Faculty Experts
From the discovery of new planets to the work of noted criminologists, SF State offers a wide variety of scholars who are the most distinguished in their fields. This directory identifies academics who possess insight and knowledge of diverse subjects and who are willing to work with journalists whenever possible. The faculty experts directory is compiled by the Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications.
If you need immediate assistance finding an expert, please call (415) 338-1665 or email pubcom@sfsu.edu.
William Cochlan
Senior Research Scientist for the Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies
Office Phone: (415) 338-3541
Email: cochlan@sfsu.edu
William Cochlan, whose research lab is at the Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies (RTC), is a biological oceanographer and marine microbial geneticist who studies how environmental changes affect the physiology of phytoplankton and bacteria. His recent research, published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, looks at the effectiveness of iron enrichment on the oceans.
Areas of Expertise:
Marine biology and microbiology
Phytoplankton
Algae
Highest Degree: Ph.D., Oceanography, University of British Columbia
Sarah Cohen
Professor of Biology
Office Phone: (415) 338-3750
Email: sarahcoh@sfsu.edu
With appointments at the Department of Biology, and at the Robert Tiburon Center (RTC), Sarah Cohen's research interests are in how ecological, behavioral and environmental features shape evolution and genetic systems in diverse organisms. Most of her work is in marine and estuarine settings.
Areas of Expertise:
Marine population biology
Coastal and marine conservation
Population genetics
Highest Degree: Ph.D., Zoology, University of Washington
Robert Keith Collins
Associate Professor and Chair of American Indian Studies
Office Phone: (415) 338-1054
Email: Rkc@sfsu.edu
Robert Collins is an authority on African and Native American cultures in the Americas as well as the ethnic identification of persons who are of both African American and Native American heritages. Collins is of African-Choctaw descent.
Areas of Expertise:
American Indian Choctaw language and culture
American Indian cultural changes
Highest Degree: Ph.D., Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles
Roy Conboy
Professor of Theatre Arts
Office Phone: (415) 338-1614
Email: rconboy@sfsu.edu
Roy Conboy is a Chicano playwright, director, and teacher, and is the head of the Playwrighting Program at SF State, teaching in both Theatre Arts and Creative Writing. His plays and those of his former students have been produced on stages across California and the United States.
Areas of Expertise:
Playwriting and contemporary theatre
Modern Chicano theatre
Business and production of playwriting
Highest Degree: M.F.A., Acting and Directing, University of California, Irvine
Jamal Cooks
Professor of Secondary Education
Office Phone: (415) 338-2065
Email: jcooks@sfsu.edu
Jamal Cooks is an expert on the connections among education, popular culture and hip hop, particularly the use of hip hop to teach literacy in schools.
Areas of Expertise:
Using music and sports as a teaching tool in the classroom
Using hip hop in schools to teach expository writing skills
Highest Degree: Using hip hop in schools to teach expository writing skills
Jeff Cookston
Professor of Psychology
Office Phone: (415) 405-2133
Email: cookston@sfsu.edu
Jeff Cookston is an expert on father-child relationships, particularly during adolescence, and how families and children adjust during and after divorce.
Areas of Expertise:
How children adjust to divorce
Social constructions of fatherhood and parenting
Marital conflict
Highest Degree: Ph.D., Educational Psychology - Human Development and Education, University of Texas, Austin
Adrienne Cool
Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Office Phone: (415) 338-6450
Email: cool@sfsu.edu
Adrienne Cool is an expert on globular clusters (dense aggregates of stars) and the exotic types of star found within them, including binary stars (pairs of stars that orbit each other), blue stragglers and white dwarf stars.
Areas of Expertise:
Globular star clusters
White dwarf stars
Blue stragglers
Highest Degree: Ph.D., Astronomy, Harvard University
Carlos B. Cordova
Professor of Latina/Latino Studies
Office Phone: (415) 405-2419
Email: cordova@sfsu.edu
Carlos Cordova is an expert on South American countries and populations including settlement patterns, demographics and Latino emigrants from these countries in the U.S.
Areas of Expertise:
Central American politics
Central American culture and society
Central American migration
Highest Degree: Ed.D., Multicultural Education, University of San Francisco