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OSU Global

EXPERTS

  • Marten Brienen
    • Associate Professor
    • OSU Global
    • Associate ProfessorOSU Global
    Marten Brienen is a historian of twentieth century Latin America by training and has been faculty in Africana Studies, Latin American Studies, Anthropology, Political Science, Global Studies, and Fire and Emergency Management Administration at two separate R1 institutions. This has presented both obstacles to and opportunities for my research; it has with some frequency required adaptation to entirely new methods and subject matters—especially in teaching—but it has also exposed me to ideas and approaches that I would otherwise never have encountered, leaving me in many ways a truly interdisciplinary scholar. The time I spent in Fire and Emergency Management Administration, for example, has left me with an enduring interest in how the international disaster management system works—or rather, fails. Similarly, the many courses I have taught on civil war and famine and the international humanitarian responses to them have also influenced my work.

    Research Interests:

    My research interest ultimately revolve around the consequences of having weak institutions. In this context, I have written on the drug trade in Bolivia under Morales, who is famously a cocalero ("Drug Trafficking Policy in Bolivia under the Morales Administration," 2015). I collaborated with my colleague Dr. Jonathan Rosen in editing a volume on the war on drugs and associated criminality (New Approaches to Drug Policies: Organized Crime and the War on Drugs, 2015). Likewise, looking at the reverse side of the war on drugs, we edited a volume on penal systems in the Americas (Prisons in the Americas: A Human Dumping Ground, 2015) to which I contributed a chapter on the Bolivian penal system ("A Special Kind of Hell: The Bolivian Penal System," 2015). Continuing on the realities of the war on drugs, I wrote on the lack of incentives for cooperation between countries affected by the manufacture of drugs, arguing that the 'balloon effect' precludes these countries from cooperating on this matter ("Security Cooperation in Bolivia and Colombia in the Twenty-First Century," 2015). Dr. Rosen and I also authored a chapter on the drug trade in neighboring Peru ("The Vicious Cycle: The Resurgence of Drug Production and Drug Trafficking in Peru," 2015).

    Besides looking at the importance of the drug trade, I have also examined Bolivian reliance on its extractive industries as a key cause of ongoing economic instability. In this context, I have written on the importance of the so-called 'Gas Wars' of 2003-2005 in toppling two presidents and propelling Evo Morales into the presidency ("Our Gas Is Not for Sale: Energy Security in Bolivia," 2016). Likewise, I have examined the Morales regime in the broader context of Bolivia's very long history of political instability ("The Ungovernable State: Bolivia in the Age of Morales," 2017). I have contextualized this by looking at the history of Bolivian popular revolution ("A Populism of Indignities: Bolivian Populism under Evo Morales," 2017). Indeed, from the Bolivian example, I have written more broadly on the destructive role of resource populism as a major source of political and economic instability across Latin America ("Latin American Resource Populism in the Early 21st Century," 2017).

    Another avenue for me to explore the complex interplay of weak institutions and strong communities is the role of violence. I have done this by looking at the practice of ajusticiamiento (lynching) in Bolivian society—the argument has frequently been made that this is a new practice (it is not) and that it is an example of communities dispensing their own justice in the absence of reliable policing, which I also argue it is not. The violence employed is not only extreme in its cruelty, exceedingly public, and wholly ritualized, but it is also frequently practiced against the most vulnerable ("Spectacular (In)Justice: Communal Violence and Impunity in Bolivia," 2018). Continuing on the theme of violence, I have also examined the relative lack of criminal violence relating to the drug trade, especially compared to other countries in the region, and have argued that this, too, is a consequence of high degrees of social cohesion in Bolivian communities that are frequently described as 'marginal' ("Coca, Organized Crime, and (Non-)Violence in Bolivia," 2019). In a work published this summer, I continue to explore this theme of violence as a consequence of weak state institutions by looking at populist arguments for 'tough-on-crime' policies in Bolivia ("Clamoring for Violence: Mano Dura in Bolivia," 2023).

