Year: 2025

When an “unsolvable” problem needs solving, put John Wikswo on the team. As director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education and University Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and Physics, Wikswo is tackling questions crucial to the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, now with support from Vanderbilt's Innovation Catalyst Fund. Read More

Josh Caldwell, professor of mechanical engineering and Director of the Interdisciplinary Materials Science graduate program at Vanderbilt University, and Alex Paarmann of the Fritz Haber Institute, led an international collaborative research project that successfully demonstrated the confinement of terahertz light to nanoscale dimensions using a new type of layered material. This could lead to improvements in opto-electronic devices such as infrared emitters used in remote controls and night vision and terahertz optics desired for physical security and environmental sensing. Read More

With the cost of living remaining stubbornly high, and credit card interest rates adding to the monthly debt burden for working families, politicians on both the right and the left have touted proposals to cap credit card interest rates to keep more money in Americans’ pockets. A first-of-its-kind analysis from the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator’s (VPA) Brian Shearer finds that proposals to cap credit card interest rates could save Americans and small businesses billions of dollars without reducing access to credit or cutting into rewards programs. Read More

Some of the most ideal building blocks in technology are 100,000 times thinner than a human hair. An international collaboration involving co-principal investigator De-en Jiang could result in a new class of these “2-D” materials for use in electronics, energy storage and other applications. Jiang, H. Eugene McBrayer Professor of Chemical Engineering, leads the Computational Chemical Sciences and Materials Laboratory. Read More

Kathleen DelGiorno, assistant professor of cell and developmental biology, has received a Research Scholar Award from the American Cancer Society. The award will fund research into potential therapies against pancreatic cancer, the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, which is forecast to become the second-leading cause by 2030. Read More

The Human Language Analysis Lab directed by H. Andrew Schwartz, which just moved to Vanderbilt’s new College of Connecting Computing, is running a key part of the annual worldwide artificial intelligence test, SemEval, which will evaluate how well current AI text systems understand human emotion. Read More

A transformative gift from Vanderbilt parents Laurel and Cliff Asness of Greenwich, Connecticut, to the Vanderbilt Institute of National Security and the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation will have a significant impact on the future of national security and neurodiversity. The gift highlights the extraordinary support of the Vanderbilt community and underscores the ongoing momentum of the university’s historic Dare to Grow campaign which surpassed its original goal of $3.2 billion 20 months ahead of schedule. Read More

When teachers have the right tools and students feel supported, classrooms can thrive. That’s the goal of Vanderbilt’s work with PENCIL, a local nonprofit that links public schools with community partners and volunteers. With 81,000 students back in Metro Nashville Public Schools classrooms, Vanderbilt Community Relations is working with PENCIL to ensure teachers have what they need and students start strong, continuing a partnership that has supported Nashville schools for years. Read More

Judy Jean Chapman, professor emerita of nursing, who led the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing as interim dean in the early 1980s, died Sept. 8 in Nashville. She was 83. Read More

In compliance with the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, the Stop Campus Hazing Act, and the Fire Safety Right-to-Know provisions of the 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act, Vanderbilt University publishes an annual report to provide information on security-related services offered by the university. Read More

Kevin M. Stack, Lee S. and Charles A. Speir Professor of Law, is the new senior associate provost for Vanderbilt University–New York City. Working in collaboration with Assistant Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives James Kellerhouse, Stack will oversee academic affairs for Vanderbilt’s New York City campus. Read More

More than 5,200 Vanderbilt parents and families gathered on campus to celebrate Family Weekend 2025. This year’s festivities, held Sept. 19–21, broke records by achieving the highest attendance ever recorded for the event.   Read More

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy recently conducted a national poll to gauge Americans’ opinions on topics related to institutions of higher education, including their confidence in those institutions, their current relevance, federal policies targeting them and the principle of neutrality. The results indicate that, despite frequent coverage of the escalating charges and accusations against institutions of higher education, Americans’ have confidence in them — and that confidence is growing. Further, Americans believe colleges and universities have a positive effect on the state of the country.  Read More

Social innovation reimagines organizations and systems through human-centered design principles and through leadership to create evenhanded, sustainable solutions to pressing challenges. Considered an emerging field within the past two decades, social innovation is one that Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development has been at the forefront of… Read More

Staying motivated through personal change involves aligning your goals with your core values, which makes decisions feel more meaningful and sustainable. Lyra Health shares a few tips for finding and keeping the motivation to change during challenging moments. Read More

RESEARCH SPARK: Meet new faculty Maya Singhal and see how their research could help us understand the impact of diverse community dynamics. Read More

Vanderbilt’s First View Mentorship Program, a collaborative initiative led by the Office of Undergraduate Education, the Student Center for Belonging and Communities, the Career Center, and student organizations such as First-Generation and/or Low-Income Grads and FirstVU, which are dedicated to celebrating and empowering first-generation students. The program is designed to make each student’s journey one of connection, guidance and belonging.  Read More

After a semester spent exploring the potential future of art as a tool for democracy, The Curb Center is now looking back: at lineage, at family and at collective memory. Read More

Vanderbilt University has launched the Community Takes Courage campaign to reinforce its commitment to eradicate hazing and foster a culture of respect, courage, belonging and accountability. The initiative follows the Stop Campus Hazing Act, a federal law requiring comprehensive hazing prevention measures in higher education.  Read More

The College of Arts and Science is ushering in a new era with the opening of the renovated and expanded Garland Hall. The welcoming, visionary space serves as a central hub for collaboration across the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. Read More