2026 class of McCausland Fellows announced

Six faculty members have been named as the 2026 recipients of the McCausland Faculty Fellowship, the premier fellowship in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina.

The three-year fellowship supports early-career faculty who excel in both teaching and research, providing a salary bonus as well as a research fund. This year’s fellows explore a wide range of topics, such as the way gut bacteria cause inflammation, how atmospheric chemistry impacts climate, the teaching of children’s literature and more. They also stand out for the way they have helped students grow as scholars in their disciplines.

“The 2026 McCausland Faculty Fellows have established themselves as insightful, innovative scholars in their fields and as educators dedicated to helping each student develop their potential,” Thomas E. Hodges, interim dean of the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, said. “We look forward to seeing how these faculty enhance their research and teaching with the support of this fellowship.”

The new McCausland Fellows include:

• Kaitlin Boyle, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice
• Melissa Ellermann, Department of Biological Sciences
• Chelsea Fisher, Department of Anthropology
• Wuchen Li, Department of Mathematics
• Tharini Viswanath, Department of English Language and Literature
• Wendell Walters, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

The McCausland Faculty Fellowship was established through a $10 million endowment from Bonnie and Peter McCausland, a 1971 graduate of the college. Nearly 70 current USC faculty members have been named McCausland Fellows.

In 2025, the college was named the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences to honor the McCauslands’ philanthropic support to the university, now totaling $75 million. In addition to growing the faculty fellowship fund, their giving is supporting student career readiness, scholarships, neuroscience research and additional faculty support.

“Bonnie and Peter McCausland have allowed us to enhance the student experience and scholarly achievement in our college with visionary investment in our student programming and faculty development,” Hodges said. “We are grateful for their incredible support of these strategic initiatives.”

More about the 2026 McCausland Fellows

Kaitlin M. Boyle, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice

Kaitlin M. Boyle is a sociologist whose research examines interpersonal violence to strengthen prevention efforts and improve institutional responses. Her work focuses on the consequences of sexual, partner and gender-based violence, with particular attention to how mental health, emotions, identity and power shape individuals’ experiences of victimization and justice.

Her recent research investigates how police bias affects the health and identities of Black Americans, how survivors of sexual abuse construct meaning and healing, and how perceptions of fairness influence reporting decisions. She also examines how laws and legal systems protect or endanger women and girls.

Her research has been supported by internal grants at USC and external funding from the U.S. Department of Justice. Additionally, her scholarship has been published in peer-reviewed journals including JAMA Network Open, Criminology and Social Psychology Quarterly.

Boyle teaches courses in sociology, criminology and research methods. Her students praise her ability to combine subject-matter expertise with empathy and provide individualized guidance that supports students’ academic growth and professional development.

Melissa Ellermann, Department of Biological Sciences

Melissa Ellermann is a microbiologist who studies how the gut microbiome ― the microorganisms that naturally live in the intestinal tract ― interact with host immune systems and how disruptions in these interactions may cause chronic inflammation, as well as how dietary patterns and hormonal signaling networks shape microbial overgrowth and inflammatory responses. Her lab addresses colonization resistance, the process by which the gut microbiome restricts the growth of E. coli and other pathogens, and what can disrupt that resistance.

Her research is supported by the National Institutes of Health and has been published in peer-reviewed journals including Cell, Nature Communications, Gut Microbes and mBio.

Ellermann teaches courses in microbiology and biomedical sciences and mentors students in independent laboratory research. Students frequently cite her ability to cultivate a research environment that encourages independence, confidence and scientific leadership, supporting students’ development as capable researchers and emerging professionals in science.

Chelsea Fisher, Department of Anthropology

Chelsea Fisher is an anthropological archaeologist whose research investigates sustainability, traditional ecological knowledge and the long-term dynamics of environmental justice. Her work integrates archaeological, environmental and community-based approaches to understand how past land-use practices shape contemporary ecological systems.

She directs an archaeological field project in the Indigenous Maya lands of Yucatán, Mexico, examining the long-term social and ecological impacts of cattle farming. She has also initiated research on the archaeology of the 19th-century Southern gold rush in the Carolinas.

Her scholarship includes numerous publications on Maya agriculture and sustainability. Her 2023 book, Rooting in a Useless Land: Ancient Farmers, Celebrity Chefs, and Environmental Justice in Yucatán, explores connections among archaeology, food sovereignty and contemporary food systems.

Fisher teaches courses in archaeology, environmental anthropology and Mesoamerican prehistory. Through sustained field mentorship and rigorous classroom engagement, Fisher challenges students to think critically while modeling collaborative, community-centered scholarship that her students say leaves a lasting impact on their academic and professional paths.

Wuchen Li, Department of Mathematics

Wuchen Li develops mathematical foundations for modern data science and machine learning by applying principles of geometry, statistics and game theory. His research connects mathematical theory with computational methods to improve understanding of machine learning systems and to predict the actions of interacting decision makers.

His recent work advances optimization methods and theoretical models relevant to large-scale data analysis and artificial intelligence.

His research has been supported by major external grants, including an Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Program award. He has published more than 80 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals and delivered more than 100 invited talks.

Li teaches courses in mathematics, optimization and computational methods and mentors doctoral and undergraduate students in research. He directs the department’s Research Experience for Undergraduates program focused on the mathematical foundations of data science. Li teaches theory and application in a way that students say allows them to deepen their technical mastery.

Tharini Viswanath, Department of English Language and Literature

Tharini Viswanath is a scholar of children’s and young adult literature whose research examines agency in literary and cultural contexts. Her work explores constructions of feminine agency in young adult novels and films, the roles of creators and readers in picture books, and the dynamics of authority and participation in the children’s literature classroom.

Her current projects include a forthcoming book, The Discursive Material: Constructions of Femininity in Young Adult Speculative Fiction, and a second book-length study on representations of the South Asian diaspora in children’s and young adult literature.

Her scholarship has been published in peer-reviewed journals including Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, South Asia, Jeunesse, Journal of Popular Romance Studies and The ALAN Review.

Viswanath teaches courses in children’s literature, literary theory and cultural studies and mentors students in literary research and critical writing. Her students praise her attentive teaching and high academic standards that foster an inclusive classroom environment.

Wendell W. Walters, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Wendell Walters is an analytical and environmental chemist whose research explores how chemical reactions occur in the atmosphere, across diverse environments on Earth and during the early stages of planetary formation. By examining subtle differences in atomic mass, he can track isotopes, which become chemical tracers that reveal the pathways and conditions under which molecules are formed and transformed. His group specializes in high-resolution mass spectrometry to explore how sunlight and chemical reactions lead to isotope separation. Among other applications, his research aims to improve how atmospheric chemistry is represented in air-quality models.

His work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other leading organizations focused on atmospheric research, and his publications have appeared in journals including Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences and International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology.

At USC he teaches Quantitative Analysis and Atmospheric Chemistry. His students highly regard his ability to create a positive lab environment that helps them develop technical skills as well as a deep appreciation for atmospheric chemistry.