For the Record provides information about recent professional activities and honors of University of Delaware faculty, staff, students and alumni.

Recent presentations, appointments, publications, honors and memorials include the following:

Presentations 

Margaret Stetz, Mae and Robert Carter Professor of Women's Studies and professor of humanities, was an invited participant in an online scholarly workshop sponsored by Delaware Valley British Studies, an organization that has existed for more than 30 years and includes selected faculty and graduate students from the New Jersey-Pennsylvania-Delaware area. Held on Feb. 1, 2026, this meeting explored the topic of the medical (mis)treatment of enslaved women in Jamaica during the 18th and early 19th centuries. On Feb. 6, 2026, she was also an invited participant in an online seminar organized by the Washington Area Group for Print Culture Studies, where the subject was book illustration, focusing on the work of British women wood engravers of the Interwar period. 

Alexander Selimov, Elías Ahuja Chair and Professor of Spanish, presented a talk entitled "La mediación traductológica de la poesía femenina hispánica (Romanticismo–Postmodernismo): Contextos anglófonos y rusófonos" ("The Translational Mediation of Hispanic Women's Poetry [Romanticism–Postmodernism]: Anglophone and Russophone Contexts") at the I Congreso Internacional de Hispanistas sobre Estudios Literarios Femeninos y Feministas Comparados (First International Congress of Hispanists on Comparative Feminist and Women's Literary Studies), held at the Universidad de Cádiz, Jan. 11-14, 2026.

Appointments

Daniel White, associate professor of physical therapy, has been named co-editor-in-chief of Arthritis and Care (AC&R), an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals. White will lead the journal alongside Kelli Allen, professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and research health scientist at the Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System in Durham, N.C. The journal publishes research that promotes excellence in the clinical practice of rheumatology with major topics including evidence-based practice studies, clinical problems, practice guidelines, educational, social, and public health issues, health economics, health care policy, and future trends in rheumatology practice. White previously served as the AC&R’s associate editor.

Publications

Annie Johnson, associate University librarian for research, teaching and technology, coauthored the article "Anticipating Tomorrow: How the University of Delaware is Preparing for an AI-Driven World," in College and Research Libraries News.

Stephanie Raible, associate professor of entrepreneurship, and Laura Eisenman, professor of education, along with Theeraphong Bualar of Burapha University and former Fulbright Scholar at UD, have published a new article in Development in Practice titled “From exclusion to empowerment: Organisational cases of disability‑inclusive employment in Thailand.” The study examines how Thai organizations are advancing disability‑inclusive employment within a national policy environment that promotes such efforts. Drawing on interviews, field observations and document review, the authors analyze three social purpose organizations and identify both formal and informal opportunities and barriers shaping employment for people with disabilities. Their findings highlight how these organizations address gaps in formal systems while also acting as ecosystem builders in response to cultural and structural challenges.

Honors

Deb Jaisi, professor of environmental biochemistry in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, has been selected as a 2026 recipient of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) Innovation Award. This honor is bestowed upon one scientist globally every two years. The awards committee recognized Jaisi for pioneering scientific innovation on analyzing position-specific phosphate isotopes using advanced Orbitrap mass spectrometry, which has opened up new ways to trace sources of phosphorus pollution in the environment. The committee also noted the significance of Jaisi’s work developing next-generation nanofertilizers to improve how plants utilize nutrients while reducing the negative impacts on the environment. Jaisi’s contributions to soil sciences are praised for influencing both fundamental research and applied nutrient management around the world. Jaisi will receive the award during the World Congress of Soil Sciences in June 2026. 

In Memoriam

Anita Chandler-Wilcher, a custodial technician in Facilities, Custodial Services Academic for more than 40 years, passed away Dec. 7, 2025. Remembered as a hard worker, she joined the UD staff in 1983.

Cecily Sawyer-Harmon, a Human Resources administrator for more than 30 years, died Feb. 9, 2026. During her tenure at UD, she held various positions in Human Resources, including director of the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program, and she conducted diversity training to staff and incoming students. She retired in 2023.

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