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Connor Cassady He/Him/His
Visiting Assistant Professor, Mathematics (PhD, University of Pennsylvania, 2023; BS, Pennsylvania State University, 2018)
Connor Cassady explores the rich connections between algebra, geometry, and number theory. He earned his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 2023, where his dissertation, Quadratic Forms, Local-Global Principles, and Field Invariants, reflected his interest in the arithmetic structures that shape modern mathematics. Before coming to Colgate, he served as the Arnold Ross Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University. His research focuses on algebraic number theory and algebraic and arithmetic geometry, with particular interests in quadratic forms, local-global principles, rational points, and algebraic groups.
Outside of mathematics, Connor enjoys reading, staying active, walking his dog Booker, playing golf, watching sports, and playing the drums.
Connor's Publications, Awards, Honors and Distinctions
Connor's Publications, Awards, Honors and Distinctions
Publications:
C. Cassady, "On possible values of the m-invariant", Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society 154 (2026), no. 7, 2907 - 2918;
C. Cassady, "Universal quadratic forms over semi-global fields", Journal of Pure and Applied Algebra 230 (2026), no. 7, Paper No. 108297;
C. Cassady, "Two refined notions in quadratic form theory", Communications in Algebra 54 (2026), no. 3, 1187 - 1220;
C. Cassady, "Hasse principles for quadratic forms over function fields", Journal of Algebra 628 (2023), 613 - 633.
Awards:
Dean's Award for Distinguished Teaching by Graduate Students, University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences (2022-2023);
AMS Travel Grant (2023);
CTL Teaching Certificate (2022), University of Pennsylvania;
Good Teaching Award (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022), University of Pennsylvania
Katherine (Katie) Mott She/Her
Visiting Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies (PhD, Syracuse University, 2026; MS, Syracuse University, 2019; BS, SUNY-ESF, 2011)
Katherine "Katie" Mott is an ethnographer whose work explores the intersections of work and labor, food and the environment, and technology. She earned her PhD from Syracuse University in 2026, where her dissertation, Press to End Nightmare: Technology, Disfigured Labor, and Retail Grocery Work, examined how new technologies are transforming the experience of retail grocery workers. Her current research continues this work as she prepares a book manuscript on the changing nature of grocery labor.
During the 2025–26 academic year, Katie taught Urban Sociology, Introduction to Sociology, and Sociological Research Methods & Design in Colgate's Department of Sociology and Anthropology, where she says she "had a blast" teaching. She also served as Director of the Conflict Management Center at Syracuse University's Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration and previously worked as a water resources engineer designing green stormwater infrastructure for the City of Philadelphia.
Outside of work, Katie enjoys camping, cooking good food, catching up with friends, and taking in stand-up comedy and live music.
Katie's Publications, Awards, Honors and Distinctions
Katie's Publications, Awards, Honors and Distinctions
Publications:
Mott, Katherine. 2026. “Checked Out: Coping and Cashiering in Retail Grocery Work.” Research in the Sociology of Work, v. 38. Binkley, UK. Emerald Publishing.
Mott, Katherine. 2022. “Hurry up and wait”: Stigma, Poverty and Contractual Citizenship. Qualitative Sociology 45:271-290.
Mott, Katherine and Maegan Krajewski, eds. 2021. Special Issue on “Food as a Tool for Social Change.” Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development.
Mott, Katherine. 2021. Review of Feeding the Crisis: Care and Abandonment in America’s Social Safety Net by Maggie Dickinson (University of California Press, 2019) in Exertions (a web-based publication for the Society of Anthropology of Work Review).
Mott, Katherine. 2019. “Lotta Food, No Money”: Syracuse’s Poor Have Challenges that are Much Bigger than Food Access. Lerner Center Research Brief Series. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion.
Holt-Gimenez, Eric and Katherine Mott. 2016. Ground Shaking? Assessing the FAO’s 2015 International Year of Soils. Food First Backgrounder, Vol 22(1). Oakland, CA: Food First/The Institute for Food and Development Policy.
