Six Women Scholars Have Joined the Faculty at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts

The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, has seven new tenure-track faculty on campus this fall. Six of the seven new hires are women.

Nina Barzachka was hired as an assistant professor of political science. Prior to Holy Cross, she taught at Dickinson College, Transylvania University, Gettysburg College and Mary Baldwin College. Dr. Barzachka is a graduate of Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, where she majored in French and international relations. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia.

Shreyashi Chakdar is a new assistant professor of physics. She was a graduate fellow at the University of California, Santa Barbara, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Virginia and a visiting assistant professor at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Dr. Chakdar earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Lady Brabourne College of the University of Calcutta. She holds a master’s degree in physics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee and a Ph.D. in theoretical particle physics from Oklahoma State University.

Amy FInstein is teaching visual arts at Holy Cross. She had taught at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Dr. Finstein was a visiting assistant professor at the College of the Holy Cross from 2017-19 until she was named to the tenure-track faculty. Dr. Finstein is a graduate of Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, where she majored in American studies. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in architectural history from the University of Virginia.

Sarah Klotz has joined the faculty of the English department. She previously taught at the University of California, Davis, Butte College in Oroville, California, the University of Southern California, and Michigan State University. Dr. Klotz is a graduate of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, where she double majored in English and women’s studies. She earned a master’s degree and Ph.D. in English from the University of California, Davis.

Liat Spiro was hired by the history department. She is a social and economic historian of the nineteenth century. Before joining the faculty at Holy Cross, Dr. Spiro taught at Harvard University and the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Dr. Spiro earned a bachelor’s degree in history and international studies from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in history from Harvard University.

Elizabeth Spragins is a new assistant professor of Spanish. She is a scholar of the early modern Mediterranean. Dr. Spragins previously taught at the University of California, Berkeley and Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. A graduate of Williams College in Massachusetts, Dr. Spragins earned a master’s degree in Spanish at Middlebury College in Vermont and a second master’s degree in Hispanic studies from the University of Pennsylvania. She holds a Ph.D. in Iberian and Latin American cultures from Stanford University.