New London — Eight Connecticut College faculty members have been promoted to full professors and four have been advanced to associate professor with tenure, the college's board of trustee's announced Friday.

All promotions are effective July 1.

Receiving promotion to full professor were Anne Bernhard, Amy Dooling, Sandy Grande, Aida Heredia, Ozgur Izmirli, David Jaffe, Paola Sica and John Tian. New associate professor promotions were granted to Christine Chung, Jennifer Rudolph, Rachel Spicer and Jeff Strabone.

Bernhard, promoted to professor of biology, joined Connecticut College in 2004. Her current research focuses on the ecology of microorganisms involved in the nitrogen cycle of estuaries and salt marshes.

Dooling, elevated to professor of East Asian languages and cultures, has written extensively about political activism and cultural expression in modern China, keying in on the issue of feminism.

Sandy Grande, newly named professor of education, most recently has been researching how critical theory and American Indian intellectualism intersect.

Heredia, promoted to professor of Hispanic studies, has published scholarly articles on issues including national identity and has done research on the African diaspora in the Americas.

Izmirli, elevated to professor of computer science, has been involved in studies about music perception and cognition modeling using interactive technologies.

Jaffe, a 1977 Conn College alumnus who earned a master's in fine arts degree from Yale University, was promoted to professor of theater. He has taught courses exploring playwrights from Shakespeare and Chekhov to Ibsen and O'Neill and directly the school's recent production of “Carousel.”

Sica, newly named professor of Italian, has taught courses including Modernisms and Modernity, Italian Film and Literature and Topics in Italian Culture.

Tian, promoted to professor of government and international relations, has interests in the Chinese economy, politics and inequality.

Among the newly named associate professors, Chung is in the computer science department, Rudolph is in Hispanic studies, Spicer in botany and Strabone teaches English.