Work with thought leaders and academic experts from Valparaiso University

Dr. Gerald B. Cleaver is a highly skilled and experienced problem solver. He especially enjoys projects simultaneously requiring large- and small-scale analysis, wherein logic meets creativity, and abstract thinking is applied to real-world situations. Cleaver is a dedicated leader with over 22 years of management experience of research groups, and is an eloquent communicator with more than 24 years of teaching experience. He directs the Early Universe Cosmology and Strings (EUCOS) division of Baylor University's Center for Astrophysics, Space Physics, and Engineering Research (CASPER) and has advised the dissertation research of 20 M.S. & Ph.D. students (13 graduated, 8 current). During his 2013 to 2022 tenure as Physics Graduate Program Director, Cleaver coordinated the graduate programs of over 100 students and managed the \~ $700K teaching assistantship budgets. Working with faculty colleagues, he doubled the physics graduate student enrollment from 25 in 2013 to the present 52. Cleaver was written over 85 peer-reviewed research journal articles and 25 conference proceedings. He has spoken at more than 70 conferences and workshops. Cleaver is co-author of one physics textbook and has authored six book chapters and an encyclopedia entry.

Sedefka Beck, Ph.D. has been teaching at Valparaiso University for the last 12 years. She came to higher education after an extensive experience in the industry. She has delivered data driven management solutions in the areas of Marketing Analytics, Risk Management, Business Strategy and Fraud analysis at Citigroup, Discover and HSBC. In addition to her experience in the financial services industry, she has developed analytically driven business solutions for Geometry Global’s web-based retail client, while employing various reporting, segmentation and modeling techniques.