Faculty and instructors at the American University of Afghanistan come from many fields of study and research. In keeping with the intent of the University to build a modern tradition of education based on academic integrity and professionalism, all faculty and instructors have academic backgrounds from universities in North America, Europe, or Australia, and have professional experience teaching in a variety of cultural contexts.

Faculty & Instructors

Marilyn K. Angelucci, B.A., M.A.
Title:		Foundation Studies Program Instructor
Bio:		Mrs. Angelucci has lived in Afghanistan with her family since 2005. She is new to AUAF as of the summer of 2008.  The Angelucci’s have lived in the United States, Italy, Romania, India and Afghanistan working on Peace Education and Journalistic writing as well as teaching English. She is now in Kabul with her husband Umberto and her two teenage sons, Joshua and Young.
Degrees:		B.A., Psychology, State University of New York at New Paltz, 1988 M.A., Education, Unification Theological Seminary, 1990

Nangyalay Arsala, Ph.D.
Title:		Associate Professor of Mathematics and Natural Science
Bio:		Dr. Arsala joined the American University of Afghanistan in August 2008 after serving as a senior academic advisor to two Afghan ministers of education from 2005 to 2008. Previously, he was teaching mathematics and physics and was a teacher educator at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.  Over a 15-year period Dr. Arsala was student-advisor and science/math teacher-educator at the graduate school for teacher education, ICLON, at the University of Leiden.

Christopher Blades, B.Eng., H.N.G., Ph.D.
Title:		Associate Professor of Information Technology and Computer Science
Bio:		Dr. Blades joined the American University of Afghanistan in August 2008 from Eastern Kentucky University’s Department of Accounting, Finance, and Computer Information Systems. Dr. Blades taught courses in Networking and Telecommunications, Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced Programming, Advance Database Design and Administration, Management Information Systems, Introduction to Computer Information Systems. He is actively engaged in several ongoing research projects in Knowledge Management, Telemedicine, and APEX database approaches.
Degrees:		H.N.D., Electronic Engineering, Norwich City College, 1993 B.Eng. (First Class Hons), Electronics, University of East Anglia, 1996 Ph.D., Physics Device Modeling, University of Bath, 2000

Denise Boucher, M.A.
Title:		Foundation Studies Program Instructor
Bio:		Ms. Boucher joined the American University of Afghanistan in August 2008. She began her career in Montreal, Canada, teaching critical thinking at the undergraduate level. Since then, she has worked as an English instructor, curriculum designer, and teacher-trainer in Japan, Aceh (Indonesia), Malaysia, Tunisia and, most recently, Sri Lanka.
Degrees:		M.A., Philosophy, Concordia University, 2000

Noriko Dethlefs, B.Eco., M.A., Ph.D.
Title:		Assistant Professor
Bio:		Dr Noriko Dethlefs was a lecturer of Japanese studies at the University of Wollongong, Australia, for over 10 years prior to coming to Herat, Afghanistan, with her ophthalmologist husband in March 2005. She was engaged in voluntary teaching at the Herat University and the Institute of Leadership prior to moving to Kabul towards the end of 2007.
Degrees:		Cambridge CELTA, 2004 B.Economics,, University of Sydney, 1972          M.A., University of Sydney, 1994 Ph.D., University of Wollongong, 2002

James G. Hart, B.A., M.A.
Title:		English as a Foreign Language Instructor
Bio:		Mr. Hart has most recently been teaching English, academic and creative writing, critical thinking and journalism at universities in the Kyrgyz Republic. He has also taught introduction to philosophy, ethics, and religious studies in the United States. In his free time, Mr. Hart studies languages and has experience with Semitic, Indo-European, and Turkic languages.
Degrees:		B.A., Classical Languages and Literature, University of Montana, 1998 M.A., Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Indiana University, 2001

Sharif Fayez, Ph.D., D.H.L., D.R.H.
Title:		Founding President and Professor of Humanities and Comparative Literature
Bio:		Dr. Fayez is widely experienced in world higher education. He was formerly Afghanistan’s Minister of Higher Education.
Degrees:		B.A., Kabul University, 1969 Ph.D., University of Arizona, 1978

Kevin King, B.A., M.A.
Title:		Foundation Studies Program Instructor
Bio:		Mr. King has taught English in the U.S.A and eight different countries including Japan, Egypt and Cambodia. He has also worked as a researcher and English editor for the Mekong Institute in Thailand and recently worked with the Afghanistan Rule of Law Project in Kabul.
Degrees:		B.A, Communications, University of Miami, 1980 Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Certificate, Aston University, 2000 M.A., International Studies, Webster University, 2006

