Lawrence University has announced the hiring of three new tenure-track faculty for the 2026-27 academic year.
The new faculty members bring a wide range of scholarly, artistic, and teaching expertise that will enhance the Lawrence community and expand opportunities for student learning and collaboration.
Classes for the Fall Term begin Sept. 14.
Meet the new faculty
Eric Gibson, assistant professor of music and director of opera studies: Gibson joins Lawrence from The Ohio State University, where he has served as stage director of opera since 2022. Previously, he led the NAU Lyric Theater program at Northern Arizona University and has directed productions and taught at institutions across the country. Gibson received his bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Michigan. He holds graduate degrees in vocal performance and opera stage direction from the University of Michigan and Indiana University, and he’s currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in voice and theatre at the University of Mobile.
Ben Chan, associate professor of philosophy: Chan joins Lawrence after serving as a visiting associate professor of philosophy during the 2025-26 academic year. He previously taught at Lawrence from 2011 to 2013 and was a professor of philosophy at St. Norbert College. His scholarship and teaching focus on ethics, particularly biomedical ethics, and he teaches courses in areas such as ethics of technology, food ethics, and “the Good Life. Chan earned a bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College, a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, and completed postdoctoral work in bioethics at the National Institutes of Health. He is also known nationally as a nine-time champion on Jeopardy!, where he won more than $250,000 and later competed in the show’s Tournament of Champions.
Wenhao Dai, assistant professor of psychology: Dai joins the Lawrence tenure track after serving as a visiting assistant professor of psychology since 2023. A social psychologist, his research focuses on goals, motivation, and action in the context of social relationships. Before coming to Lawrence, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Annenberg Public Policy Center and the Department of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. Dai earned a Ph.D. and master’s degree in social psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a bachelor’s degree in psychology and communication from the University of California, Davis.
