College of Science and Technology
At the University of South Carolina Upstate, we take pride in our dedicated faculty members, recognized as some of the best in the region. Our faculty, experts in their fields, represent all academic areas and are committed to academic excellence.
Our faculty are focused on helping students succeed and grow in their chosen fields of study. With a combination of real-world experience and academic rigor, they provide hands-on learning opportunities, preparing students for successful careers.
Explore our faculty below and discover how their expertise and dedication make the University of South Carolina Upstate a leader in higher education across the Upstate South Carolina region.
Chunyu Ai | Professor of Computer Science

Chunyu Ai | AIC@uscupstate.edu
Professor of Computer Science
864-503-5361
College: College of Science and Technology (CST)
Building and Room Number: G.B. Hodge Center, 218
Research/Scholarship/Area of Interest:
- Wireless Sensor Networks
- Data Management
- Social Networks
Resume (PDF)
Deshia Breaux, MBA, PhD | Professor of Informatics & Director of Graduate Programs

Deshia Breaux, MBA, PhD | dbreaux1@uscupstate.edu
Professor of Informatics & Director of Graduate Programs
864-503-5920
College: College of Science and Technology (CST)
Building and Room Number: Media Building, 208
Research/Scholarship/Area of Interest:
- Graduate Education
- Rural Health
- Health Disparities
- Health Informatics
Resume (PDF)
Mahesh Dawadi | Assistant Professor of Physical Chemistry

Mahesh Dawadi | mdawadi@uscupstate.edu
Assistant Professor of Physical Chemistry
864-503-5751
College: College of Science and Technology (CST)
Building and Room Number: Horace C. Smith Science Building, 409
Research/Scholarship/Area of Interest:
- Performance enhancement of dye-sensitized solar cells
- Photophysics of donor-acceptor organic compounds or polymeric materials
- Photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceuticals wastewater
- Computational chemistry
Resume (PDF)
Timothy Ellis | Senior Instructor, Director of Process Improvement

Timothy Ellis | ELLISTW@uscupstate.edu
Senior Instructor, Director of Process Improvement
864-503-5292
College: College of Science and Technology (CST)
Building and Room Number: John C. Stockwell Administration Building, 116
Research/Scholarship/Area of Interest:
- Process Improvement
Resume (PDF)
Melissa Davis | Senior Instructor & Director of Cybersecurity Lab

Melissa Davis | MJDAVIS2@uscupstate.edu
Senior Instructor & Director of Cybersecurity Lab
864-503-5345
College: College of Science and Technology (CST), Division of Mathematics and Computer Science
Building and Room Number: G.B. Hodge Center, 208
Research/Scholarship/Area of Interest:
- Network Infrastructure and Security
- Cybersecurity
- Virtualization
Resume (PDF)
Polinpapilinho Katina | Associate Professor

Polinpapilinho Katina | PKATINA@uscupstate.edu
Associate Professor
864-503-5272
College: College of Science and Technology (CST)
Building and Room Number: Media Building 214A
Research/Scholarship/Area of Interest:
- Complex System Governance
- Critical Infrastructure Systems
- Engineering Management
- Manufacturing Management
- Systems Resilience
- Engineering System
- Pathology Systems
- Engineering Systems Theory
Resume (PDF)
Tamara McGovern | Instructor

Dr. Tamara McGovern | mcgovet@uscupstate.edu
Instructor
864-503-5485
College: College of Science and Technology (CST), Natural Sciences and Engineering (NSE)
Building and Room Number: Horace C. Smith Science Building, 209
Resume (PDF)
Ben Montgomery | Chair of Mathematics and Computer Science and Associate Professor of Biology

Ben Montgomery | montgo55@uscupstate.edu
Chair of Mathematics and Computer Science and Associate Professor of Biology
864-503-5764
College: College of Science and Technology (CST)
Building and Room Number: G.B. Hodge Center, 203
Research/Scholarship/Area of Interest:
- Plant Reproductive Ecology
- Mating Systems
- Barriers to Hybridization
Resume (PDF)
Chad Mueller | Senior Instructor of Chemistry

Chad Mueller | CMUELLE2@uscupstate.edu
Senior Instructor of Chemistry
864-503-5712
College: College of Science and Technology (CST), Natural Sciences and Engineering (NSE)
Building and Room Number: Horace C. Smith Science Building, 208
Resume (PDF)
Anita Nag | Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Anita Nag | anitan@uscupstate.edu
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
864-503-5714
College: College of Science and Technology (CST)
Building and Room Number: Horace C. Smith Science Building, 406
Research/Scholarship/Area of Interest:
- Biochemistry
Resume (PDF)
Bernard Omolo | Professor of Mathematics/Statistics