    I have further explored issues undermining the stability of the state by looking at the problem of corruption ("The Police Are Involved in Everything: Corruption in Bolivia," 2020), effectively combining the themes of violence, drug trafficking, and weak institutions. I have been able to share much of my research with a broader audience as well. For example, in The Conversation I explained the circumstances of Evo Morales's 2019 ouster to a popular audience ("Bolivia after Morales: An Ungovernable Country with a Power Vacuum," 2019).
    Marten Brienen is a historian of twentieth century Latin America by training and has been faculty in Africana Studies, Latin American Studies, Anthropology, Political Science, Global Studies, and Fire and Emergency Management Administration at two separate R1 institutions. This has presented both obstacles to and opportunities for my research; it has with some frequency required adaptation to entirely new methods and subject matters—especially in teaching—but it has also exposed me to ideas and approaches that I would otherwise never have encountered, leaving me in many ways a truly interdisciplinary scholar. The time I spent in Fire and Emergency Management Administration, for example, has left me with an enduring interest in how the international disaster management system works—or rather, fails. Similarly, the many courses I have taught on civil war and famine and the international humanitarian responses to them have also influenced my work.

    Research Interests:

    My research interest ultimately revolve around the consequences of having weak institutions. In this context, I have written on the drug trade in Bolivia under Morales, who is famously a cocalero ("Drug Trafficking Policy in Bolivia under the Morales Administration," 2015). I collaborated with my colleague Dr. Jonathan Rosen in editing a volume on the war on drugs and associated criminality (New Approaches to Drug Policies: Organized Crime and the War on Drugs, 2015). Likewise, looking at the reverse side of the war on drugs, we edited a volume on penal systems in the Americas (Prisons in the Americas: A Human Dumping Ground, 2015) to which I contributed a chapter on the Bolivian penal system ("A Special Kind of Hell: The Bolivian Penal System," 2015). Continuing on the realities of the war on drugs, I wrote on the lack of incentives for cooperation between countries affected by the manufacture of drugs, arguing that the 'balloon effect' precludes these countries from cooperating on this matter ("Security Cooperation in Bolivia and Colombia in the Twenty-First Century," 2015). Dr. Rosen and I also authored a chapter on the drug trade in neighboring Peru ("The Vicious Cycle: The Resurgence of Drug Production and Drug Trafficking in Peru," 2015).

    Besides looking at the importance of the drug trade, I have also examined Bolivian reliance on its extractive industries as a key cause of ongoing economic instability. In this context, I have written on the importance of the so-called 'Gas Wars' of 2003-2005 in toppling two presidents and propelling Evo Morales into the presidency ("Our Gas Is Not for Sale: Energy Security in Bolivia," 2016). Likewise, I have examined the Morales regime in the broader context of Bolivia's very long history of political instability ("The Ungovernable State: Bolivia in the Age of Morales," 2017). I have contextualized this by looking at the history of Bolivian popular revolution ("A Populism of Indignities: Bolivian Populism under Evo Morales," 2017). Indeed, from the Bolivian example, I have written more broadly on the destructive role of resource populism as a major source of political and economic instability across Latin America ("Latin American Resource Populism in the Early 21st Century," 2017).

    Another avenue for me to explore the complex interplay of weak institutions and strong communities is the role of violence. I have done this by looking at the practice of ajusticiamiento (lynching) in Bolivian society—the argument has frequently been made that this is a new practice (it is not) and that it is an example of communities dispensing their own justice in the absence of reliable policing, which I also argue it is not. The violence employed is not only extreme in its cruelty, exceedingly public, and wholly ritualized, but it is also frequently practiced against the most vulnerable ("Spectacular (In)Justice: Communal Violence and Impunity in Bolivia," 2018). Continuing on the theme of violence, I have also examined the relative lack of criminal violence relating to the drug trade, especially compared to other countries in the region, and have argued that this, too, is a consequence of high degrees of social cohesion in Bolivian communities that are frequently described as 'marginal' ("Coca, Organized Crime, and (Non-)Violence in Bolivia," 2019). In a work published this summer, I continue to explore this theme of violence as a consequence of weak state institutions by looking at populist arguments for 'tough-on-crime' policies in Bolivia ("Clamoring for Violence: Mano Dura in Bolivia," 2023).

