnick Research Award is a $5000 grant for psychiatric and mental health nursing research and psychosocial research. It can be used to finance studies on attitudes and other factors that impact health care outcomes.

Kimberly Collica-Cox, PhD (Criminal Justice and Security, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences) published “Coping with Depression, Anxiety & Stress: The Healing Effects of a Jail-Based Trauma Sensitive Yoga Program” in Issues in Mental Health Nursing (Jan. 2024). Two of the article’s co-authors are affiliated with Pace. Cameron Maruszewski graduated in May and was the 2023 valedictorian, and Alicia Bennett is currently in the last year of a 5-year degree in Criminal Justice, and will earn her BA and MA this May. 

Stress, anxiety and depression, often linked to internalizing/externalizing behaviors, are remarkedly high in a jail-based setting when one’s future is uncertain. While research demonstrates that carceral yoga programs can provide physiological/psychological benefits, persons who are incarcerated, who have high rates of trauma-related experiences and mental illness, might benefit more from a trauma sensitive approach. Empirical studies examining the specific impact of trauma sensitive yoga (TSY) on populations who are incarcerated appear unavailable, necessitating this exploratory investigation with male residents in a TSY intervention at a New York jail. Through pre and post-test interviewing and a mixed methods data analysis, data indicated that those who participated in TSY experienced statistically significant increases in overall health, in addition to statistically significant reductions in stress, anxiety, depression and institutional misconduct. Qualitative analyses suggested that male participants experienced transcendence of the jail environment, easing the monotony of the correctional setting. TSY also provided them with new opportunities, the ability to regulate emotions/behaviors and initiate personal growth/changes within. Hence, this research implies that TSY, a benign intervention, easily implemented in a correctional setting, has the ability to beget benefits for persons who are incarcerated within a short period of time. This is vital to providing rehabilitative options within the transient nature of the jail setting.

Rita Upmacis, PhD (Chemistry and Physical Sciences, NYC, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences) was honored with a Teaching Award from New York Section of the American Chemical Society. The award also considers research achievements. The Award is an Outstanding Four-Year Undergraduate University Chemistry Faculty Teaching Award. The purpose of the award is to recognize, encourage and stimulate high quality teaching and research at four-year colleges and universities with undergraduate programs only within the New York Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS). The award considers the quality of teaching, research productivity, department/university service including course development work, and the ability to challenge and inspire students. The award is given by the New York section of the American Chemical Society which serves approximately 3,000 members in the NY area. (The ACS itself has over 151,000 members and is one of the world’s largest societies).

Funding Opportunities for Faculty

NYFC Scholarly Research support

The deadline to submit an application for Scholarly Research support for NYFC is, Wednesday, March 6th 2024. Please use the forms found at the bottom of this webpage.

The NYFC Scholarly Research committee will be looking to fund two types of applications:

A) Meritorious scholarly research and artistic endeavors seeking research expense funding of up to $3,000 per semester.

B) Course release time. With a growing recognition that release time is important for some research projects, the SRC will be supporting requests for 1, 2, or 3 credits of release time in excess of any release time granted by the applicant’s Dean. The projects should be meritorious, time-sensitive, and significantly increase Pace’s scholarly standing. Applicants must justify how their applications fulfill those requirements according to the norms of their field.

Faculty are welcome to consult members of the NYFC Scholarly Research Committee on their proposals in advance of the deadline (members can be found here).

The application process is now fully electronic. Kindly have your administrative assistant upload the forms for signatures through Adobe Sign. The order of signatures is indicated in the forms themselves. Applications need to arrive signed by the deadline to Zafir Buraei, PhD at zburaei@pace.edu. 

WFC Scholarly Research/Kenan award 

The deadline to submit Spring 2024 applications for Scholarly Research funding or Kenan Faculty Development funding for the Westchester Faculty Council Committee is Friday,

March 8th 2024. Guidelines and forms can be found in the WFC Community section in Classes (in the “Scholarly Research” Module).

The WFC Scholarly Research/Kenan committee will be looking to fund 3 types of applications:

A) Funding to support scholarly research projects

B) Course release time. Applicants must justify how their projects differ from other projects for which release for scholarship has been granted by their Dean as part of their contract.

C) Kenan Awards for Faculty Development. This funding is typically used for travel to conferences.

Applications need to arrive by the deadline, signed by your Chair and Dean or Associate Dean and be directed to Dan Farkas, PhD at dfarkas@pace.edu.

