The 19th annual Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association Symposium on Oct. 14, 2025, brought together postdoctoral scholars from across Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center for a day of research, professional development and community building.
André Christie-Mizell, vice provost for graduate education, dean of the Graduate School and director of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, opened the day at the Student Life Center by highlighting the vital role postdocs play in advancing Vanderbilt’s research mission. He encouraged attendees to connect each other during the day and get involved in the numerous opportunities on campus to build community.
The morning session featured a presentation by Charreau Bell, BE’09, MS’14, MS’16, PhD’18, who is senior data scientist at Vanderbilt’s Data Science Institute. In her talk, “Reimagining Academic Inquiry: Emerging AI for the Research Toolkit,” Bell explored how artificial intelligence is reshaping research methodologies and offered postdocs a fresh perspective on integrating new technologies into their work.
The keynote address was delivered by Matthew Johnson-Roberson, inaugural dean of the College of Connected Computing. His address, “Artificial Intelligence: History, Future, and the Role of Vanderbilt’s College of Connected Computing in Shaping It,” provided a sweeping overview of AI’s evolution and outlined Vanderbilt’s vision for driving AI research. Johnson-Roberson also talked about how perseverance and adaptability were crucial in the development of his own scientific career. The afternoon was full of career development sessions. Heather Bloemhard of the Vanderbilt University Office of Federal Relations focused on science policy and civic engagement in “The Policy Pipeline, a conversation about past insights, present challenges and future advocates.” Christine Quinn Trank and Susan Douglas, both affiliated with Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations, talked about workplace leadership and management skills in their talk, “Lessons from the Science of Motivation: A Simple, Leverageable Framework for Leaders.” The symposium also included a resource fair and two poster sessions that showcased 35 presentations. Six postdoctoral fellows were selected for lightning-round talks on a broad range of topics.
Poster Presentation Winners:
- Session A: Milene Fontes, Alexander Kwiatkowski and Anastasia Varanko
- Session B: Dalton Nelson, BE’20, PhD’25, and Madhushi Ratnayake
- Session A People’s Choice Award: Harsh Shah
- Session B People’s Choice Award: Madhushi Ratnayake
Lightning Talk Winners:
- 1st Place: Deepika Jayaprakash
- 2nd Place: Milene Fontes
Ashima Chopra, VPA scholarly advancement co-chair, said the symposium provided a “great platform for postdocs from all disciplines to engage with each other. We hope to continue these interactions in the future, to foster the growth of an interdisciplinary postdoc community.”
About Vanderbilt’s Postdoctoral Scholars
Vanderbilt postdoctoral scholars, or postdocs, are professionals who have earned doctoral degrees and are pursuing more scholarly training. Postdocs play a vital role in Vanderbilt’s research enterprise, and more than 500 of them work across Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. To learn more, visit the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.