    I have further explored issues undermining the stability of the state by looking at the problem of corruption ("The Police Are Involved in Everything: Corruption in Bolivia," 2020), effectively combining the themes of violence, drug trafficking, and weak institutions. I have been able to share much of my research with a broader audience as well. For example, in The Conversation I explained the circumstances of Evo Morales's 2019 ouster to a popular audience ("Bolivia after Morales: An Ungovernable Country with a Power Vacuum," 2019).
    • Faculty/Staff
    • Oklahoma State University - Stillwater
    • Masters or PhD research supervision
    • Media inquiries
    • Membership of an advisory committee
    • Collaborative projects
    • English
    • Dutch; Flemish
    • German
    • French
    • Spanish - Latin American
    • Afrikaans
    • Latin
    • Greek, Ancient (to 1453)
    • Global Studies
    Fields of Research
    • Historical studies
    • Organised crime
    • Humanitarian disasters, conflict and peacebuilding
    • Latin American studies
    • Cultural studies of agriculture, food and wine
    • Development studies
    • Crime policy
  • Administrator
    Jami Fullerton
    • Professor & Lawrence L. Boger Chair in International Studies
    • OSU Global
    • Professor & Lawrence L. Boger Chair in International StudiesOSU Global

    Professor and Director, School of Global Studies, and Lawrence L. Boger Chair in International Studies, Oklahoma State University.

    Research Interests:

    Nation Branding, Public Diplomacy, Advertising Education

    Professor and Director, School of Global Studies, and Lawrence L. Boger Chair in International Studies, Oklahoma State University.

    Research Interests:

    Nation Branding, Public Diplomacy, Advertising Education

    • Faculty/Staff
    • Oklahoma State University - Stillwater
    • Media & Strategic Communications
    • Global Studies
    Fields of Research
    • Marketing
    • Communication and media studies
    • Curriculum and pedagogy
    • Political science
    • Specialist studies in education
  • Hamed Gholizadeh
    • Associate Professor
    • Geography
    • Associate ProfessorGeography
    I am a remote sensing scientist, with the central theme of my research being how remote sensing, particularly hyperspectral remote sensing or imaging spectroscopy, can enhance our understanding of grassland ecosystems and their biodiversity. To achieve this goal, I bring together concepts from remote sensing, plant ecophysiology, and landscape ecology to conduct my research as a lead and collaborator on sizable transdisciplinary projects.
    I am a remote sensing scientist, with the central theme of my research being how remote sensing, particularly hyperspectral remote sensing or imaging spectroscopy, can enhance our understanding of grassland ecosystems and their biodiversity. To achieve this goal, I bring together concepts from remote sensing, plant ecophysiology, and landscape ecology to conduct my research as a lead and collaborator on sizable transdisciplinary projects.
    • Faculty/Staff
    • Oklahoma State University - Stillwater
    • Geography
    • Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies
  • Pouya Jahanshahi
    • Associate Professor
    • Art, Graphic Design & Art History
    • Associate ProfessorArt, Graphic Design & Art History

    I am graphic designer, educator, and design activist whose work centers on visual semiotics as a critical lens for analyzing visual media, symbolism, and meaning-making. Shaped by experiences of migration, and Persian culture, my scholarship and practice interrogate authorship, cultural specificity, and Western-centric frameworks within design education and visual culture.

    For more than a decade, I have been engaged in design activism, employing graphic design as a tool for social awareness, dialogue, and collective action. My practice extends beyond production into critical curatorial work, emphasizing contextual framing, ethical authorship, and transnational collaboration. Amongst others, I am the founder and curator of 20 × 20 Posters for Peace and Justice an internationally exhibited initiative that brings together designers from across the globe. Through curated poster exhibitions, the project disseminates messages of peace, fosters cross-cultural exchange, and nurtures emerging graphic activists through public engagement and critical discourse.

    In summary, my work bridges research, teaching, and curatorial practice to advance design as a socially engaged, culturally responsive, and intellectually rigorous field.

    Expertise:
    Visual Semiotics · Design Activism · Critical & Curatorial Practice · Decolonizing Pedagogy · Hybrid Visual Language · Socially Engaged Design

    I am graphic designer, educator, and design activist whose work centers on visual semiotics as a critical lens for analyzing visual media, symbolism, and meaning-making. Shaped by experiences of migration, and Persian culture, my scholarship and practice interrogate authorship, cultural specificity, and Western-centric frameworks within design education and visual culture.

    For more than a decade, I have been engaged in design activism, employing graphic design as a tool for social awareness, dialogue, and collective action. My practice extends beyond production into critical curatorial work, emphasizing contextual framing, ethical authorship, and transnational collaboration. Amongst others, I am the founder and curator of 20 × 20 Posters for Peace and Justice an internationally exhibited initiative that brings together designers from across the globe. Through curated poster exhibitions, the project disseminates messages of peace, fosters cross-cultural exchange, and nurtures emerging graphic activists through public engagement and critical discourse.

