Rose-Hulman's renowned and nationally-ranked STEM education begins in the classroom with faculty who are leaders in their fields and are award-winning educators, innovators, and researchers. At the start of the 2026-27 academic year, Rose-Hulman welcomed 13 new faculty members, whose technical expertise, and passion for student learning will enrich the Rose-Hulman academic experience and provide valuable opportunities for students.
The new faculty members by department are:
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Katie Blessinger, PhD, is an assistant professor of biology and biomedical engineering. Blessinger recently completed her dissertation at Ohio State University, where she used motion analysis and musculoskeletal simulations to study sit-to-stand performance in patients before and after total knee replacement. She also leveraged machine learning techniques and large datasets of clinically accessible videos to further characterize common sit-to-stand phenotypes. A 2020 Rose-Hulman biomedical and mechanical engineering graduate, Blessinger spoke so highly of her experience that her younger brother, John, also studied at Rose-Hulman, graduating in 2023 with a degree in mechanical engineering. In her free time, Blessinger enjoys traveling, baking, cooking, and refurbishing furniture and is looking forward to exploring Terre Haute's restaurants. |
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Caroline Ludden, PhD, is an assistant professor of biology and biomedical engineering who earned both a bachelor's degree in integrative biology and a doctorate in plant biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research explored carbon storage in Arctic drained lake basins and Arctic boreal peatlands, using remote sensing imagery, process-based biogeochemical modeling, and field surveys in the Arctic tundra. Ludden completed a gap year between her undergraduate and graduate work at a refugee resettlement agency in Syracuse, New York. An avid hobbyist, Ludden enjoys reading, gardening, and her sourdough starter. Ludden's husband, Ian Ludden, PhD, graduated from Rose-Hulman in 2016 with degrees in computer engineering and mathematics and is an assistant professor of computer science and software engineering and faculty mentor to the Noblitt Scholars Program at Rose-Hulman. |
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Krishanthi Weerasinghe, PhD, is a visiting associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry who earned a bachelor's degree from University of Sri Jayewardenepura in Sri Lanka and a doctorate in chemistry from University of Southern Illinois. Weerasinghe spent 10 years at Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan, teaching courses in chemistry and physics and rising to the rank of associate professor. She has extensive research experience in computational chemistry and will be teaching courses in general and physical chemistry. Weerasinghe enjoys gardening and being outdoors, as well as watching and playing volleyball. Her daughter is in sixth grade, and her husband, Pradeep, is a robotics instructor at Ivy Tech Community College in East Chicago, Indiana. |
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Khondhaker Al Momin, PhD, is an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering who earned his doctorate in transportation engineering from University of Oklahoma. His focus has been on the infrastructure for electric vehicles. Though Momin is new to Rose-Hulman, he continues an academic legacy begun by his doctoral advisor, who was a visiting faculty member in 2016. Momin loves to travel and has a goal of visiting all 50 states, preferring to drive to each state if possible. Momin lives with his wife and two children. |
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Jorge Cristancho Rodriguez, PhD, is a visiting assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering from Los Andes University in Bogotá. Believing that education is one of the most sustainable drivers for social change, Cristancho Rodriguez's teaching and professional interests focus on serving people and nature. Using circuits, bio-inspired control systems, and his family's nonprofit organization, he has mentored more than 100 engineering projects in control and automation, bioengineering, and power systems. After teaching electrical and computer engineering courses for over 10 years, Cristancho Rodriguez moved with his wife and dog to pursue a PhD in engineering education at Purdue University. His research focuses on eco-social values and effective and fair teamwork in engineering education. Cristancho Rodriguez enjoys playing soccer, chess, and board games, as well as backpacking, hiking, biking, running, and mushroom foraging with his wife and daughter. |
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Zach Bergstedt, PhD, is an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. A 2018 Rose-Hulman graduate, Bergstedt was one of the first students to earn a concurrent bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and master's degree in electrical and computer engineering, laying the foundation for what would later become the Rose Squared program. After graduation, he fulfilled his U.S. Air Force ROTC duties as an Air Force officer at the Space Vehicles directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory. Bergstedt completed his doctorate at the University of New Mexico, researching millimeter-wave and terahertz antennas. His other technical interests include electronics packaging, reliability, and fabrication, as well as radar imaging, satellites, radioastronomy, and astrophotography. He enjoys hiking with his wife and two daughters and playing board games, pickleball, and other sports with friends. |
