Rockefeller Welcomes New Faculty Members

ALBANY, N.Y. (Aug. 25, 2026) — Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy and the School of Criminal Justice welcome two new faculty members, including Alvin Christian and Brian Wade. 

“We are thrilled to welcome these new faculty members, who will enrich our students’ learning by sharing their expertise and real-world experience in public policy and criminal justice,” said Rockefeller College Dean Julie Novkov. “Their interdisciplinary scholarly backgrounds span education, social policy, and community violence, bringing valuable perspectives to our academic community. Both are working on compelling research questions with important practical implications.” 

Christian is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy. He joins the faculty after earning his PhD from the University of Michigan and studies how education and social policies influence decision-making and outcomes for individuals and families. 

“As a CUNY alumnus, I am excited to join Rockefeller and work with students from a wide range of backgrounds and to help prepare future leaders for careers in public service - work that feels more important than ever,” Christian said.  

He will be teaching public economics, a course that examines how markets work, when they fail, and how governments can intervene.  

“I look forward to teaching students to think like an economist and develop practical skills for making difficult policy decisions,” Christian said.  

Wade is an assistant professor at the School of Criminal Justice. An ethnographer and mixed-methods scholar, his research examines community violence and its intervention across three substantive areas: community violence intervention strategies, urban underground markets, and neighborhood social control. 

He holds a PhD in Criminal Justice from the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice and a BA in Criminal Justice from the University at Albany, where he graduated in 2010. 

“Returning to Albany, where my own academic journey began as an undergraduate, is a genuine privilege,” Wade said. “The School of Criminal Justice has been at the forefront of shaping criminology as a discipline, and its commitment to interdisciplinary, policy-relevant, and theoretically rigorous scholarship makes it the ideal home for my research and teaching. What excites me most is the chance to work with colleagues and students who take both rigorous methods and real-world stakes seriously.”