    In summary, my work bridges research, teaching, and curatorial practice to advance design as a socially engaged, culturally responsive, and intellectually rigorous field.

    Expertise:
    Visual Semiotics · Design Activism · Critical & Curatorial Practice · Decolonizing Pedagogy · Hybrid Visual Language · Socially Engaged Design

    • Faculty/Staff
    • Oklahoma State University - Stillwater
    • Media inquiries
    • Membership of an advisory committee
    • Research design
    • Speaking engagements
    • Teaching opportunities
    • Art, music, or design commissions
    • Career advice
    • Collaborative projects
    • Inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA) support
    • Industry projects
    • Masters or PhD research supervision
    • Mentoring (short-term)
    • Undergraduate recruitment support
    • Persian
    • English
    • Art, Graphic Design & Art History
    • Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies
    Fields of Research
    • Design
    • Digital and electronic media art
    • Persian studies
    • Visual arts
    • Visual cultures
    • Multicultural, intercultural and cross-cultural studies
  • Administrator
    Randy Kluver
    • Associate Provost and Dean
    • OSU Global
    • Associate Provost and DeanOSU Global
    • Professor
    • Media & Strategic Communications
    • ProfessorMedia & Strategic Communications

    Alan Randolph Kluver is the Associate Provost and Dean of OSU Global and the School of Global Studies, and a Professor in the School of Media and Strategic Communication at Oklahoma State University. He also holds the Don and Cathey Humphreys Chair in Global Studies and is an elected member of the National Academy of International Education (NAIE). Prior to his leadership at OSU, he held several tenured faculty and administrative positions at Texas A&M University.

     

    As the senior international officer for the University, Dr. Kluver develops, implements, and coordinates OSU's global strategy and institutional impact. His administrative portfolio includes oversight of the Center for Global Learning, the international branch footprint including the OSU Mexico Office, International Students and Scholars, the Fulbright and Global Scholars Support Office, the School of Global Studies graduate program, the endowed Farzaneh Family Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies program, and the Don and Cathey Humphreys funding endowment. Under his leadership, OSU was awarded the prestigious NAFSA Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award for its rapid humanitarian and academic response to the Afghan refugee crisis.

     

    Dr. Kluver has extensive international experience, having previously taught at Jiangxi Normal University (China), National University of Singapore, and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He continues to conduct active research at the intersection of media, new media, and geopolitics. He has published widely in the fields of Asian politics, the Internet in Asian societies, public diplomacy, and international communication. He has served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator for approximately $10 million in research and institutional funding.

     

    He is the author or editor of five books. His research includes serving as the principal investigator for a comprehensive analysis of global media coverage of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, published as Global Media and Strategic Narratives of Contested Democracy (Routledge, 2019). He was also a principal investigator for The Internet and National Elections: a Comparative Study of Web Campaigning (Routledge, 2007) and founded the Singapore Internet Research Centre. His book Civic Discourse, Civil Society, and Chinese Communities won the Outstanding Book Award from the National Communication Association (NCA). Most recently, expanding his focus to regional migration history, he edited and published Chào to Main Street, documenting the 1975 Vietnamese refugee resettlement in Oklahoma.





    Alan Randolph Kluver is the Associate Provost and Dean of OSU Global and the School of Global Studies, and a Professor in the School of Media and Strategic Communication at Oklahoma State University. He also holds the Don and Cathey Humphreys Chair in Global Studies and is an elected member of the National Academy of International Education (NAIE). Prior to his leadership at OSU, he held several tenured faculty and administrative positions at Texas A&M University.

     

    As the senior international officer for the University, Dr. Kluver develops, implements, and coordinates OSU's global strategy and institutional impact. His administrative portfolio includes oversight of the Center for Global Learning, the international branch footprint including the OSU Mexico Office, International Students and Scholars, the Fulbright and Global Scholars Support Office, the School of Global Studies graduate program, the endowed Farzaneh Family Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies program, and the Don and Cathey Humphreys funding endowment. Under his leadership, OSU was awarded the prestigious NAFSA Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award for its rapid humanitarian and academic response to the Afghan refugee crisis.