Steven H. Sandell Grant Program

The Center for Retirement Research sponsors the annual Steven H. Sandell Grant Program for scholars in the field of retirement or disability research and policy. The program is funded by the U.S. Social Security Administration to provide opportunities for junior or non-tenured scholars (within seven years of receiving their Ph.D.) from all academic disciplines to pursue cutting-edge projects on retirement or disability issues. Individuals from historically underserved or underrepresented communities are encouraged to apply.

Applicants must demonstrate that their proposal focuses on at least one of SSA’s research focal areas:



• Disparities by race, ethnicity, and sex;
• Addressing barriers to disability program and SSI program participation;
• Economic security of program applicants and beneficiaries;
• Understanding service needs;
• Understanding communication needs; and
• Addressing employment barriers for people with disabilities.

One $50,000 grant will be awarded based upon the quality of the applicant’s proposal and the proposed budget. The applicant is required to complete the research outlined in the proposal within one year of the award. The grant recipient may be required to present their work to the Social Security Administration in Washington, DC or Baltimore, MD.

The application deadline for both programs is April 30, 2024.

The Future of the Humanities Event with NEH and NYPL

Monday, March 4, 5:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.

15 Beekman, Bianco Room, NYC

President Marvin Krislov invites you to The Future of the Humanities: A Conversation with Shelly Lowe, Chair, National Endowment for the Humanities and Tony Marx, President and CEO, New York Public Library. 

Although many universities face skepticism about the value of the humanities, they remain vital for empowering students to become engaged citizens and successful professionals. 

Join us for a discussion of the current state and future of the humanities. An accompanying student showcase will demonstrate Pace University’s experiential approach to the humanities through research, community collaboration, and internships. A reception will follow. RSVP here.

Counter-Human Trafficking Two-Day Morning Conference

Monday, March 4 and Tuesday, March 5, 9 am -11 am

1 Pace Plaza East, NYC

Led by Seidenberg’s Darren Hayes, PhD, and Assistant Provost for Wellness Sue Maxam, in collaboration with the Faculty Center, the Center for Wellbeing, Seidenberg, CHP, Dyson, Sands, Lubin, SOE, Haub, and the Office of Research, the event will feature speakers from Homeland Security Investigations; Kings County Human Trafficking Unit; Nurses United Against Human Trafficking; a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney; and a survivor of human trafficking who now supports and empowers those who have been trafficked. The intention is to raise awareness about this global problem and to discuss ways to integrate this issue into the curriculum and other educational opportunities outside the classroom. Attendance is free and includes breakfast.

Register to attend here. 

Journey Illustrated, a comic arts exhibition

February 14 to March 16, 2024

Pace University Art Gallery is pleased to present Journey Illustrated, a comic arts exhibition curated by Prof. Tommy Nguyen and Anna Zhang ’24. The Journey Illustrated exhibit highlights seven cartoonists, graphic novelists, and illustrators who create deeply personal stories of identity that recast the quotidian as heroic and celebrate the essence of the city. The artists, Tanya Dorph-Mankey, Sija Hong, Kuri Huang, June Kim, Jesse Lambert, Barbara Slate, and Ronald Wimberly skillfully combine graphic motifs and illustration techniques from their cultures of origin with commercial comic forms from the United States to invite audiences to explore intersections between cultural identities and aspects of everyday life that are often overlooked. 

Together Nguyen and Zhang received the Provost's Student-Faculty Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry Award from Pace’s Center for Undergraduate Research Experiences to collaboratively conduct research culminating in the Journey Illustrated exhibition. Zhang says, “This experience allows me to delve into the varied voices within comic arts, examining how each artist skillfully weaves personal narratives into their work. By intertwining life experiences and artistic expression, we are celebrating unique voices in comic art and the power of visual storytelling that connects everyone.”

This exhibit, which remains on view through Saturday, March 16, 2024, is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. The gallery is located in Lower Manhattan at 41 Park Row. All of the gallery’s exhibits and events are free and open to the public. Regular gallery hours are Tuesday – Saturday from 12:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., Thursdays until 7:00 p.m., and by appointment. 

Kuri Huang, “Stray Birds Series; Fortress,” 2018, digital drawing

The Center for Undergraduate Research Experiences is accepting applications for the Spring Research Days and the Summer Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry Award Programs.

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS TO PRESENT!

