Dear colleagues,
Following the review of more than 50 applications, we are pleased to announce the 2026-2027 cohort of University Sabbatical Fellows:
Monica Hershberger, Associate Professor of Music. Dr. Hershberger will use her sabbatical to finish her second book, a biography of soprano Dorothy Maynor. One of the most famous African American singers during the 1940s and 1950s, Maynor founded the Harlem School of the Arts (HSA) in 1964. HSA continues to thrive to this day. From Hampton to Harlem: The Life and Legacy of Soprano Dorothy Maynor examines Maynor’s story, along with the stories of the institutions where she studied, performed, and taught.
Alberto Lamadrid, Professor of Economics and Industrial and Systems Engineering. Dr. Lamadrid will focus on the analysis and design of electricity markets as energy systems face rapid growth in demand, particularly from data centers, and an accelerating transition to sustainable generation. As a Visiting Scholar at MIT and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, he will pursue three objectives: developing market mechanisms that ensure reliability and affordability under large demand shocks, examining competition and consumer outcomes in retail electricity markets, and creating economic tools to assess risks in energy supply chains as new generation capacity is deployed. The project aims to strengthen national collaborations and advance policy-relevant research on energy system planning and market design.
Ziad Munson, Professor of Sociology. Dr. Munson will collect interview and ethnographic data on the role of populist movements in changing American political dynamics. The goal is to answer several interrelated questions: How do suburban Americans understand the changes that have happened? What role have such changes had in their own changing political identities? And how will these changes continue to reconfigure social and political institutions?
These individuals were selected by a cohort of college deans and associate deans for research, with support from the Provost’s Office and the Office of the Vice Provost for Research. Please join us in congratulating these three recipients, and wishing them and everyone taking a sabbatical next year a fruitful experience.
Best wishes,
Kate Bullard
Senior Director, Research Development