     

    Dr. Kluver has extensive international experience, having previously taught at Jiangxi Normal University (China), National University of Singapore, and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He continues to conduct active research at the intersection of media, new media, and geopolitics. He has published widely in the fields of Asian politics, the Internet in Asian societies, public diplomacy, and international communication. He has served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator for approximately $10 million in research and institutional funding.

     

    He is the author or editor of five books. His research includes serving as the principal investigator for a comprehensive analysis of global media coverage of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, published as Global Media and Strategic Narratives of Contested Democracy (Routledge, 2019). He was also a principal investigator for The Internet and National Elections: a Comparative Study of Web Campaigning (Routledge, 2007) and founded the Singapore Internet Research Centre. His book Civic Discourse, Civil Society, and Chinese Communities won the Outstanding Book Award from the National Communication Association (NCA). Most recently, expanding his focus to regional migration history, he edited and published Chào to Main Street, documenting the 1975 Vietnamese refugee resettlement in Oklahoma.





    • Faculty/Staff
    • Oklahoma State University - Stillwater
    • Collaborative projects
    • Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies
    • Global Studies
    Fields of Research
    • Communication and media studies
    • International and development communication
    • Communication technology and digital media studies
    • International relations
  • Ali Mirchi
    • Associate Professor
    • Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering
    • Associate ProfessorBiosystems & Agricultural Engineering

    Dr. Ali Mirchi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at Oklahoma State University (OSU). He also serves as Associate Director of the Oklahoma Water Resources Center, a federally authorized institute under the Water Resources Research Act of 1964 dedicated to supporting informed water management through impactful research, education, and outreach that connects science with communities to address pressing water challenges. Dr. Mirchi teaches courses in various areas of water resources engineering and management. His interdisciplinary water resources research program and outreach efforts have guided water policies and management interventions to support sustainable food, feed, and fiber production amid mounting challenges posed by urbanization, irrigation expansion, fragile ecosystems, and hydrologic intensification. He applies systems thinking, systems analysis techniques, geographic information systems (GIS), simulation, and optimization modeling to advance understanding of coupled human–natural systems at different scales. He has received OSU’s Ferguson College of Agriculture’s James A. Whatley Award for Meritorious Research in Agricultural Sciences, the American Water Resources Association’s Icko Iben Multidisciplinary Communications Award, and the Early Career Award for Applied Research from the Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR). Prior to joining OSU, Dr. Mirchi was a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and the Center for Environmental Resource Management at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).

    Research Interests:

    Watershed modeling and systems analysis for water resources planning, management, and decision making

    Climate impact assessment and adaptation to extreme events (e.g., droughts and floods)

    Coupled human-natural systems and sustainable development

    Water quality management and policy

    Dr. Ali Mirchi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at Oklahoma State University (OSU). He also serves as Associate Director of the Oklahoma Water Resources Center, a federally authorized institute under the Water Resources Research Act of 1964 dedicated to supporting informed water management through impactful research, education, and outreach that connects science with communities to address pressing water challenges. Dr. Mirchi teaches courses in various areas of water resources engineering and management. His interdisciplinary water resources research program and outreach efforts have guided water policies and management interventions to support sustainable food, feed, and fiber production amid mounting challenges posed by urbanization, irrigation expansion, fragile ecosystems, and hydrologic intensification. He applies systems thinking, systems analysis techniques, geographic information systems (GIS), simulation, and optimization modeling to advance understanding of coupled human–natural systems at different scales. He has received OSU’s Ferguson College of Agriculture’s James A. Whatley Award for Meritorious Research in Agricultural Sciences, the American Water Resources Association’s Icko Iben Multidisciplinary Communications Award, and the Early Career Award for Applied Research from the Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR). Prior to joining OSU, Dr. Mirchi was a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and the Center for Environmental Resource Management at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).

