Bates College has added 17 new tenured or tenure-track professors for the 2025-2026 academic year. The latest group introduced includes faculty in physics, economics, and earth and climate sciences.
Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy Wesley Gillis brings a focus on collaborative learning to his classroom. He said, “Collaboration is at the heart of both my teaching and my scholarship. In the classroom, I am focused on implementing team-based learning across the physics curriculum. This approach helps students build effective team dynamics, develop collaborative problem-solving skills, and engage deeply with complex, real-world problems through shared inquiry and discussion.”
Gillis is involved in the nEXO collaboration, an international project aimed at understanding neutrinos. He explained his research: “My research similarly centers on collaborative engagement within a large, international scientific community. As a member of the nEXO collaboration — comprising approximately 200 scientists worldwide — I contribute to the research and development of a next-generation, underground experiment designed to investigate the fundamental nature of the neutrino. Specifically, my lab studies the detection mechanisms, hardware design, and data analysis of vacuum ultraviolet light in liquid xenon. Together, our work aims to answer one of physics’ most profound questions: Is the neutrino its own antiparticle?”
Reflecting on his first year at Bates College, Gillis said he was excited to perform Dvorak’s 9th Symphony with the college orchestra. Regarding teaching moments he values most, he noted: “When a class full of teams has been given a challenging problem, the volume ramps from a dull rumble to a clamorous cacophony of engagement. This is when I know good learning is happening.”
Professor Eugene Choo joined as Professor of Economics. His expertise lies in empirical industrial organization and econometrics with an emphasis on marriage matching and household formation economics. “I specialize in empirical industrial organization and econometrics, with a research focus on marriage matching and the economics of household formation. My work combines structural modeling and econometric identification to study matching markets,” Choo stated.
Before coming to Bates College, Choo taught courses such as econometrics and mathematical economics. On joining Bates College he said: “I am excited about joining the vibrant liberal arts community and engaging with Bates students. I am also looking forward to exploring the beautiful state of Maine.” Choo enjoys observing students’ growth: “My favorite part of teaching is watching students discover economics and how it is used to look at everyday life.”
Assistant Professor Charlotte Connop specializes in metamorphic petrology and geochronology within climate and earth sciences. She described her field by saying: “I’m a metamorphic petrologist and geochronologist. These are fancy words to say that I date the formation of (usually pretty old) metamorphic rocks and try to figure out how these rocks formed.” Her research looks into geological processes deep within Earth that are not directly observable.
Connop integrates her research interests into her classes where students learn about mineral formation at different scales—atomic up through tectonic environments—and analyze Earth processes over time periods ranging from nano-scale events to macro-scale changes.
She commented on her first-year experience: “I’m most excited about getting to know everyone in the Bates community! Whether it’s students in class… or seeing my fellow faculty… everyone has been so welcoming so far.” Connop appreciates when students synthesize information across disciplines: “My favorite part of teaching is watching students pull together information from across the semester (and across their courses) to grapple with complex scientific questions…”
The new faculty members represent ongoing efforts by Bates College to strengthen its academic programs through diverse expertise in science fields.
