Phase III of the Next Generation University Studies Program

Dr. Morteza Dejam is an Associate Professor of Energy and Petroleum Engineering and Computing at the University of Wyoming and an Associate Editor for Water Resources Research and Journal of Hydrology. He obtained his Ph.D., M.Sc., and B.Sc. in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Calgary, Sharif University of Technology, and Petroleum University of Technology in 2016, 2009, and 2007, respectively. His research area is transport phenomena and thermodynamics of fluids in porous media, focusing on solute dispersion, phase behavior of nanoconfined fluids, geological storage, geothermal energy, enhanced oil recovery, fluid flow in shale rocks, and block-to-block interaction in fractured porous media. Dr. Dejam’s contributions to research, teaching, and service have been recognized by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Rocky Mountain North America Region through the SPE Regional Reservoir Description and Dynamics Award and SPE Regional Distinguished Achievement Award for Petroleum Engineering Faculty in 2019 and the SPE Regional Service Award in 2022. As a high-achieving and outstanding early-career faculty member who has shown significant promise for the scholarship, Dr. Dejam has recently been recognized by the University of Wyoming’s Office of the President to receive the 2022 Presidential Scholarly Achievement Award for Promising Early-Career Faculty.

Chief of Staff

Old Main 318

(307) 766-6476

mandyj@uwyo.edu

Responsibilities: Board of Trustees, Faculty Senate, Deans & Directors, Legislation, Confidential Matters

Nevin Aiken is an Associate Professor of Political Science and International Studies in the School of Politics, Public Affairs and International Studies (SPPAIS).  In addition to his teaching and scholarly activities, he has developed an extensive background and leadership experience in the area of experiential learning.  As Director of the Political Science and International Studies Programs, Nevin has overseen extensive internship, volunteer/public service, place-based learning, study abroad, and field research opportunities for students in SPPAIS.  As a faculty member, he has also led numerous study abroad programs to the Middle East, Northern Ireland, Vietnam, and Cambodia.  In 2021-2022, Nevin was chosen to serve as an Academic Affairs Faculty Fellow with UW’s Global Engagement Office and worked with Education Abroad and the US State Department to design and host a national training workshop on ‘best practices’ in faculty-led study abroad.  In 2023-2024, Nevin was selected as a Presidential Fellow to work with President Seidel and the Office of Academic Affairs to establish a new cross-college institutional center that will enhance student excellence and success by increasing student access, participation, and engagement in high-impact interdisciplinary experiential learning at the University of Wyoming.

April Heaney directs the Learning Resource Network (LeaRN), an umbrella of academic success and enrichment programs including Summer and Fall Bridge, first-year living-learning communities (LLCs), First Gen Scholars, First-Year Experience courses, STEP tutoring and Supplemental Instruction, Writing Center, and Communication Across the Curriculum. Dr. Heaney’s work has received several national awards, including the Hesburgh Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and Learning, the Conference on Basic Writing Award for Innovation, and the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate. Heaney is also a senior lecturer in the English Department.

Eric Krszjzaniek, PhD, is a Lecturer in the Management & Marketing Department. Originally hailing from Wisconsin, Eric worked for NGO developing curriculum for the Department of Energy, and served as a County Commissioner for Portage County, Wisconsin, prior to moving to Laramie in 2012 to pursue graduate studies. For his graduate work at UW, Eric earned dual Masters degrees in Rhetoric and Environment & Natural Resources, as well as his PhD in Marketing & Sustainable Business Practices, before joining the University of Wyoming as faculty in 2018. Some of his past research has focused on how experiential consumption can change consumers, how the abject affects consumer behavior, and the role of students to inspire change in local government. His current research focuses on how consumers adapt to a lack of marketing systems.