Awards:
2025 Winner of Harry Braverman Paper Award, Labor Studies Division of the Society for the Study of Social Problems
2024, 2022 Syracuse University Maxwell School Roscoe-Martin Fund for Graduate Research
2024 Syracuse University Graduate School Summer Dissertation Fellowship
2024 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, Syracuse University
2023-24 Labor Research and Action Network New Scholars Research Grant
2023-24, 2020-21 Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs Graduate Fellowship, Department of Sociology
2022-23 Syracuse University Lender Center for Social Justice Graduate Assistantship
2022 Syracuse University Program for the Advancement in Research on Conflict and Collaboration John Burdick Mini-Grant
2021 Winner of Graduate Student Paper Competition, Sociology and Social Welfare Division of the Society for the Study of Social Problems
Michael O'Ryan He/Him/His
Olive B. O'Connor Fellow, Creative Writing (MFA, University of Michigan, 2024; BA, University of Oregon, 2019)
Michael O'Ryan arrives at Colgate following his time as Poet in Residence at Interlochen Arts Academy. As the Olive B. O'Connor Fellow in Creative Writing, he brings a passion for poetry and literary arts. Beyond the written word, Michael enjoys film, tennis, and exploring new restaurants wherever he goes.
Michael's Publications
Michael's Publications
Publications:
"Pacifica", The Iowa Review, 2026; "Mortality Salience", Third Coast, 2026; "Agnosticism", North American Review, 2026; "Vinery", Oxford Poetry, 2026; "Against Logos", Ninth Letter, 2025; "On Praise", The Missouri Review, 2025; "Aspen", The Cincinnati Review, 2025; "Wyoming, February", Best New Poets 2024; "Horse Thief", Narrative Magazine, 2024
Gretchen Perhamus She/Her
Assistant Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences (PhD, University at Buffalo, SUNY 2025; BA Psychology and BA Sociology, Pennsylvania State University, 2016)
Gretchen Perhamus is a clinical psychologist whose research focuses on understanding how youth develop externalizing behaviors, including irritability, aggression, and callous-unemotional traits. She earned her PhD in Psychology from the University at Buffalo, SUNY, in 2025, where her dissertation, Peer Socialization Processes in the Development of Callous-Unemotional Traits, examined how peer relationships shape youth development. Prior to joining Colgate, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Gretchen's teaching interests include Psychopathology, Developmental Psychology, and Statistics in Psychology. As a license-eligible clinical psychologist, she has worked extensively with children and families, particularly in the areas of disruptive behaviors, trauma-focused interventions, and community-based approaches that improve access to care for underserved populations. Her research takes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding how emotional, social, and environmental factors influence resilience and mental health outcomes in youth.
Outside of her academic work, Gretchen is a violist who has performed with community and semi-professional orchestras since college. She also enjoys running, reading, hiking, and spending time with her dog, Mini, and cat, Bergamot. She looks forward to exploring the classical music community in Hamilton and the surrounding area.
Gretchen's Publications, Awards, Honors and Distinctions
Gretchen's Publications, Awards, Honors and Distinctions
Publications:
1. Perhamus, G. R., Perry, K. J., Murray-Close, D. & Ostrov, J. M. (2026). Multi-system stress activity profiles and socioemotional functioning across the transition to kindergarten. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 103, 101931. doi: 10.1016/j.appdev.2026.101931 Preregistration: https://osf.io/gezsx
2. Siciliano, R.E., Korom, M., Adams, Z., Chapman, J. E., Hall, K. E., Bounoua, N., Perhamus, G. R., Bernard, D., Amaya, S. & Danielson, C. K. (2026). Polyvictimization profiles and variations in youth mental health symptoms: A person-centered approach. Child Maltreatment, 31(2), 373-386.
doi: 10.1177/10775595251334115
3. Perhamus, G. R., Murray-Close, D. & Ostrov, J. M. (2025). Parenting and peer victimization in the development of callous-unemotional behaviors: Moderation by irritability and basal cortisol. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 53(9) 1311-1323. doi: 10.1007/s10802-025-01343-9
4. Perhamus, G. R. & Ostrov, J. M. (2025). Peer socialization processes in the development of callous-unemotional traits. Development and Psychopathology, 37(4) 2217-2234. doi: 10.1017/S0954579424001846
5. Lent, M. C., Perry, K. J., Perhamus, G. R., Buck, C., Murray-Close, D. & Ostrov, J. M. (2024). Is autonomic functioning distinctly associated with anxiety and asocial withdrawal? International Journal of Psychophysiology, 200, 112343. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2024.112343.