Deborah Larlee, B.B.A., M.B.A.
Title:		Assistant Professor of Business Administration
Bio:		Ms. Larlee has gained academic experience lecturing in Canada, China, and Saudi Arabia. Subjects taught include Organizational Behavior, Introduction to Business, Economics, Accounting, Human Resources, Consumer Behavior, Strategy, Social Responsibility and Business, and Marketing. She also has 11 years of work experience in accounting and 7 years in employment counseling, particularly in the non-profit sector.
Degrees:		B.B.A., Business Administration, University of New Brunswick, 1987 M.B.A., Business Administration, University of New Brunswick, 1999 Diploma in University Teaching, University of New Brunswick, 2001

Kunduz Maksutova, M.Ed.
Title:		Foundation Studies Program Instructor
Bio:		Ms. Maksutova has university teaching experience for the last 18 years. She has presented papers at various international conferences, such as Harvard University, USA, 2003; the University of Cluj Napoka, Romania, 2005; Central European University, Hungary, Budapest, 2007; the Muskie Alumni Conference, Tbilisi, Georgia, 2006 and others. She also has experience as a teacher-educator working with Aga Khan Education Service, Central Asia, developing curriculum for the Aga Khan High School in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, working on the selection committee for the principal of the school, providing professional training for teachers, and volunteering in the parent-teacher association.
Degrees:		University Diploma, Osh State University, 1989 M.Ed., Education, Aga Khan University, 1999 M.Ed., Education, University of Massachusetts, 2004

Eric Merkt, B.A., M.A., M.I.B.S.
Title:		Assistant Professor
Bio:		Professor Merkt began his professional career with Procter & Gamble (Arabian Peninsula) and moved on to be Marketing Director at the Arabian Company for Detergents (Riyadh), playing a key role in the company's turnaround that led to its forming a joint-venture with Henkel. He has completed his coursework and examinations toward a Ph.D in organizational behavior.
Degrees:		B.A., Philosophy, University of South Carolina, 1982 M.A., Religion, LTSS, 1986 Masters in International Business Studies, University of South Carolina, 1991 Ph.D., ABD (in progress), Organizational Behavior, University of South Carolina

Sayed Askar Mousavi, B.A., M.Litt, D.Phil
Title:		Adjunct Professor of Anthropology
Bio:		Dr. Mousavi returned to Afghanistan from Oxford University, U.K., where he spent over twenty years as a student, researcher, and professor. He is currently a Senior Associate Member of St. Antony’s College, Oxford, where he also founded the Afghanistan Studies program. Presently, he is the Senior Advisor to the Minister of Higher Education in Afghanistan.
Degrees:		B.A., Development Studies, University of East Anglia, 1987 M.Litt, Anthropology, Linacre College, Oxford University, 1992 D.Phil, Anthropology, Linacre College, Oxford University, 1992

Abdul Qayum Mohmand, B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
Title:		Assistant Professor of Political Science
Bio:		Dr. Mohmand joined the American University of Afghanistan on August 1st, 2008.  He has taught courses in International Relations, Comparative Politics, Middle East Politics, and Islam and Politics at the University of Utah and Brigham Young University.  Dr. Mohmand's areas of interest and research include Theories of International Relations and Comparative Politics; American Foreign Policy; Government, Politics, and Religion of the Middle East; Islamic Political Thought; and Political Violence and Conflict Resolution
Degrees:		B.A., Political Science, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 1993 M.A. Political Science, California State University, Long Beach, 1996 Ph.D., Middle East Studies/Political Science, University of Utah, 2007

Athanasios Moulakis, Dr.Phil
Title:		Chief Academic Officer
Bio:		Dr. Moulakis joined the American University of Afghanistan in February 2008 after serving as a public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC, and an Onassis Foundation Fellow in Athens, Greece. Previously, he was director of the Institute for Mediterranean Studies of the University of Lugano. Over an 11-year period Dr. Moulakis was Herbst Professor of Humanities and Professor of Political Science at the University of Colorado, where he was also founding Director of the Herbst Program of Humanities.
Degrees:		Dr.Phil. (magna cum laude), Political Philosophy,Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Obaid Adnan Nejati, B.A., M.A.
Title:		Director of Professional Development Institute and Assistant Professor
Bio:		Mr. Nejati has worked extensively both in academia and in the corporate world. Prior to joining The American University of Afghanistan, he worked at Sony Electronics, in San Diego, California, in Regional Image Validation and Product Development. He has also worked at Harvard University, where he spent over five years as the Data Network Coordinator at the Murray Research Center, a major data archive center focusing on research development in longitudinal data analysis.
Degrees:		B.A., Political Economy of Development, Georgetown University, 1998 M.A., Administration Planning and Social Policy, Harvard University, 2001

