Fearless Faculty
Temple University attracts leading minds from around the world who bring their professional experiences, research endeavors and compassion into the classroom so students are learning from—and collaborating with—true experts.
Temple is recognized as an R1 Carnegie Classification institution for very high research activity. What does that mean for you? You will gain exposure to top-tier faculty members and apply your knowledge to the real world. Our professors are not just teaching—they are mentoring, collaborating and creating breakthroughs every day.
Thinking Outside the Box
Our faculty members actively work to give students the best experience possible. With over 2,000 full-time faculty, you have the opportunity to have individualized mentorships, develop skills to think critically with a global perspective and fully immerse yourself in an open, vigorous learning environment.
Meet some of our professors who are impacting the lives of students and the world around them.
Ellen Weber
Assistant Professor, Strategic Management and Executive Director of Temple’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute
Professor Weber serves as executive director of Robin Hood Ventures, a group of angel investors she founded 23 years ago, which focus on early-stage, high-growth companies in the region. At Temple, she helped implement two new innovation spaces at the university, with the goal of bringing students together to collaborate and share their ideas.
Ruth Ochia
Associate Professor of Instruction, Engineering
Since the age of 16, Professor Ruth Ochia knew she wanted to be a doctor. It wasn’t until she was older, however, that she decided to take the leap to pursue biomedical engineering. Now, she’s a pioneer who helped launch one of the country’s only bioengineering undergraduate programs at Temple. “It’s exciting to be involved at the very beginning of the program. I feel like I can really make a difference.”
Aaron Smith
Assistant Professor, College of Liberal Arts: Africology & African American Studies
Nicknamed “The Rapping Professor,” Professor Aaron Smith went viral for his unique approach to lectures, racking up nearly 10 million views in three weeks. As opposed to the traditional way of reviewing for upcoming exams, Smith prefers to be more spontaneous—by turning his lessons into impromptu raps. “Instead of just theorizing and always showing slides and displaying what used to happen back in the day and what other people did, I figured some practical application would be more impactful for my students to really see the art in action.”
Student-faculty Mentorship
With a 12–1 student-faculty ratio, your professors are not here to just teach. They are here to serve as a springboard for your creative projects—and will support you every step of the way.
Abigail Sydnes ’17
College of Engineering
During her junior year of high school while taking a summer robotics class at the university, Abigail Sydnes first met Temple Engineering Associate Professor John Helferty. The following year, when she was accepted to Temple with a President’s Scholar Award, she’d help TA the very same course. For the rest of her time in college, she worked closely with Helferty—who she calls “Dr. H.” “I think everybody needs an advocate or a mentor, to pull you through in different situations.”
Paige Hill ’18
College of Liberal Arts
As a political activist, Paige Hill has always championed for the voices that go unheard. She was involved in many forms of activism, including criminal justice reform and access to reproductive rights as an undergraduate student. Now she uses that experience in immigration legal spaces, to help advocate for asylum seekers. “My inspiration came directly from Temple’s faculty. I was given the tools to explore teaching and political science as a career, and as something I may be good at.”