6. Ramer, N. E., Perhamus, G. R., & Colder, C. (2024). Longitudinal reciprocal associations between reinforcement sensitivity and psychopathology: Within- and between-person effects. Developmental Psychology 60(3), 545-559. doi:10.1037/dev0001689
7. Perhamus, G. R., Ostrov, J. M. & Murray-Close, D. (2024). Aggression and irritability in middle childhood: Between- and within-person associations. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 53(2), 184 – 198. doi:10.1080/15374416.2023.2272941
8. Perry, K. J., Perhamus, G. R., Memba, G., Murray-Close, D., & Ostrov, J. M. (2024). A social-ecological model of preschoolers’ aggressive behavior: An exploratory analysis. School Psychology, 39(1), 95-105. doi:10.1037/spq0000565
9. Perry, K. J., Perhamus, G. R., Lent, M. C., Murray-Close, D. & Ostrov, J. M. (2023). The COVID-19 pandemic and measurement of preschooler’s executive functions. Psychological Assessment, 35(11), 986 – 999. doi:10.1037/pas0001250
10. Ostrov, J. M., Murray-Close, D., Perry, K. J., Perhamus, G. R., Memba, G., Rice, D. & Nowalis, S. (2023). Parenting and adjustment problems among preschoolers during COVID-19. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 32(1) 93-109. doi:10.1007/s10826-022-02438-2. Preregistration: https://osf.io/m54y8
11. Perhamus, G. R. & Ostrov, J. M. (2023). Inhibitory control in early childhood aggression subtypes: Mediation by irritability. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 54, 366-378. doi: 10.1007/s10578-021-01254-y
12. Ostrov, J. M., Murray-Close, D., Perry, K. J., Blakely-McClure, S., Perhamus, G. R., Mutignani, L., Kesselring, S., Memba, G., & Probst, S. (2023). The development of forms and function of aggression during early childhood. Development and Psychopathology, 35(2), 941 – 957. doi:10.1017/S0954579422000177 Preregistration: https://osf.io/5mjsw
13. Perhamus, G. R., Perry, K. J., Murray-Close, D. & Ostrov, J. M. (2022). Stress reactivity and social cognition in pure and co-occurring early childhood relational bullying and victimization. Development and Psychopathology, 34(4), 1300-1312. doi:10.1017/S0954579421000298 Preregistration: osf.io/x36cz.
14. Haller, S. P., Stoddard, J., Botz-Zapp, C., Clayton, M., MacGillivray, C., Perhamus, G., Stiles, K., Kircanski, K., Penton-Voak, I. S., Bar-Haim, Y., Munafò, M., Towbin, K. E., & Brotman, M. A. (2022). Computerized interpretation bias training for disruptive mood dysregulation disorder: A fast-fail study. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 61(1), 37-45. doi: 10.1016.j.jaac.2021.05.022
15. Perhamus, G. R. & Ostrov, J. M. (2021). Emotions and cognitions in early childhood aggression: The role of irritability and hostile attribution biases. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 49(1), 63-75. doi: 10.1007/s10802-020-00707-7
16. Linke, J., Kircanski, K., Brooks, J., Perhamus, G., Gold, A.L., & Brotman, M.A. (2020). Exposure-based CBT for disruptive mood dysregulation disorder: An evidence-based case study. Behavior Therapy, 51, 320-333. doi: 10.1016/j.beth.2019.05.007
17. Tseng, W.L., Deveney, C.M., Stoddard, J., Kircanski, K., Frackman, A.E., Yi, J., Hsu, D., Moroney, E., Machlin, L., Donahue, L., Roule, A., Perhamus, G., Reynolds, R., Roberson-Nay, R., Hettema, J., Towbin, K.E., Stringaris, A., Pine, D.S., Brotman, M.A., & Leibenluft, E. (2019). Brain mechanisms of attention orienting following frustration: Associations with irritability and age in youth. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 176, 67-76. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2018.18040491
Awards:
2025
- Best Research Paper Award, Charleston Consortium Psychology Internship
2024
- Student Achievement Award in Research – Late-Stage Graduate Student, Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology/APA Div. 53
- Rosatti Award, Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo
2023
- Bugelski Dissertation Award Runner-Up, Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo
- Graduate Student Travel Award, Society for Research in Child Development
- SUNY Graduate Research Empowering and Accelerating Talent Award
2022
- Morton D. Brooks Scholarship, Psychological Association of Western New York
- International Society for Research on Aggression (ISRA) 2022 Young Investigator
- Murray Levine Graduate Award for Community Engagement in Psychology, Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo
-Dissertation Fellowship, College of Arts and Sciences, University at Buffalo
2021
- Robert W. Rice Memorial Award for Excellence in Research, Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo
- Psychology Graduate Student Association Travel Award, University at Buffalo
2018 - 2022 Presidential Fellowship, University at Buffalo
2017 Outstanding Poster Award, National Institutes of Health Postbac Poster Day
2016 Undergraduate Student Spotlight, Pennsylvania State University Child Study Center
2015 Erickson Summer Discovery Grant, Pennsylvania State University
2015 Dean’s Chair Scholarship, College of Liberal Arts, Pennsylvania State University
2014 – 2016 Gene & Roz Chaiken Trustee Scholarship, College of Liberal Arts, Pennsylvania State University
Eric Robertson He/Him/His
Assistant Professor, Economics (PhD, University of Virginia, 2026; MA, University of Virginia, 2021; BA, University of Virginia, 2017)
Eric Robertson brings a passion for understanding how economies develop and change over time. He recently completed his PhD at the University of Virginia, where his dissertation, Essays in Development Economics, examined key questions in economic development. His teaching interests include economic history and economic development, while his research explores the intersections of economic history, development economics, and political economy.
