Brandeis Magazine

Christian Churchill, PhD’00, completed his psychoanalytic training at the Contemporary Freudian Society in May 2016 and subsequently became a fellow of the International Psychoanalytical Association. He maintains a practice in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy in Manhattan and is a full professor of sociology at St. Thomas Aquinas College. Sarah Beth (Jones) Wilson, MS’00, earned a PhD in organic chemistry from Purdue. Heather Jacobson, MA’01, PhD’06, celebrated the publication of “Labor of Love: Gestational Surrogacy and the Work of Making Babies,” the first book-length ethnographic examination of gestational surrogacy in the United States. It explores the complexities of surrogacy and the conflicted attitudes that arise when carrying and birthing a child is a paid occupation. Rebecca Pearl-Martinez, Heller MA’01, was honored at the Clean Energy Education and Empowerment’s annual Women in Clean Energy Symposium for outstanding leadership and accomplishments in the clean-energy field. Rebecca, the head of the Renewable Equity Project at the Fletcher School at Tufts, was recognized for her advocacy work. Marjorie Feld, PhD’02, was promoted to professor at Babson College. Matthew Daniels, PhD’03, was named to an endowed chair in law and human rights at the Institute of World Politics, an international-affairs graduate school in Washington, D.C. He also operates a network of five academic centers focused on human-rights education at institutions of higher education in the United States, the United Kingdom and South Korea. Jennifer Lafleur, MFA’04, married longtime partner Ross Partridge, a fellow actor, on a small Caribbean island. They met 11 years ago in NYC while doing a play together. The couple created an acclaimed web series, “Wedlock,” and the film “Lamb,” which won an Independent Spirit Award. This year, Jennifer has appeared in “Billions” on Showtime, “Animals” on HBO, “Workaholics” and “Children’s Hospital.” Robert Stadler, IBS MA’04, and wife Dana welcomed their first child, Ava Elizabeth, on Feb. 26, 2015. Robert continues to enjoy his job at Ascent Private Capital Management, where he serves as a consultant to families of significant resources throughout the Pacific Northwest. He plans to run the Boston Marathon in 2017. Nigar Ramiz Mammadova, IBS MBA’05, was appointed deputy chair of the board of directors of the Financial Market Control Chamber in Azerbaijan. Houra Merrikh, MS’06, PhD’09, a microbiology professor at the University of Washington, won the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science, which comes with a $55,000 award. The Vilcek Prize is presented to immigrants who have demonstrated outstanding achievement during the early stages of their careers. Susie Moscou, Heller PhD’06, is an associate professor of nursing at Mercy College, in Dobbs Ferry, New York. Audrey (Shore) Beerman, MA’07, has joined Meridian Risk Management as a wealth-preservation specialist. She is active in the Junior League of Pelham, New York. Nataliya Hrytsyshyn, IBS MA’07, is now a trade finance manager at Deere & Co. Since graduation, Richard Beaudoin, PhD’08, has been composing and teaching at Harvard. His new work for Roomful of Teeth and Claire Chase will premiere at The Kitchen, a New York City arts and performance space, in December 2016. He has returned to teach at Brandeis this year and will also take up a research fellowship at London’s Royal Academy of Music. Laura Stahl, Heller MBA’08, is director of operations at PERTS (Project for Education Research That Scales), an applied-research center at Stanford. In addition, she is on the board of School to School International, an international development organization. She also volunteers to serve on short-term missions with her church. This year, she traveled to Liberia and Morocco. Aliya Al Aufi, IBS MBA’09, will soon complete the first-ever national CEO program in Oman. After graduating from Brandeis, she returned to her homeland to work for the National Bank of Oman in HR management. She is now head of business development at Takatuf Oman. Stephan Granitz, IBS MA’09, is head of analytics and chief commercial officer at Income Discovery.