As the 2026-27 academic year begins, the Keough School of Global Affairs is welcoming five new faculty who bring extensive expertise in politics and international relations, modern Irish and Ukrainian studies, national security, sustainability, entrepreneurship and more.
“The work of our newest colleagues — and the critical questions they address — is more vital than ever,” said Mary Gallagher, the Marilyn Keough Dean of the Keough School. “From the study of moral psychology and transitional justice to the imperatives of sustainable enterprise and international law, these experts embody the Keough School’s commitment to connecting rigorous scholarship and real-world impact. They bring diverse perspectives that will not only advance our research but will also challenge our students to think critically and creatively about how to apply their own knowledge, values and skills to the most pressing challenges of our time.”
New faculty include:
Rory Finnin
Notre Dame Collegiate Mission Chair in Ukrainian Studies
Director, Nanovic Institute for European Studies’ Ukrainian Studies Hub
Finnin was most recently a visiting professor of Ukrainian studies in the Keough School's Nanovic Institute for European Studies. Prior to coming to Notre Dame, he was professor of Ukrainian studies at the University of Cambridge, where he established the Cambridge Ukrainian Studies program in 2008.
Finnin has curated and organized more than 40 exhibitions and cultural events, advancing public understanding of Ukraine’s language, history and society in the U.K. and beyond. His research focuses on the interplay between culture and identity in Ukraine, with particular attention to Crimea and Crimean Tatar literature, and his broader interests include nationalism studies, solidarity studies and cultural memory in the Black Sea region. He holds a Ph.D. in Slavic languages and comparative literature from Columbia University. He is also a returned Peace Corps volunteer who served in Ukraine from 1995 to 1997. He is also a core-affiliated faculty member of the Nanovic Institute.
Rev. James Lies, C.S.C.
Teaching Professor
Fr. Lies, C.S.C., joins the Keough School faculty after serving as senior advisor for faculty fellow affairs and partnerships at the Keough School’s Nanovic Institute for European Studies. A priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross and a developmental and moral psychologist, Lies teaches and writes about the human dimensions of diplomacy, leadership, conflict, moral judgment and ethical decision-making. His teaching connects psychological theory and research with the practical and ethical challenges of global affairs, examining how identity, culture and perception shape decision-making, conflict and leadership.
Lies holds a doctorate in developmental psychology from the University of Minnesota, a Master of Divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley and a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of Notre Dame. He is also a core-affiliated faculty member of the Nanovic Institute.
Emma Murphy
Assistant Professor of Modern Ireland and Peace Studies
Murphy most recently held a postdoctoral position with the Clingen Family Center for the Study of Modern Ireland in the Keough School's Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies and the Peace Accords Matrix at the school's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. As part of this work she supported the Legacy Project, which preserves and engages the digital archive of the Colombian Truth Commission, and explored the lessons the Colombian peace process holds for Ireland. More broadly, Murphy’s research focuses on transitional justice; the politics of divided societies; identity in post-conflict societies; Irish politics and feminist and postmodern political theory. She holds a doctorate in politics and international relations from University College Dublin, where she was an Irish Research Council Laureate Award-affiliated fellow. She is also a core-affiliated faculty member of the Keough-Naughton Institute.
Tom Reynolds
Adjunct Professor of the Practice
Reynolds teaches courses that prepare students to examine how organizations integrate sustainability into business strategy, operations and global supply chains. He also supports the McKenna Center's Urban Poverty and Business Initiative, particularly the South Bend Entrepreneurship and Adversity Program, where he works with students and entrepreneurs to foster entrepreneurship and expand economic opportunity. Reynolds’ professional experience spans global supply chain management, manufacturing and operations, executive consulting and organizational transformation. He came to Notre Dame through the Inspired Leadership Initiative following senior leadership roles in global consulting and industry. He holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Cornell University and a master of business administration in finance and international business from New York University. He is also a core-affiliated faculty member of the McKenna Center.
Lia Brazil
Assistant Professor of Modern Ireland
Brazil will join the Keough School in January 2027 from the University of Manchester’s Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute where she is a Leverhulme Trust research fellow. She was previously a National Endowment for the Humanities Visiting Fellow at the Keough Naughton Institute and a postdoctoral research fellow at Nuffield College, University of Oxford. She received her doctorate in history from the European University Institute, Florence. Brazil’s research centres on the history of humanitarianism, international law and human rights. She is interested in how history has informed the challenges facing NGOs today, the role of individuals under international law, and comparative and global perspectives on modern Ireland. At the Keough School she will begin a new project on human rights and modern Ireland.
Frank Macchiarola, visiting professor of practice, is a senior energy policy and government affairs leader specializing in clean energy and energy policy. He is the chief advocacy officer of American Clean Power, where he leads government affairs and political engagement at the federal and state levels. He previously held senior leadership roles at the American Petroleum Institute and America’s Natural Gas Alliance and served as staff director of the U.S. Senate committees on Energy and Natural Resources and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
Daniele Nyirandutiye, visiting professor of practice, is a global strategist and senior policy practitioner specializing in U.S. foreign policy, development finance, investment and Africa. She has served at the White House National Security Council and as a U.S. diplomat with USAID, including as USAID mission director in Uganda. She brings experience working across government, the private sector and civil society to advance development, governance and inclusive economic growth in frontier markets.
David Shullman, visiting professor of practice, is a national security and China policy expert with extensive experience in U.S. intelligence, foreign policy and strategic analysis. He recently served as the national intelligence officer for China on the National Intelligence Council, where he was the principal advisor on China to senior U.S. policymakers. He previously served in senior roles at the Atlantic Council, the International Republican Institute and the Central Intelligence Agency.
Macchiarola, Nyirandutiye and Shullman are joining current visiting professors of the practice Amy McAuliffe and Peter Quaranto.