Head of the Class: Vanderbilt welcomes a new cohort of educators and researchers to its distinguished faculty

Michael Eric Dyson, Centennial Chair and University Distinguished Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies, University Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Society (KK Ottesen)

Shatema Threadcraft, associate professor of gender and sexuality studies, associate professor of political science (Dartmouth/Robert Gill)

Major Jackson, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English (Ian Thomas Jansen-Lonnquist)

Raheleh Filsoofi, assistant professor of art (John Russell/Vanderbilt University)

Felipe Barrera-Osorio, associate professor of public policy, education and economics (John Russell/Vanderbilt University)

Maizie Zhou, assistant professor of biomedical engineering (John Russell/Vanderbilt University)

This academic year, Vanderbilt is welcoming an impressive group of educators and researchers to its faculty, including 26 full-time, tenure-track and tenured faculty members across nine of the schools and colleges. The new faculty come from more than 20 disciplines and include scholars at multiple points in their academic careers. Among them are a globally renowned scholar of race and religion, a celebrated ceramics artist who draws inspiration from her Iranian heritage, and an innovative computer scientist using big data to investigate genetic disorders.

In addition to these new hires, Vanderbilt recently has invested significant resources in recruiting and supporting faculty. In September, the university launched a $100 million university excellence initiative, called Destination Vanderbilt, to recruit approximately 60 future faculty members—on top of existing hiring plans—during the next two to four years. The university also announced the Vanderbilt Strong Faculty Grant Program that will help faculty continue to make progress in their teaching, research, scholarship and creative expression efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To learn more about the talented faculty being welcomed to campus this year, visit our online profile gallery.