Spring 2024 Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry Days

• Wednesday, April 24, 2024 | Virtual | Panel Session | 10am-3pm
• Friday, April 26, 2024 | Virtual | Panel Session | 10am-3pm
• Thursday, May 2, 2024 | New York City Campus | In-Person Afternoon Poster Session
• Friday, May 3, 2024 | Pleasantville Campus | In-Person Morning Poster Session
• Friday, May 3, 2024 | New York City Campus | In-Person Afternoon Project Studio Session

The Spring 2024 Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry Days will showcase undergraduates from across the schools and colleges who have engaged in faculty-mentored research and creative inquiry! Students will have the opportunity to present their scholarly and artistic work that was completed as part of a course-based research or creative inquiry assignment, award program, co-curricular project, or in fulfillment of their Senior Capstone or Honors College thesis requirement. Please encourage your students to apply to present!

Apply Here to Present!

Deadline to apply: Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Summer 2024 Provost’s Student-Faculty Undergraduate Research

and Creative Inquiry Award Program

This summer research program is for undergraduate students who will be entering their sophomore, junior, or senior year in Fall 2024. This internal funding opportunity supports faculty-mentored scholarly and artistic projects developed in courses and research settings that will benefit from in-depth development over the summer months. Please sponsor an outstanding student for this funding opportunity!

Apply Here!

Deadline to apply: Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Faculty Reviewers

We are seeking faculty members from across the schools and colleges who are interested in serving as reviewers for the undergraduate research award program. Contact Maria Iacullo-Bird, Ph.D., Assistant Provost for Research at miacullobird@pace.edu if this service opportunity interests you.

Dyson Summer Research Awards

The Dyson College Dean’s Office is pleased to announce for Summer 2024 the availability of two programs supporting research and creative expression at both campuses.

Faculty Research Grants

This program will provide funding directly to full-time faculty for research support. The funds may be used for travel expenses related to research; for research supplies and/or equipment; and to pay for a student research assistant. Grant requests may be made up to $1,000 per faculty member. Actual awards will depend upon availability of funds.

Undergraduate Student-Faculty Research Initiatives

This program will provide support for a student to engage in a summer research project with a faculty mentor. The award will provide a $2,000 stipend for the student and $500 in supplies for the faculty mentor.

Faculty and students interested in applying should forward their applications by email with department chairperson approval to Norma Quiridumbay at nquiridumbay@pace.edu by Wednesday, April 10, 2024. Questions also should be directed to Norma Quiridumbay.

Apply Here!

Deadline to apply: Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Amelia A. Gould Undergraduate Research Assistantship in the Creative Arts

The Center for Undergraduate Research Experiences (CURE) is soliciting proposals from faculty for undergraduate research assistants to support faculty projects in the Creative Arts. This funding opportunity will support faculty-mentored summer immersion experiences for students who will work on research-based creative arts projects as research assistants.

Apply Here!

Deadline to apply: Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Spring 2024 Faculty Undergraduate Research Webinar Series

Tuesday common hour - 3:25 p.m. - 4:25 p.m.

Maria Iacullo-Bird, PhD, Assistant Provost for Research

• Creating Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) March 19, 2024
• Learn about the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR)

April 23, 2024

Register in advance for Tuesday’s meetings

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Spring 2024 Student Undergraduate Research Webinar Series

Tuesday and Thursday common hours - 3:25 p.m. - 4:25 p.m.

Maria Iacullo-Bird, PhD, Assistant Provost for Research

• How to Prepare a Research Proposal - March 5, 2024

Register in advance for Tuesday's meeting

• Designing a Virtual Panel Slides and a Poster for In-Person Presentation - April 11, 2024 and April 18, 2024   

Register in advance for Thursday’s meeting

 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

For more information and questions contact:

Norma Quiridumbay, CURE Director of Operations at nquiridumbay@pace.edu



Maria Iacullo-Bird, PhD., Assistant Provost for Research at miacullobird@pace.edu

Prestigious Awards and Fellowships

Fulbright U.S. Student Program 

The program offers recent graduates the opportunity to earn a graduate degree, conduct independent research or teach English abroad.

• US citizens with any major are eligible to apply.
• All are welcome to join the virtual information session hosted by the office of prestigious awards and Fulbright representatives on Thursday, March 7, 2024 at 2:00-3:15 PM

Register to the information session here.

For more information and questions contact:

Moira Egan, PhD, Director of Prestigious Awards and Graduate Fellowships, 

at megan@pace.edu

Stay connected: visit us at www.pace.edu/office-of-research