Switzerland
Program Staff
Ezra Plank, Ph.D. (American)
Director of the Switzerland Program
Ezra Plank has served as the Director of the Switzerland Program and Professor of Religion since 2014. His completed his undergraduate work at Pepperdine University, during which he studied abroad at the program in Heidelberg, Germany. After graduation, he served as a Resident Director and member of the Emergency Response Team at Pepperdine. Later he completed his Ph.D. in the Department of Religious Studies at The University of Iowa, with his research focusing on the impact of religious ideas on family relations, domestic routines, and the use of the home for devotional activities. He has published book chapters and presented papers at the American Historical Association conference and the Sixteenth Century Society conference. His interest in the impact of study abroad on university students was fueled by his voyage around the world with Semester at Sea, and he feels very fortunate to be serving in the current role with his alma mater. He is a father, avid outdoorsman and mountaineer, and enthusiast of live music.
Sophie Peeters (French/American)
Executive Assistant & Coordinator of Academics
Sophie originally hails from Williamsburg, Virginia, but has lived abroad for seven years. After graduating from the University of Virginia in 2016, Sophie moved to Rome, Italy, and began working as a Communications Officer for the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See, where she helped coordinate Embassy programs and initiatives. She later joined the Vatican’s communications section, where she assisted in developing global messaging for the Holy See. Sophie also speaks French, Italian, and little bit of German, and loves learning about new cultures and experiences. She is thrilled to be part of the Pepperdine Switzerland team and can’t wait to meet everyone!
Molly Furrer (American)
Coordinator of Student Life
Raised in Montana, Molly studied theology and art history at the University of Notre Dame, where she also spent time abroad in Rome, Italy. After graduation, she returned to Rome to deepen her theological studies and work in tourism, including a role at the Vatican's Patrons of the Arts office. There, she helped visitors experience the Vatican’s artistic wonders while securing funding for the restoration of its masterpieces.
Her passion for cultural exchange and education led her to pursue a graduate degree
in education with a focus on intercultural communication at the University of St Andrews
in Scotland. She has since guided North American students across Europe, helping them
engage with new cultures and perspectives. Having experienced firsthand the transformative
power of studying abroad, she now serves as the Coordinator of Student Life, where
she strives to inspire and support students as they engage with the world through
curiosity, knowledge, and wonder.
Rafael Zulian (Brazilian)
Assistant Director of Student Life
With over 15 years of experience in hospitality management, Rafael transitioned from a successful five-year tenure as a Guest Services Manager to a dynamic career in education. Before joining Pepperdine, he spent eight years as a higher education instructor in Switzerland, blending industry expertise with academic insight to shape the next generation of professionals.
Holding a master's degree in hospitality management and a postgraduate qualification in higher education, Rafael is deeply committed to fostering holistic student development. As the Assistant Director of Student Life at Pepperdine Switzerland, he is dedicated to creating meaningful learning experiences, guiding students in their personal and academic growth, and helping them navigate cultural integration with confidence.
Passionate about student success, Rafael brings a distinctive blend of real-world
experience and educational leadership to the Pepperdine community. He is eager to
facilitate transformative learning and empower students to thrive in their international
journey.
Faculty-in-Residence 2025-2026
Helen Irene Holmlund
Assistant Professor of Biology
Dr. Helen Holmlund is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Pepperdine University. She earned her B.S. in Biology at Oklahoma Christian University and her Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. During her graduate work, she also spent a year training at the Australian National University. Her research in the field of plant physiological ecology explores how plants can survive drought, fire, and salinity. In particular, Dr. Holmlund is fascinated with ferns (which typically require abundant water) and how some ferns have adapted to thrive in dry ecosystems, such as the Santa Monica Mountains surrounding Pepperdine. Her research on these “extreme” ferns has also taken her to the Channel Islands, the mangrove swamps of Australia, and the tropical rainforests in Costa Rica. Her research has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the Southern California Research Learning Center. Dr. Holmlund has received several fellowships and conference awards, including the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and the Billings Award for her undergraduate research presented at the Ecological Society of America.
As an undergraduate student, Dr. Holmlund first experienced biological research by participating in Pepperdine’s SURB program (Summer Undergraduate Research in Biology). After this experience, she became committed to facilitating undergraduate research. Dr. Holmlund has been mentoring undergraduate research students since 2014, and many of these students have been co-authors on peer-reviewed journal articles and presented their research at national conferences.
Faculty-in-Residence 2026-2027
Fall 2026
Leah T. Stiemsma
Associate Professor of Biology
Dr. Stiemsma is an Associate Professor of Biology with expertise in the human and environmental microbiomes. She enjoys teaching courses in cell and molecular biology, microbiology, genetics, and genomics and serving as a research mentor for students in her genomics-based lab. Dr. Stiemsma is very excited to serve as faculty-in-residence in the Hauteville, Switzerland program. She and her husband (Kyle Stiemsma) completed graduate degrees in Vancouver, Canada and the immersion in the culture of another country (even one that is fairly close by) during pivotal developmental years in their educational conquests completely changed their lives. They are bringing their two children, Evee and Augie, for the Fall 2026 semester in Hauteville and are looking forward to further integrating their family life with the lives of Pepperdine students in this transformative context.
Spring 2027
Donna Nofziger
donna.nofziger.plank@pepperdine.edu
Professor of Biology
Donna Nofziger is a Professor of Biology at Seaver College and teaches classes in cellular, molecular, and developmental biology. She is a Los Angeles native who earned her undergraduate degree in biology at Baylor University and her PhD from UCLA as part of the Molecular Biology Institute. She has loved every moment of her 27 years teaching at Pepperdine and in particular enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for learning about the natural world with her students. Some of her favorite moments in her career at Pepperdine are when she was able to serve as Faculty in Residence on multiple occasions in Buenos Aires, Switzerland, Kenya, and Fiji. After her last adventure serving as FIR in Switzerland, she knew that she had to return to share that experience with more students. She believes very strongly in the mission of Pepperdine’s international programs and has seen first hand how transformative this experience can be for her students (and herself). She is excited for cheese and chocolate-induced food comas - AND for creating memories exploring the beauty of Switzerland with the students.