Meet the faculty

Bernie Kaussler

Bernie Kaussler

Political Science

Dr. Bernie Kaussler is Associate Professor of Political Science. His research focus deals with diplomacy and statecraft, conflict management, US foreign policy and Middle East security. His latest book was published by Routledge in 2017 and is on the impact of US foreign policy on Middle East security:  US Foreign Policy Towards the Middle East: The Realpolitik of Deceit He enjoys the intersection of scholarship and the policy-making community. To that end, he has produced national security teaching materials for the US armed forces and participated in war games. He provides regular commentary on US foreign policy and Middle Eastern affairs. His blog is at  https://berniesaffairs.com/

Cathy Copeland

Cathy Copeland

WRTC

Cathy Copeland, an adjunct instructor with the Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication department at James Madison University, holds an M.A. in English Literature from Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis and a B.A. in Biology from Hanover College. She also completed doctoral coursework in Renaissance Literature at The University of Alabama.

She was in the first faculty cohort for the “Debate Across the Curriculum” initiative at JMU and is on the editorial board for The International Journal of Responsibility. In 2018, she was chosen to be in the University of Virginia’s Political Leaders Program with the Sorensen Institute. In 2019, she was selected as the Faculty Fellow for The Center for Civic Engagement.

Costel Constantin

Costel Constantin

Physics

Dr. Constantin is an assistant professor in Physics and Astronomy department at JMU. He arrived here in September 2010 from Seton Hall University where he was an assistant professor in the Physics department. He previously worked as a postdoc in the group of Randall Feenstra from Carnegie Mellon University. He received his MS and PhD from Ohio University in 2005 and his BS from University Politehnica of Bucharest in 1999.

His interests include a handful of nanoscience projects. During his Ph.D. and postdoctoral experience, he worked on structural, electrical, and surface characterization of nitride systems such as Manganese Gallium Nitride (MnGaN), Scandium Gallium Nitride (ScGaN), and Chromium Nitride (CrN). Most recently, he is interested to understand the thermal transport and thermoelectric properties of materials systems such as Gallium Nitride semiconductors, Manganese Oxide (MnO2) powders, and the conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT-PSS). This work is done in collaboration with Dr. Patrick Hopkins group at University of Virginia Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Mert Tokman

Mert Tokman

Marketing

Dr. Mert Tokman (PhD, University of Alabama) is the Kenneth R. Bartee Endowed Professor in the Marketing Department at James Madison University where he teaches courses in Marketing and Logistics. Dr. Tokman is the founder and coordinator of the Global Supply Chain Management minor program in the College of Business. His research focuses on buyer-supplier relationships, supply chain networks, and international logistics issues. His work has appeared in leading journals such as Journal of Retailing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Business Logistics, Journal of Business Research, and Industrial Marketing Management among others.