HFA Welcomes New Faculty Members for 2026–27 Academic Year
Several new faculty members share their scholarship, creative practice, and goals for joining HFA.
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The College of Humanities and Fine Arts (HFA) welcomes new faculty members for the 2026–27 academic year. Across the college, these educators bring wide-ranging experience and approaches to teaching, research, creative practice, and community engagement.
Below, several of HFA’s new faculty members introduce their work and share what they are looking forward to as they join the college.
Walid Akef
Assistant professor, History of Art and Architecture
Walid Akef’s research focuses on Islamic art, architecture, and archaeology, with particular interests in al-Andalus and the Mediterranean. He has taught Islamic art and architecture at Ain Shams University and world architectural history at Harvard University. His scholarship has appeared in Arabic, Spanish, and English, and he is currently working on articles about mural painting and Mediterranean court culture, as well as his first monograph on aristocratic agricultural estates in late medieval Granada.
Akef earned a BA from Ain Shams University, an MA in art history from the University of Granada, an MA in Muslim cultures from the Aga Khan University, and a PhD in art history from Harvard University.
“I am very excited to teach and mentor students at UMass, collaborate with my outstanding colleagues in the History of Art and Architecture program and beyond, and continue developing and publishing my research,” Akef says.
Tracey Bullington
Assistant professor of art education, Department of Art
Tracey Bullington is an art education researcher, teacher, and visual artist from New Orleans. She uses qualitative and arts-based research methods to investigate how students and teachers use artmaking to work toward social change. A licensed art teacher, Bullington has six years of experience teaching in K–12 public schools. Her own artistic practice includes comics, woodcut prints, and artists’ books.
At the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Bullington taught comics courses inside a local men’s prison through the Wisconsin Prison Humanities Project and helped develop an arts-integrated professional learning program for K–8 teachers. Her recent scholarship examines how children use art to respond to climate change, ecological disaster, and other social issues.
Bullington earned a BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; an MAT in art education from Tufts University; and a PhD in curriculum and instruction from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
“I’m so excited to be part of a community that values and celebrates scholarship across modalities and forms, from artwork to academic writing and community-based scholarship,” Bullington says. “I look forward to interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration with students and colleagues across HFA.”
David Casali
Lecturer in music education, Department of Music and Dance
David Casali comes to UMass Amherst with nine years of experience teaching in public schools, primarily in Springfield, Massachusetts. His teaching has ranged from preschool and middle school music instruction to adult ukulele classes. He has also contributed to music and arts education projects with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Casali’s research examines how elementary music educators use artificial intelligence tools to increase student access. At UMass Amherst, he plans to continue studying the role of artificial intelligence in music education, with an emphasis on mitigating its risks and making music education more inclusive and accessible. A double bassist, he also performs with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra several times a year.
Casali earned a BM and PhD from UMass Amherst and an MM from Indiana University.
“I am most excited about creating new partnerships and fostering existing connections between UMass and the surrounding musical and educational community,” Casali says.
Emily Leue
Lecturer, Department of Theater
Emily Leue has worked across the performing arts industry, including in regional and commercial theater, presenting organizations, opera, and dance. Her experience includes work with the American Repertory Theater, ShowMotion Inc., the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College, and the Academy of Music in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Leue earned a BA in theater arts from Earlham College and an MFA in technical design and production from the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University.
“I look forward to helping the next generation of theater professionals unlock the satisfaction of knowing how to turn an idea into a finished production,” Leue says.
Mix Mann
Assistant professor, W. E. B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies
Mix Mann’s scholarship examines Black intimate life at the intersection of race, gender, family, and sexuality in the 19th- and 20th-century United States. Their first book manuscript, tentatively titled She Feels Like Home: Black Women and Queer Domesticity, 1859–1970, explores how Black women’s domestic arrangements and desires can help illuminate their same-sex intimate relationships.
Mann teaches courses on Black women’s history, queer history, the history of the family, and Black feminist and queer theory. They earned a BA in Africana studies from the University of Notre Dame and an MA and PhD in history from the University of Michigan.
“I’m looking forward to taking advantage of exciting events and conversations happening across the College of Humanities and Fine Arts,” Mann says. “I enjoy being a part of a rich intellectual community.”
Mariah Smith
Lecturer, Department of Architecture
Mariah Smith’s practice explores the role of visual representation in the production and contemplation of tactile, domestically coded environments, with a particular focus on textiles. In 2023, she co-founded Rag Rug Study Group, a collaborative research project, platform, and community archive that places reworked textiles in dialogue with contemporary art, design, and architectural practice.
Before joining UMass Amherst, Smith taught introductory design studios at Barnard College and Syracuse University. She earned a BA in architecture from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MArch from Princeton University.
“I look forward to joining the vibrant community of thoughtful artists, designers, and scholars in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts,” Smith says.
Daoru Wang
Assistant professor, Department of Architecture
Daoru Wang’s teaching and research focus on computational design, structural design and analysis, and the integration of digital workflows into architectural education. He developed Bridge, an open-source plugin that connects Rhino and Grasshopper workflows with structural analysis software, allowing structural analysis to be incorporated into the early stages of design.
Before joining UMass Amherst, Wang worked at architecture and design firm LS3P and served as an assistant teaching professor at Ball State University. He also creates educational content about structural design, digital modeling, and construction through his YouTube channel.
Wang earned a BArch and PhD in design from North Carolina State University and an MArch from Yale University.
“I am excited to join HFA and collaborate with students and colleagues to explore new possibilities at the intersection of architecture, technology, and design,” Wang says. “I look forward to contributing to a creative and interdisciplinary learning environment.”