March new faculty spotlight
Assistant Professor Shobhit Aggarwal, a native of Panipat, Haryana, India, earned his Bachelor of Technology in electronics and communications from Kurukshetra University. Eager to expand his educational horizons, Aggarwal moved to the United States, where he earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Aggarwal specializes in wireless networks, embedded systems and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Though Aggarwal has had extensive experience as an engineer, academic researcher and mentor, he has found teaching to be the most rewarding part of his professional journey. “Having been exposed to exceptional pedagogical methods from an early age, I’ve come to regard teaching as a profound form of art and creativity,” said Aggarwal. “I firmly believe that educators play a pivotal role in shaping society by nurturing students and imparting valuable knowledge in a manner that they can readily absorb and apply in real life.”
When not in the classroom, Aggarwal spends his time hiking, building electronics, and traveling—especially to mountains and beaches.
Assistant Professor of Biochemistry Kiersten Garcia earned her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Kansas in 2021. Originally from Altavista, Virginia, Garcia worked as a staff scientist at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois, before joining The Citadel.
Garcia specializes in analytical neurochemistry and biochemistry. “In graduate school, I studied neurotransmitter release in neurodegenerative disease but have switched to studying protein biomarkers in mild traumatic brain injury and subconcussive hits,” she said. “At The Citadel, I hope to investigate biomarkers of traumatic brain injury and how they react and recover over time in mild and subconcussive hits. Electrochemistry and biochemistry techniques will be integral to achieving these goals.”
Garcia is passionate about making chemistry accessible and engaging for her students. “I think one of the most rewarding things is being able to bring science to everyone,” said Garcia. “This could be through a class or outreach, but seeing students and laypeople make those connections is awesome.”
In her spare time, Garcia likes to compete. “I really like tabletop and RPG games—if anyone has board game nights, I would love to play.”
