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

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.