Meet the Faculty Career Advancement Team
Lori Dickes, Ph.D.
Dr. Lori A. Dickes is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science. With more than 20 years of experience in higher education, Dr. Dickes has been the Masters in Public Administration (MPA) program coordinator at Clemson University since 2013, and has served as associate department chair and the graduate programs coordinator.
With a Ph.D. in Policy, Dr. Dickes' research leverages specific training in economics and policy analysis to better understand rural and regional development across different geographies and contexts. Her research has focused on a range of specific issues impacting a community's ability to achieve economic and social sustainability, including issues of rural entrepreneurship, economic development, opioid policy and interventions and natural resource policy. Dr. Dickes was a recipient of the 2022 University Ralph D. Elliott Award for Outstanding Service to Off-Campus, Distance and Continuing Education and the 2021- Clemson University Excellence in Doctoral Mentoring Award. Additional honors include serving as the Chair of the Clemson University Commission on Women, the co-lead of the provost’s Taskforce on Caregiving during COVID, and a participant in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Academic Leaders Network.
Her commitment to a wide range of service activities to the profession and the institution make her an excellent director of the Faculty Career Advancement Project and an outstanding resource for navigating and enriching your career in higher education. Through her administrative, teaching and research work, she seeks to provide leadership and support to create innovative and transformative organizations that help sustain institutions and communities.
Carlos D. Garcia, Ph.D.
Dr. Carlos D Garcia is a professor in the Department of Chemistry. He holds a B.S. in Biochemistry and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the National University of Cordoba, Argentina and has performed postdoctoral studies at MSU and CSU, joining Clemson University in 2015 after a successful tenure at UT San Antonio.
Dr. Garcia's research is dedicated to the advancement, understanding and applicability of microfluidic devices, nanomaterials and electrochemical processes. His group is focused on the development of integrated analytical approaches that span from highly specialized instrumentation to simple paper-based devices. Applications of these projects include the quantification of biomedically-relevant analytes, the design of biocatalysts and the implementation of artificial intelligence to address analytical problems. He has supervised numerous graduate and undergraduate students, and the outcomes of their research have been presented and published in over 100 peer-reviewed publications.
Dr. Garcia's research has received funding from prestigious organizations, including the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. In 2018, he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Currently, he serves as an editor for Electrophoresis (Wiley) as well as Sensors and Diagnostics (RSC) and works diligently to provide faculty like yourself with career guidance and support.
Paige Thomsen
Paige Thomsen, Program Coordinator in Faculty Affairs, coordinates activities and events supporting the Faculty Career Advancement Project’s programming and supports other faculty success initiatives in Faculty Affairs. Previously, she worked as a grant program coordinator for two Clemson University National Science Foundation (NSF) grants: TIGERS Advance Program and the National Research Traineeship (NRT) for Resilient Infrastructure and Environmental Systems Graduate Program.
Paige received her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry in 2015 and her master’s degree in city and Regional Planning at Clemson University. Paige received the 2021 ‘Outstanding Women’ award for staff presented by the Clemson University Commission on Women. Paige also participated in the provost’s Caregiver Task Force, coordinated and assisted the Women’s Commission with Women’s Celebration Month and was the president of her graduate program’s student organization from 2021-2022.
Paige's significant involvement and demonstrated record of excellence afford faculty the opportunity to count on innovative and meaningful professional opportunities.
Previous Fellows with Faculty Career Advancement Achievements
Dr. Marian Kennedy (Faculty Affairs-Faculty Career Advancement Fellow 2022-2025) is an associate professor in Clemson University's Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Her research group focuses on understanding how solid materials respond to mechanical normal and sliding loads. Over time, Dr. Kennedy also produced scholarship related to early career formation. She has initiated and collaborated on projects related to discipline-specific self-efficacy, research identity, influence of undergraduate research program participation and instructor/teacher professional development. Dr. Kennedy was selected for the Faculty Affairs Fellow Program and contributed significantly to the foundation of the continued efforts of the Project. While serving as a fellow, she focused on mid-career faculty success by implementing evidence-based programming for faculty and administrators. Dr. Kennedy continues to be active in the faculty success space, particularly faculty mentoring. Her service as the University Faculty Mentoring Committee Chair has advanced the discussions and capacity around mentoring.
