Andreea Ritivoi, William S. Dietrich Professor of English, has been appointed associate dean of research for 黑料正能量鈥檚 Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Janine Dutcher, assistant research professor in the Psychology Department and co-director of the , will fill the newly created role of assistant dean of research. Both will begin their terms on July 1.
Ritivoi and Dutcher will succeed Julie Downs, who has been in the associate dean of research role since July 2023. Downs will become head of the Department of Social and Decision Sciences, effective July 1.
鈥淎ndreea Ritivoi has been a transformative leader in the humanities, and she is the perfect person to take the research profile in the humanities at Dietrich College to a new level. She will, also, along with Janine Dutcher, be central to supporting interdisciplinary research in the college involving all our departments,鈥� said Richard Scheines, Bess Family Dean of Dietrich College. 鈥淚 also want to thank Julie Downs, who has had a profound effect on improving and streamlining the research operations for the entire university. Julie is routinely called out in a positive way at university leadership meetings.鈥�
Keeping it interdisciplinary
Together, Ritivoi and Dutcher will ensure that Dietrich College鈥檚 research strategy is forward-looking and effectively implemented. As representatives of both the humanities and social sciences, their partnership embodies Dietrich College鈥檚 commitment to interdisciplinary excellence.
Ritivoi served as the head of the Department of English from 2015 to 2025. She has published numerous articles, three academic monographs, and three co-edited collections of interdisciplinary research. She serves on several editorial boards and was the senior editor of 鈥淪toryworlds. A Journal of Narrative Studies鈥� for over a decade. Her research focuses on political rhetoric, migration and globalization. She has received grants and fellowships from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Council of Learned Societies.
鈥淚t is an honor to step into this role, given the impressive research output at Dietrich College,鈥� Ritivoi said. 鈥淚 am particularly thrilled to support collaborations among faculty from different parts of our intellectual community, especially those that challenge us to think beyond disciplinary norms and conventions. This is a time of great opportunity for research precisely because it is a challenging time both in terms of the work that is needed and the funding mechanisms that have traditionally supported it. I am excited to partner with Janine Dutcher, who brings deep knowledge of the research infrastructure alongside her domain expertise in the social sciences.鈥�
Dutcher鈥檚 research seeks to investigate the neurobiological mechanisms for stress resilience, health and well-being. Using neuroimaging and psychoneuroimmunology 鈥� the study of the links between psychological responses, the endocrine and nervous systems, and immunity 鈥� Dutcher explores how stress and wellness interventions affect mental and physical health. She conducts longitudinal observational studies, randomized controlled trials of positive interventions like values affirmation and mindfulness, and studies with vulnerable populations, including cancer patients, lonely older adults, and young adults from vulnerable communities. Her ultimate goal is to inform the most effective interventions and strategies for helping individuals build resilience under difficult circumstances.
鈥淚 started my research career at Carnegie Mellon as a second-year undergraduate student in psychology,鈥� Dutcher said. 鈥淚 was quickly impressed with the caliber of research work coming out of the university and college and am thrilled to get the opportunity to help support this work in my role as assistant dean of research for Dietrich College. I know how critical research support structures are to successful research programs for faculty and trainees. I look forward to continuing to expand and strengthen these tools and to helping faculty continue to conduct interdisciplinary, novel and transformative research.鈥