"We're thrilled to welcome this exceptional group of educators and researchers to our STEM community," said Dr. Karen Meisch, dean of the College of STEM. "Each brings unique expertise and fresh perspectives that will enrich our academic programs, expand our research capabilities, and strengthen our ability to prepare students for success in rapidly evolving STEM fields. These additions represent our continued commitment to academic excellence and our mission to serve as a regional leader in STEM education."

Below are brief bios of every new full-time faculty hire for the 2025-26 academic year. Please join the APSU College of STEM in welcoming them to campus.

Dr. Getachew Ambaye, assistant professor of engineering technology, joins Austin Peay State University after earning his doctorate in industrial engineering from Wichita State University in 2025. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering at Jimma Institute of Technology in Ethiopia and completed the Bahir Dar Institute of Technology's Higher Diploma program.

Dr. Ambaye has ample classroom experience as an instructor at Wichita State from 2022 to 2024 and as an engineering professor at Hesston College in Kansas before joining Austin Peay State University.

Dr. Ian Castro, an instructor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, joins the Austin Peay State University faculty after completing his Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati in 2025. The 2021 recipient of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, Dr. Castro was in the Albert C. Yates Fellowship program during his doctoral studies and has presented at the last three Geological Society of America (GSA) Connects conferences.

Dr. Castro is also a board member of the International Association for Geoscience Diversity, a non-profit supporting people with disabilities in the geosciences.

Dr. Laura Chamness, assistant professor of chemistry, recently completed her postdoctoral research at the University of Notre Dame, where she was a guest lecturer and instructor with the university's study abroad program.

She earned her Ph.D. in chemistry from Indiana University in 2022, where she was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Award winner and received the Briscoe Teaching Fellowship.

Dr. Kayla Earls, assistant professor of biology, joins Austin Peay State University after completing a postdoctoral research associate position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service's Animal Disease Research Unit at Washington State University.

She earned her doctorate in biological sciences from North Dakota State University in 2022, where she was the co-principal investigator on a grant from the Western Alfalfa Seed Growers Association. She was a finalist for the Scholander Award at the 2022 American Physiology Society Conference in San Diego.

Dr. Sabrina Perry, assistant professor of computer science and information technology, completed her Ph.D. in engineering science with a concentration in computer science from the University of Mississippi in May 2025. She brings extensive classroom experience to Clarksville, having served as an engineering technology instructor at Mississippi Valley State University since 2016.

She was a Hi-Bridge to Academia Fellowship recipient in 2023, which provided career preparation activities through a Virginia Tech NSF grant.

Dr. Amanda Stadermann, assistant professor of geology, earned her Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the University of Arizona in 2023. She then spent two years as a NASA postdoctoral fellow at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Stadermann is the lead author on four peer-reviewed papers, including two in "Meteoritics & Planetary Science."

During her undergraduate studies at Washington University in St. Louis, she was a two-time NASA summer intern at Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory and a national champion swimmer.

Dr. Jeffrey Weinell, assistant professor of biology, joins Austin Peay State University after a postdoctoral fellowship at the American Museum of Natural History, where he used field, molecular, computational, and collections-based research methods to complete two federally funded projects.

He continues collaborating with the Frank Burbrink Lab as a research associate while undertaking his new duties at Austin Peay State University. Dr. Weinell earned his Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Kansas in 2022.

The Austin Peay State University College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) offers studies in agriculture, astronomy, aviation sciences, biology, chemistry, computer science, earth and environmental sciences, engineering physics, engineering technology, information technology, mathematics, medical laboratory sciences, radiologic sciences, and physics.

Our discipline-based programs are student-centered and prepare students for responsible positions in research, industry, education, medicine, and government.