Two Knox College Faculty Members Receive Tenure and Promotion

Knox College is proud to announce its newest tenured faculty members. At its May 2026 meeting,Knox College Board of Trustees voted to grant tenure and promotion to two faculty members: Mark Slabodnick, biology, and Moheb Zidan, economics, who will both be promoted to associate professor at the start of the 2026-27 academic year. 

In her recommendation for tenure and promotion, Provost and Dean of the Faculty Melissa Glenn shared that both Mark and Moheb are exquisite examples of the power of the liberal arts and what that looks like in the classroom and beyond. 

“Both are thoughtful and innovative scholars. Both are reflective and adaptive educators who take the time and effort to ensure that their teaching hits the mark with students. Both care deeply about access and engagement and prioritize authenticity in the student experience. It is my honor to count them among our tenured faculty,” Glenn said.

Read more about the College’s newest tenured faculty.

Mark Slabodnick
Assistant Professor of Biology

Mark Slabodnick joined the Knox faculty in the fall of 2020. He arrived at Knox after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He previously completed a Ph.D. in cell biology at the University of California, San Francisco and his bachelor of science in molecular genetics from the Ohio State University. Slabodnick was also a postbaccalaureate fellow at the National Cancer Institute at the NIH between receiving his B.S. and Ph.D.

What is your approach to making sure students get the most out of their time in your classroom?

Wherever possible, I like to bring in material that immerses the students in real topics relevant to today. For example, in most weeks of my upper-level genetics and molecular biology courses, we focus on reading and understanding a recent research paper on the current class topic. The lab portion of my molecular biology course is built around active research topics, and students design experiments and even present their data.

In a section on human genetics, I (virtually) bring a working genetic counselor into the classroom to discuss their job and academic path, and to answer students' questions about genetic counseling. For some students, this is just generally interesting,but for others, it has inspired them to pursue careers in genetic counseling. I am always looking for new ways to incorporate these kinds of experiences into my classes and will continue to adapt as science evolves and student interests change. 

What does a Knox College education mean to you?

My favorite experiences at Knox have revolved around interactions with students and colleagues across disciplines. Engaging with our community in a variety of ways is a powerful aspect of the Knox College educational experience, and I encourage all students to find ways to do so while they are here. These can be everyday interactions, like having lunch with colleagues from across campus or working with students during specifically focused experiences in some of the special programs around campus. For example,I am looking forward to teaching a First-Year Preceptorial cluster with my colleagues from history, music, and religious studies, and to discussing games and culture with students as they relate to our specific areas of expertise. These types of interdisciplinary opportunities are vital for challenging yourself to dig deeper into topics you might otherwise overlook. 

During my second year at Knox, I had the opportunity to work with a computer science professor to lead a summer collaborative project that explored both theoretical and practical aspects of engineering biological systems to behave like computational logic circuits. We worked with a mix of computer science and biology majors throughout the summer and we learned so much from one another, coming up with some interesting ideas along the way. Having meaningful experiences with people outside your own discipline or interest group is so incredibly important for gaining a deeper understanding of the world that I can't imagine the Knox education without it. 

Moheb Zidan
Assistant Professor of Economics

Moheb Zidan joined the Knox faculty in 2019 after completing his Ph.D. in economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he also earned his M.S. in economics in 2017. He previously  completed his bachelor of arts and a master of arts in economics at the University of Haifa. 

What is your approach to making sure students get the most out of their time in your classroom?

I try to create a classroom where students feel comfortable asking questions, thinking critically, and connecting ideas to the world around them. I want students to see economics not just as theory or equations, but as a tool for understanding real social issues and people’s lived experiences. I also believe students learn best when they are actively engaged, so I often incorporate discussions, collaborative work, data projects, and research-based activities into my courses.

What does a Knox College education mean to you?

To me, a Knox education is about intellectual curiosity, openness, and the freedom to explore ideas across disciplines. The liberal arts environment encourages students to engage with different perspectives, ask difficult questions, and connect what they learn in the classroom to broader social and global issues. It also gives students the opportunity to discover unexpected interests and develop the flexibility and critical thinking skills that will serve them long after graduation.

Read more on Knox faculty milestones and excellence.

Published on May 22, 2026

- Scott Holland, Knox College Office of Communications