John Ross, B.A., M.B.A.
Title:		Assistant Professor of Business Administration
Expertise:		Microfinance, Economics, Post Soviet Economic Transition
Bio:		Mr. Ross joined the American University of Afghanistan in August 2008 after finishing his M.B.A at Thunderbird, School of Global Management.  He has extensive experience in Central Asia having spent two years in Kazakhstan with the Peace Corps and three months as a rural business development intern with Mercy Corps, Kyrgyzstan.  After graduating from Thunderbird he worked with Mercy Corps, traveling to Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Bosnia and Kosovo looking at Mercy Corps’ microfinance network best practices.
Degrees:		B.A. Political History, University of Washington, 2003 M.B.A., Thunderbird, School of Global Management, 2008

Judith P. Schiffbauer, B.A., M.A.
Title:		Assistant Professor of English
Bio:		From 1990 to 2003, Ms. Schiffbauer taught English composition, business writing, and American literature at the University of Kentucky, where she also served as Senior Consultant at the University of Kentucky Writing Center and the designated consultant for university faculty. From 2003 to 2006 she worked in Kabul as the Senior Writer/Editor for the USAID-funded Rural Expansion of Afghanistan’s Community-based Healthcare (REACH) Program. Ms. Schiffbauer taught in Baghlan, Afghanistan, as a Peace Corps volunteer (1966 to 1968) and at the American International School in Kandahar (1968 to 1970). She and her husband also lived in Kabul, birthplace of their two children, from 1973 to 1975.
Degrees:		B.A., Pennsylvania State University, 1966 M.A., University of Kentucky, 1991 Completed doctoral studies at University of Kentucky, 1994

Joyce Killen Shah, B.S., M.S., Ph.D.
Title:		Professor of Science
Bio:		Dr. Shah has more than twenty years of overarching education and healthcare experience in teaching, research, and project development and management. She has done university teaching and grant-funded research at Ohio State University, Marquette University, Michigan State University and the Salk Institute. Her technical and scientific expertise is in biology, chemistry, microbiology, infectious diseases, immunology, and medical devices. Her private business sector experience includes responsibility for the intellectual property of a biotechnology corporation; she is a member of the patent bar and registered to practice before the United States Patent & Trademark Office and World Intellectual Property Organization. Dr. Shah’s international experience includes working with government officials, physicians, professors, scientists, engineers, attorneys and senior management in Afghanistan, Europe and the Middle East. She has knowledge of Afghan Dari and French.
Degrees:		B.S., Medical Technology, Ohio State University, 1973 M.S., Pathology, Ohio State University, 1978 Ph.D., Microbiology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 1982

Muhammad Shariq, B.Sc., M.B.A, M.A, M.S.
Title:		Assistant Professor of Information Technology
Bio:		Mr. Shariq not only has extensive experience in the business and information technology sectors, but he has also taught at various levels. He is the member of various professional and international organizations including Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
Degrees:		B.Sc., University of Karachi, 1994 M.B.A., Marketing, Institute of Business Administration, 1999 M.A., International Relations, University of Karachi, 2001 M.S., Computer Sciences, City University of New York, 2003

Thomas Stauffer, Ph.D., D.H.L.
Title:		Professor of Management
Bio:		Dr. Stauffer is the President and Chief Executive Office of the American University of Afghanistan. He has extensive experience in both academia and business. From 2002 to 2005 he was Executive Director, Lincoln Center for Ethics in International Management and Professor of Applied Global Business at the Thunderbird School of Global Management in the United States. Prior to this appointment, Dr Stauffer was President and Chief Executive Officer (now President Emeritus) and Professor of International Relations and Public Policy at Golden Gate University, San Francisco, California (1992-1999) and President/Chancellor and Professor of International Relations and Public Policy at the University of Houston, Clear Lake, Texas (1982-1991), all in the United States.
Degrees:		B.A., Wittenburg University, 1963 Ph.D., International Politics and Economics, 1973

Cynthia Warren, B.A., M.A.
Title:		English as a Foreign Language Instructor
Bio:		Ms. Warren has worked in many areas of ESL/EFL education including teaching, curriculum development, program evaluation, and teacher development in eight countries, including four in the Muslim world. As a U.S. Department of State Senior English Language Fellow in Russia from 2000-2004, she helped develop a new American Studies Department at Irkutsk State Linguistics University in eastern Siberia.
Degrees:		B.A., English, College of Notre Dame of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, 1972 M.A., TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 1989

Ken Whalen, B.A., M.A.
Title:		Assistant Professor of Geography
Bio:		Professor Whalen has taught geography at several universities/colleges in the United States. He has written for various academic publications on topics such as landscape interpretation, international environmental organizations, and postmodern and postcolonial geographies. He specializes in the geography of North America, and is developing a research agenda for South Asia. Professor Whalen is a member of the American Association of Geographers in which he served as national graduate student representative (2004 -2006).
Degrees:		B.A., Geography, Hunter College, City University of New York, 1992 M.A., Geography, University of Maryland, College Park, 1996 Ph. D., ABD (in progress), Geography, University of Florida