Academic Technology Services About ATS

Andy specializes in mathematical, spatial, and computational analysis. He has a Ph.D. in Physics and more than thirty years experience in research, teaching, and using and supporting academic technology in higher education. On the side he engages in environmental, historical, and political research, along with the occasional digital humanities project.

Andy regularly teaches short courses for summer research students and interterm students, and supports thesis projects and semester-course projects that have a major technology dependence. He also occasionally co-teaches courses that have a major analytical research component, including at the University of Massachusetts, where he is an adjunct assistant professor in Environmental Conservation. In addition, he has created a number of maps for faculty publications.

Max supports the integration of Moodle, Wordpress, and other academic technology tools  in curricular and research applications. They have a B.S. in Microbiology and an MPH in Epidemiology from the University of Michigan which allowed them to gain experience in using a variety of statistical research tools and learn about bioethics. Having taken the long way around to the field of academic technology, they are interested in how technology is incorporated in different disciplines in higher education and how it can be used in novel ways.

Doug Hall provides support for academic research computing. This includes use of tools for High Performance Computing, Artificial Intelligence, 3-D Modeling and other emerging technologies. He has a Ph.D. in Polymer Science and Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, with research focused on computational and theoretical study of Geometry and Soft Matter Physics. Prior to UMass, he obtained a B.S. in Mathematics and Materials Science from Brown University and conducted experimental research in Materials Science. Doug joined Amherst College in Fall 2023.

Jaya Kannan joined Amherst College as the Director of Technology for Curriculum and Research in the summer of 2018. Kannan’s background in higher-education combines international teaching experience, management of teaching and learning centers, implementation of a USD 2.25 million federal grant, and scholarship in digital pedagogy. Kannan has a PhD in Computer Assisted Language Learning using Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ICALL). More...

Susan provides support for assistive technology and digital accessibility. During her more than 20 years of work at Harvard, UMass and since 2011 Amherst College, she has acquired wide ranging expertise in many areas relating to IT for higher education including digital accessibility. Her interests include assistive technology, digital accessibility and literacy, digital humanities, language learning, life sciences, music, video production, technical training, Web programming, and writing. She holds a BA in English from McGill University and an MA in Communication from The Ohio State University.   

Kara is the primary Moodle administrator and provides support for other academic technologies. She is interested in the ways communication, pedagogy, and technology intersect. She has a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Connecticut, where her research focused on the use of communication technology in higher education.