Outside the classroom, Eric enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, staying active through fitness, and experimenting in the kitchen. He is also an avid student of history, often exploring it through books and travel.
Eric's Awards, Honors and Distinctions
Eric's Awards, Honors and Distinctions
Tipton R. Snavely Distinguished Dissertation Award, 2026
Jackson-Farrell Graduate Fellowship, 2025
Bankard Fund for Political Economy Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, 2025
Quantitative Collaborative Bynum Grant, 2024
Dumas Malone Graduate Research Fellowship, 2023
Tipton R. Snavely Fund Prize for the Best Dissertation Proposal, 2023
Jacob Shaffer He/They
Visiting Assisstant Professor, Biology (PhD, University of Tennessee - Knoxville, 2025; BS, University of Puget Sound, 2019)
Jacob Shaffer studies life in some of Earth's most extreme environments. He earned his PhD from the University of Tennessee–Knoxville in 2025, where his dissertation, Microbial Interactions in an Antarctic Desert: Responses to Environmental Change and Tools for Life Detection, explored how microorganisms survive and interact in one of the planet's harshest ecosystems. Prior to joining Colgate, Jacob was a postdoctoral researcher at Brigham Young University.
His teaching interests include microbiology and astrobiology, and his research focuses on the ecology of microbial communities in cold environments. By examining life in extreme conditions on Earth, his work also contributes to the search for life beyond our planet.
When he's not conducting research, Jacob enjoys hiking, camping, rock climbing, and playing the saxophone.
Jacob's Publications, Awards, Honors and Distinctions
Jacob's Publications, Awards, Honors and Distinctions
Publications:
J Shaffer, A Jarratt, B Boles, J Mikucki. “Draft genomes of three abundant bacterial isolates from hypersaline Don Juan Pond, Antarctica.” (2025). Microbiol. Resour. Annouc. 0:e00279-25. DOI: 10.1128/mra.00279-25.
J Shaffer, E Sklute, R Samples, LA Giddings, A Jarratt, K Mateos, MD Dyar, P Lee, K Livi, J Mikucki. “Multi-technique characterization of iron reduction by an Antarctic Shewanella: an analog system for putative Martian biosignature identification.” (2025) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 0:e02528-24. DOI: 10.1128/aem.02528-24
J Clance, J Shaffer (Co-first author), M Cable, C Stenner, M Paton, A Szynkiewicz, O Vinnes, G Williams-Jones, K Graham, J Mikucki. “Biogeochemistry of the rare sulfidic glaciovolcanic cave system on Mount Meager, British Columbia, Canada.” (2024). Front. Geochem. 2:1410338. DOI: 10.3389/fgeoc.2024.1410338
R Samples, R Mukoyama, J Shaffer, J Mikucki, LA Giddings. “OpenASAP: an Affordable 3D Printed Atmospheric Solids Analysis Probe (ASAP) Mass Spectrometry System for Direct Analysis of Solid and Liquid Samples.” (2023). HardwareX. 16:e00490. DOI: 10.1016/j.ohx.2023.e00490.
E Phillips, J Shaffer (Co-first author), M Henson, J Coelho, M Martin, JC Thrash. “Genome Sequences of Four Agarolytic Bacteria from the Bacteroidia and Gammaproteobacteria.” (2023). Microbiol. Resour. Annouc. 12:11. DOI: 10.1128/MRA.00667-23.
J Shaffer, LA Giddings, R Samples, J Mikucki. “Genotypic and phenotypic characterization of a red-pigmented strain of Massilia frigida isolated from an Antarctic microbial mat.” (2023). Front. Microbiol. 14:1156033. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1156033.
Awards:
Kenneth L. and Wanda G. Beattie Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Research – Department of Microbiology, UTK (2025)
Graduate Student Teaching Award – Department of Microbiology, UTK (2021)
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