    Research Interests:

    Watershed modeling and systems analysis for water resources planning, management, and decision making

    Climate impact assessment and adaptation to extreme events (e.g., droughts and floods)

    Coupled human-natural systems and sustainable development

    Water quality management and policy

    • Faculty/Staff
    • Oklahoma State University - Stillwater
    • Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering
    • Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies
    Fields of Research
    • Engineering
    • Applied economics
    • Civil engineering
    • Environmental engineering
    • Physical geography and environmental geoscience
  • Adel Pezeshki
    • Associate Professor
    • Animal & Food Sciences
    • Associate ProfessorAnimal & Food Sciences

    Bio:

    Dr. Pezeshki is an Associate Professor at Oklahoma State University (OSU). Dr. Pezeshki obtained his Ph.D. in Veterinary Sciences (physiology discipline) from Ghent University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in 2010. In 2011, he started postdoctoral training in the Gastrointestinal Research Group, Calvin, Phoebe and Joan Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases and the Department of Production Animal Health at University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. In 2016, he joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences at OSU and in July 2022, he was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. Dr. Pezeshki teaches undergraduate and graduate courses, and his primary research interest is on the role of liver-derived factors or hepatokines in regulation of hepatic glucose metabolism. In particular, his laboratory is interested in unraveling the hepatic pathways that can define the compelling metabolic effects of dietary branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) restriction by focusing on hepatokines. Adel is a member of several professional societies including American Society for Nutrition and serves as an associate editor on the editorial board of Gut Endocrinology and Metabolic Endocrinology for Frontiers in Endocrinology and he is on the reviewer board of Nutrients.


    Research Interests:

    Liver plays an essential role in regulation of systemic glucose homeostasis. Hepatic insulin signaling is crucial for maintenance of normal glucose homeostasis through suppressing gluconeogenesis and promoting glycogenesis. Therefore, hepatic insulin resistance can contribute to hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes. We have demonstrated that dietary branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) restriction improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, increases hepatic insulin signaling and suppresses gluconeogenesis in the liver [1, 2]. My laboratory is interested in unraveling the hepatic pathways that can define the compelling metabolic effects of dietary BCAA restriction by focusing on known and novel hepatokines.

     

    Several proteins are predominantly and exclusively secreted by liver. These liver-derived proteins or hepatokines have some inconclusive roles in hepatic glucose metabolism and insulin signaling. My lab is focused on: 1) examining whether known or novel hepatokines are required for BCAA restriction-induced improvement in glucose metabolism and insulin signaling in the liver, 2) characterizing the pathways by which BCAA restriction induces these hepatokines, and 3) assessing the role of these hepatokines or new liver-derived factors in regulation of systemic glucose homeostasis when BCAA restricted diets are offered. To this end, our lab employs a variety of techniques such as genome editing in cell culture-based systems and animal models, and transcriptomics. The long-term goal of our program is to identify novel therapeutics for the treatment of diabetes. 

     

    Bio:

    Dr. Pezeshki is an Associate Professor at Oklahoma State University (OSU). Dr. Pezeshki obtained his Ph.D. in Veterinary Sciences (physiology discipline) from Ghent University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in 2010. In 2011, he started postdoctoral training in the Gastrointestinal Research Group, Calvin, Phoebe and Joan Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases and the Department of Production Animal Health at University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. In 2016, he joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences at OSU and in July 2022, he was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. Dr. Pezeshki teaches undergraduate and graduate courses, and his primary research interest is on the role of liver-derived factors or hepatokines in regulation of hepatic glucose metabolism. In particular, his laboratory is interested in unraveling the hepatic pathways that can define the compelling metabolic effects of dietary branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) restriction by focusing on hepatokines. Adel is a member of several professional societies including American Society for Nutrition and serves as an associate editor on the editorial board of Gut Endocrinology and Metabolic Endocrinology for Frontiers in Endocrinology and he is on the reviewer board of Nutrients.


    Research Interests:

    Liver plays an essential role in regulation of systemic glucose homeostasis. Hepatic insulin signaling is crucial for maintenance of normal glucose homeostasis through suppressing gluconeogenesis and promoting glycogenesis. Therefore, hepatic insulin resistance can contribute to hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes. We have demonstrated that dietary branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) restriction improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, increases hepatic insulin signaling and suppresses gluconeogenesis in the liver [1, 2]. My laboratory is interested in unraveling the hepatic pathways that can define the compelling metabolic effects of dietary BCAA restriction by focusing on known and novel hepatokines.

     

    Several proteins are predominantly and exclusively secreted by liver. These liver-derived proteins or hepatokines have some inconclusive roles in hepatic glucose metabolism and insulin signaling. My lab is focused on: 1) examining whether known or novel hepatokines are required for BCAA restriction-induced improvement in glucose metabolism and insulin signaling in the liver, 2) characterizing the pathways by which BCAA restriction induces these hepatokines, and 3) assessing the role of these hepatokines or new liver-derived factors in regulation of systemic glucose homeostasis when BCAA restricted diets are offered. To this end, our lab employs a variety of techniques such as genome editing in cell culture-based systems and animal models, and transcriptomics. The long-term goal of our program is to identify novel therapeutics for the treatment of diabetes. 

