---
title: "ARCH | Faculty Fellows"
url: "/academics/arch/faculty-fellows"
type: page
date: 2026-09-21
updated: 2026-09-24
---

# ARCH | Faculty Fellows

## The Faculty Fellows Program

The ARCH Faculty Fellows Program supports faculty-led initiatives that advance interdisciplinary, inventive, and experiential education at Manhattan University. Fellows receive funding, visibility, and a collaborative structure to develop projects that cross traditional academic boundaries and create new opportunities for students, faculty, and external partners.

## Philosophy

Many of the most promising ideas in higher education emerge between departments, schools, and established programs. ARCH Faculty Fellows receive the time and support to develop those ideas into tangible initiatives, including new courses and academic programs, student research experiences, public events, institutional resources, and community or global partnerships.

Fellows remain rooted in their home departments while working through ARCH as a collaborative cohort. The program supports individual projects while also building a network of faculty partners who help shape the broader mission and future of ARCH.

## Current Fellows

- **J. Patrick Abulencia**, Chemical Engineering  
    *Entrepreneurship for Society*
- **Mehnaz Afridi**, Religion and Philosophy, and **Christie Toro-González**, Kinesiology  
    *Embodied Learning and Inclusive Design*
- **Lydia Crafts**, History  
    *Health and Society Minor*
- **Wafa Elmannai**, Electrical and Computer Engineering  
    *Interdisciplinary AI Research Cohort*
- **Jay Friedenberg**, Psychology  
    *Existential Risk Education Initiative*
- **Mehdi Omidvar**, Civil and Environmental Engineering  
    *Research Collaboration Database*
- **Laura Redruello**, Modern Languages and Literatures  
    *International Academic Collaboration Initiative—COIL*

## Projects

The current Fellows are developing initiatives across several areas of university life:

- Interdisciplinary curriculum and academic programs
- Ethical and applied artificial intelligence
- Undergraduate and graduate research
- Disability inclusion and accessible pedagogy
- International collaborative learning
- Social entrepreneurship and community engagement
- Public programming on emerging global challenges
- Infrastructure for research collaboration and external funding

Together, these projects demonstrate how focused support for faculty leadership can turn interdisciplinary ideas into lasting courses, partnerships, programs, and institutional resources.

## Faculty Fellows Symposium

The annual ARCH Faculty Fellows Symposium brings the Manhattan University community together to learn from the Fellows’ work, engage with emerging projects, and explore opportunities for collaboration.

The inaugural symposium will take place on **Wednesday, December 2, 2026** and will feature presentations from the current cohort, project demonstrations, and conversations about the future of interdisciplinary innovation at Manhattan University.

## How to Become a Fellow

ARCH Faculty Fellows are selected through a university-wide call for proposals. Applicants are invited to propose a new initiative or advance an existing project that aligns with ARCH’s interdisciplinary, inventive, and experiential mission.

Strong proposals typically include:

- A clearly defined project and timeline
- Meaningful collaboration across disciplines or institutional units
- Opportunities for student engagement
- Tangible outcomes or deliverables
- Potential for implementation, sustainability, or broader impact

Details about the next application cycle will be announced through ARCH and the Office of the Provost.

 

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