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Phillip Carleton, PhD, is an assistant professor of engineering management, who joins Rose-Hulman from Oregon State University, where he served as an instructor and research associate. Carleton earned his doctorate in industrial engineering from Oregon State University, where he studied measuring, modeling, and optimizing equity in public transit service. Carleton also earned master's degrees in management and industrial and systems engineering and a bachelor's degree in industrial and systems engineering, all from the University of Florida. He enjoys biking, hiking, backpacking, and rock climbing, as well as brewing beer, playing disc golf, and knitting. |
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Zeena Fuleihan, PhD, is a visiting assistant professor of English who earned her doctorate from Duke University and earned numerous fellowships and awards to support her research. Fuleihan also earned a Bachelor of Arts in English with an emphasis in creative writing from Macalester College, as well as a Master of Arts in Contemporary Literature, Culture, and Theory from King's College London and a Master of Arts in Literature from Duke University. Fuleihan's areas of specialization include postcolonial literature and theory, Middle East studies, and feminist studies. Fuleihan plays flute and piccolo, is passionate about notebook-keeping systems, and dabbles in a variety of fiber-based crafts, including once embroidering a couch to patch cat scratches.
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Carsten Haas, PhD, is a visiting assistant professor of German. Haas earned a Bachelor of Arts in German studies and linguistics from Macalester College and a doctorate in German from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He specializes in the intersection of language, linguistics, and literacy and is interested in high-complexity poetry, especially kenning, and secret languages. He has published scholarly articles about and edited translations of poetry written in early Germanic languages, including Old Norse, Old English, and Old Saxon. In his free time, Haas enjoys cooking, reading, hiking, and camping, as well as playing tabletop role-playing games and roguelike video games. |
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Natalie Beams, PhD, is a visiting assistant professor in mechanical engineering, who previously served as a research assistant professor in the Innovative Computing Laboratory at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Beams earned both her master's and doctoral degrees in theoretical and applied mechanics from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where her research focused on numerical methods for partial differential equations. Beams also completed a postdoctoral appointment at Rice University. She enjoys creating crossword puzzles and has designed several custom puzzles as gifts for fellow cruciverbalists in her life. |
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Eliot Bethke, PhD, is a visiting assistant professor of mechanical engineering, who earned a doctorate in computational bioengineering and a bachelor's degree in cell and tissue bioengineering, both from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research focuses on using natural language processing and data-driven approaches to better understand knowledge structures in academia and to improve the modeling and measurement of clinical systems. Bethke spent several years working with Midwest startups, helping develop innovative hardware and software products in highly collaborative environments. He joined the Carle Illinois College of Medicine in 2018, where he earned multiple departmental and university-level teaching awards that reflect his passion for student learning. |
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Josh Katz, PhD, is a visiting assistant professor of mechanical engineering who earned his doctorate in curriculum and instruction from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research focused on collaborative learning in engineering education and other STEM disciplines. Katz also holds a master's degree in STEM education and leadership and a bachelor's degree in technology and engineering education, both from Illinois State University. He has served as a high school technology and engineering teacher, a graphic communications instructor at Illinois State University, and an engineering technology and IT consultant with the RAND Manufacturing Network. Katz also enjoys cycling, building and troubleshooting computers, and evaluating cheese pizza. He looks forward to adding Terre Haute pizzas to his rankings. |
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Trevor Fleck, PhD, is an associate professor of mechanical engineering. He earned his bachelor, master's, and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from Purdue University. Prior to joining Rose-Hulman, Fleck spent six years at Baylor University, where he developed expertise in advanced manufacturing, materials development, and nondestructive evaluation methods used to qualify critical components. His work has focused on improving the reliability and performance of engineered systems through innovative testing and assessment techniques. Fleck is excited to collaborate with students and colleagues in advanced mechanical engineering education, particularly in areas of advanced and additive manufacturing. He and his wife enjoy visiting national parks and have explored 13 since their marriage in 2019. Fleck is also an enthusiastic home cook and a proud father of two. |
