The iSchool is pleased to announce that Brandon Batzloff will join the faculty as a teaching assistant professor. Batzloff, who holds a PhD in cognitive and information sciences from the University of California Merced, conducts research on social systems dynamics at multiple scales, from decision making in individuals to group interactions, and applies this research to real-world projects.
Batzloff previously served as director of the Frontiers of Science Institute at the University of Northern Colorado, where they developed a plan to use education equity initiatives as a tool to increase access to resources by marginalized communities local to the university. These initiatives have also been used to establish a pipeline of students from indigenous communities in surrounding states for the purpose of helping those communities become more independent and develop ownership of research.
This fall, Batzloff will teach Analytical Foundations for Information Problems (IS 203) and Community Innovation (IS 266).
"Joining the iSchool faculty is the most exciting prospect of my life," they said. "My background is highly interdisciplinary, and I am excited to be working in an environment where this is valued. I look forward to being a part of a great learning community. There is so much experience to be gained from both the faculty and students of UIUC."