     

    • Faculty/Staff
    • Oklahoma State University - Stillwater
    • Animal & Food Sciences
    • Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies
    Fields of Research
    • Metabolic medicine
    • Animal physiology - cell
    • Proteins and peptides
    • Nutritional science
  • John Schoeneman
    • Assistant Professor
    • OSU Global
    • Assistant ProfessorOSU Global

    John Schoeneman is an assistant professor at Oklahoma State University in the School of Global Studies, the Associate Director for Research at the Wes Watkins Center for International Trade Development, and a fellow at the Hamm Institute for American Energy. Substantively, his research agenda focuses on international economic and political networks with a particular interest in foreign direct investment, trade policy, and energy security. Methodologically, his interests are social network analysis models, text analysis, and machine learning. In addition to his scholarship, his international experience includes living and working in South Korea, Japan, and China.



    Research Interests:

    International Political Economy; Trade and Foreign Direct Investment; Social Network Analysis; Machine Learning

    John Schoeneman is an assistant professor at Oklahoma State University in the School of Global Studies, the Associate Director for Research at the Wes Watkins Center for International Trade Development, and a fellow at the Hamm Institute for American Energy. Substantively, his research agenda focuses on international economic and political networks with a particular interest in foreign direct investment, trade policy, and energy security. Methodologically, his interests are social network analysis models, text analysis, and machine learning. In addition to his scholarship, his international experience includes living and working in South Korea, Japan, and China.



    Research Interests:

    International Political Economy; Trade and Foreign Direct Investment; Social Network Analysis; Machine Learning

    • Faculty/Staff
    • Oklahoma State University - Stillwater
    • Collaborative projects
    • Research design
    • Global Studies
    • Wes Watkins Center for International Trade Development
    Fields of Research
    • International relations
    • International economics
    • Statistical data science
    • Deep learning
    • Policy and administration
    • Applied economics
  • Administrator
    Jeffrey Simpson
    • Assistant Dean & Director of Global Partnerships
    • OSU Global
    • Assistant Dean & Director of Global PartnershipsOSU Global
    • Professor
    • Educational Foundations, Leadership & Aviation
    • ProfessorEducational Foundations, Leadership & Aviation

    Dr. Jeffrey Simpson, Assistant Dean – OSU Global and Director of Global Partnerships at Oklahoma State University, received his Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy as well as his M.S. Degree in International Studies from Oklahoma State University. His work centers on strategic planning and relationship development designed to expand stakeholders’ global learning, research, and engagement. Simpson specializes in leadership competency development for international education professionals as well as working with students on contextualizing and applying concepts associated with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and other global problem-solving approaches. His primary research interests focus on student learning including the imagineering process students engage to imagine and construct global experiences, the application of self-representation in narrating international experience as well as the salience of gendered behavior when constructing experiences in the education abroad space. Simpson has been recognized for his commitment to global initiatives with the award for Special Service to International Education (2014) and the Award for Service to Oklahoma (2017) from the NAFSA Association of International Educators Region III.

    Dr. Jeffrey Simpson, Assistant Dean – OSU Global and Director of Global Partnerships at Oklahoma State University, received his Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy as well as his M.S. Degree in International Studies from Oklahoma State University. His work centers on strategic planning and relationship development designed to expand stakeholders’ global learning, research, and engagement. Simpson specializes in leadership competency development for international education professionals as well as working with students on contextualizing and applying concepts associated with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and other global problem-solving approaches. His primary research interests focus on student learning including the imagineering process students engage to imagine and construct global experiences, the application of self-representation in narrating international experience as well as the salience of gendered behavior when constructing experiences in the education abroad space. Simpson has been recognized for his commitment to global initiatives with the award for Special Service to International Education (2014) and the Award for Service to Oklahoma (2017) from the NAFSA Association of International Educators Region III.

    • Faculty/Staff
    • Oklahoma State University - Stillwater
    • Global Studies

College contact

  • 405-744-6606
  • 107 Wes Watkins Center, Stillwater, Oklahoma, 74078, United States

External links

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