People Spotlights
All Spotlights
![Diana Kormos Buchwald square headshot](https://divisions-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/hss70/images/CIT_HSS_DianaKormosBuchwald_1.2e16d0ba.fill-432x432-c100.jpg)
- Robert M. Abbey Professor of History; Director and General Editor, The Einstein Papers Project
Diana Kormos Buchwald
We are always asked, 'Is there anything we don't know about Einstein?' And as editors of the Einstein Papers Project, we always reply, 'Yes, there is a lot that we are learning and discovering, about his work, and that of many others, about Einstein not being just the icon with funny hair but a professional, hard-working scientist with deep preoccupations.'"
![Jennifer Jahner square headshot](https://divisions-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/hss70/images/CIT_HSS_JenniferJahner_101020.2e16d0ba.fill-432x432-c100.jpg)
- Professor of English; Dean of Undergraduate Students
Jennifer Jahner
We live in unprecedented times, but I hope that students leave my classes with the recognition that the questions we ask about inquiry, ethics, environment, and art are not new ones. Attention to the past can make us more creative stewards of the present."
![Kirby Nielsen square headshot](https://divisions-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/hss70/images/CIT_HSS_KirbyNielsen_10102024.2e16d0ba.fill-432x432-c100.jpg)
- Professor of Economics; William H. Hurt Scholar
Kirby Nielsen
Experiments are starting to get incorporated into mainstream economics but are still a relatively new tool. Caltech has been a powerhouse in experimental economics from the beginning, and it's so exciting to join the tradition."
![Jeff Cockburn](https://divisions-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/hss70/images/Jeff_Cockburn.2e16d0ba.fill-432x432-c100.jpg)
- Senior Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate in Neuroscience (2015–24)
Jeffrey A. Cockburn
Science and education isn't about filling buckets, it's about lighting fires. If you bring the gasoline, HSS will hand you the match."
![CIT_HSS_CharlesKollmer_11152021_VAN_9593](https://divisions-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/hss70/images/CIT_HSS_CharlesKollmer_111520.2e16d0ba.fill-432x432-c100.jpg)
- Ahmanson Postdoctoral Instructor in History of Biology (2020–23)
Charles A. Kollmer
I enjoy working with Caltech undergraduates to deepen their engagement with the history of science. Doing this at Caltech is doubly exciting because Caltech itself has been the site of so much fascinating research in the life sciences."
![CIT_HSS_ShuntoKobayashi_11162021_VAN_1359.jpg](https://divisions-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/hss70/images/CIT_HSS_ShuntoKobayashi_11162.2e16d0ba.fill-432x432-c100.jpg)
- PhD '24, Social Sciences
Shunto Kobayashi
Because the number of graduate students is relatively small, we all know each other well. I think this encourages us to discuss research frequently and support each other's endeavors."