Bernard Omolo | OMOLO@uscupstate.edu
Professor of Mathematics/Statistics
864-503-5362
College: College of Science and Technology (CST)
Building and Room Number: G.B. Hodge Center, 223
Research/Scholarship/Area of Interest:
- Statistical Genomics
- Genetics and Bioinformatics
- Bayesian Methods
- Cancer
- Global Public Health
Resume (PDF)
George Owenga | Instructor

George Owenga | gowenga@uscupstate.edu
Instructor
864-503-5291
College: College of Science and Technology (CST), Division of Mathematics And Computer Science
Building and Room Number: G.B. Hodge Center, 229
Research/Scholarship/Area of Interest:
- Big Data Analytics
- Cloud Computing
- Artificial Intelligence
Dr. Susan Richardson | Senior Instructor and PC Coordinator

Dr. Susan Richardson | richarsh@uscupstate.edu
Senior Instructor and PC Coordinator
864-503-5674
College: College of Science and Technology (CST)
Building and Room Number: Media Center, 205
Research/Scholarship/Area of Interest:
- Health Informatics
- Health Information Management
Dirk Schlingmann | Professor

Dirk Schlingmann | schlingm@uscupstate.edu
Professor of Mathematics
864-503-5226
College: College of Science and Technology (CST)
Building and Room Number: G.B. Hodge Center, 210
Research/Scholarship/Area of Interest:
- Applications of Mathematics
- Technical Computing in Music
Resume (PDF)
Dr. Kimberly Shorter | Associate Professor of Biology

Dr. Kimberly Shorter | SHORTEKR@uscupstate.edu
Associate Professor of Biology
864-503-5716
College: College of Science and Technology (CST)
Building and Room Number: Horace C. Smith Science Building, 316
Research/Scholarship/Area of Interest:
- Effects of Excess Dietary Consumption of B-vitamins on Epigenetics
- Effects of miR-718 Overexpression on Epigenetics
Resume (PDF)
Elham Sohrabi | Assistant Professor

Elham Sohrabi | esohrabi@uscupstate.edu
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
864-503-5290
College: College of Science and Technology (CST)
Building and Room Number: G.B. Hodge Center, 221
Research/Scholarship/Area of Interest:
- Applied Mathematics
- Financial Mathematics
- Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Mathematics
Resume (PDF)
Victor Summers | Assistant Professor

Victor Summers | vsummers@uscupstate.edu
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
864-503-5042
College: College of Science and Technology (CST)
Building and Room Number: G.B. Hodge Center, 231
Research/Scholarship/Area of Interest:
- Algebraic Topology
Resume (PDF)
Scott Tanner | Assistant Professor of Biology

Scott Tanner | ST29@USCUPSTATE.EDU
Assistant Professor of Biology
864-503-5048
College: College of Science and Technology (CST)
Building and Room Number: Horace C. Smith Science Building, 307
Research/Scholarship/Area of Interest:
My research focuses on intestinal development and function in the context of human disease. We use the small nematode C. elegans to model intestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Currently, we are validating a new model of intestinal development using C. elegans, specifically by investigating the role of p-glycoprotein deficiency on intestinal development, organism growth, and intestinal cell function. Knowledge obtained from these studies will help in furthering our understanding of intestinal diseases, specifically in the cause of disease and potential diagnostic methods. We also use genomic and bioinformatic methods to study the evolution of insulin signaling, aiming to further understand the role of various proteins in the pathway. We hope this will help us better understand the development of insulin-based diseases such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Resume (PDF)
Grover Walters, DBA | Assistant Professor of Informatics

Grover Walters, DBA | waltersi@uscupstate.edu
Assistant Professor of Informatics
864-503-5666
College: College of Science and Technology (CST)
Building and Room Number: Media Building, 207
Research/Scholarship/Area of Interest:
- Assessing LLM-Based Generative AI Assistants in Distance Education
Resume (PDF)
Dr. Ginny Webb | Professor of Microbiology

Ginny Webb | WILL4283@uscupstate.edu
Professor of Microbiology
864-503-5976
College: College of Science and Technology (CST)
Building and Room Number: Horace C. Smith Science Building, 313
Research/Scholarship/Area of Interest: Dr. Webb’s research involves the study of the yeast Cryptococcus which causes meningitis in immunocompromised patients. The lab studies virulence factors produced by the yeast as well as how the yeast responds to its environment and antifungal treatments. In addition, Dr. Webb studies food safety and storage protocols, examining factors that may affect foodborne illnesses. Additional research areas include examining predictors of preventative behaviors and vaccination acceptance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Resume (PDF)
Xudong Zhang | Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Xudong Zhang | xudongz@uscupstate.edu
Assistant Professor of Computer Science
864-503-5766
College: College of Science and Technology (CST), Division of Mathematics And Computer Science
Building and Room Number: G.B. Hodge Center, 219
Research/Scholarship/Area of Interest:
- Machine Learning/Deep Learning in Cybersecurity
- Speech Enhancement
- Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR)