Vanderbilt University

Field work led by Associate Professor Tiffany Fracchia recently solved an 80-year-old mystery for the family of a missing World War II soldier. In 2022 and 2023, Fracchia and her students excavated remains from the site of a 1944 B-17G crash near Neron, France. They were later identified by the Department of Defense as U.S. Army Air Force 1st Lt. Gerard J. Melofchik of New York, and his family finally held a memorial for him in November. “Hearing that we were able to bring some peace and answers to another military family … was really rewarding for me,” said Alyssa Bolster, BA’22. Read More

Law Professor J.B. Ruhl will spend four weeks at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center in 2027, developing ways cities can adapt to climate change. The center, which has hosted notable leaders like Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and author Maya Angelou, works to inspire collaboration that transcends political affiliations, professions and national borders. The residency is a joint effort with the UCLA School of Law and the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management. Read More

Cells lining crucial structures in the kidney are full of mitochondria—parts of the cell that help it do its job. The cost of doing that job, though, can be damage to the mitochondria, which then cripples the cells and leads to poor kidney function. Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have found that the protein Rac1 kicks cell repair into high gear to help the body remove and replace damaged mitochondria. Their work was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; Assistant Professor Fabian Bock is among the paper’s authors. Read More

By Jennifer Kiilerich and Krystal Schmidt On a rainy November afternoon in a North Nashville classroom, students who once struggled in math periodically shouted out “zearned it,” receiving stickers or candy from their teacher as they hit milestones in the math program of the same name.  Sherrilyn Dovi,… Read More

The American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching have announced the institutions that earned the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement for 2026, and Vanderbilt University is among them. This is Vanderbilt’s first time receiving the classification. This designation honors institutions that are deeply committed to working alongside their communities. It recognizes colleges and universities that build strong, mutually beneficial partnerships; connect community engagement to teaching and learning; and apply their knowledge and resources to help address real-world challenges.  Read More

Vanderbilt was recently honored by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges inaugural Torch Awards, a new recognition that celebrates member institutions for their leadership in affordability, student success and post-college outcomes. Vanderbilt was the only Level VI institution to receive the award in the student support and completion category. Read More

A new year brings a fresh start—and Personify Health is stepping into 2026 with exciting updates designed to better support your well-being. With enhanced features and updated point opportunities, it’s now easier (and more rewarding) to prioritize your health and wellness in the year ahead. You now have access to more tools, more personalized content and more ways to earn rewards.   Read More

As the new year begins, Vanderbilt is encouraging all employees to take advantage of the extensive well-being resources available. The offerings, which include wellness and mental health programs, are part of the university’s broader commitment to supporting the holistic health of its faculty, staff and postdocs across all key aspects of their lives.  Find out how Vanderbilt can help you improve your personal well-being—physically, emotionally, financially, professionally and socially—in 2026. Read More

Beginning this month, 250 Conversations on America: Civil Discourse in Action will bring together students, faculty, staff, alumni and the broader community for a wide-ranging series of public events and smaller conversations across Vanderbilt’s Nashville and New York City campuses. Led by Dialogue Vanderbilt, the initiative will serve as the university’s signature contribution to the national celebration, modeling how to “agree and disagree better” at a moment of profound civic complexity. Read More

Get to know the new vice provost of career advancement and engagement and head of Vanderbilt's Career Center Read More

Effective Nov. 18, 2025, Vanderbilt University deployed a dedicated REDCap instance, separate from Vanderbilt University Medical Center. University REDCap users who have projects on the VUMC instance should take immediate action to migrate them to the VU instance, or archive projects that are no longer needed. Read More

Vanderbilt University has announced plans to establish an academic campus in San Francisco beginning in 2027, subject to necessary regulatory approvals. The planned campus expects to serve about 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students and support sustained faculty, staff and academic activity. It represents the next step in Vanderbilt’s strategic growth and builds on the university’s recent expansions in New York City and West Palm Beach by extending Vanderbilt’s distinctive academic model into one of the world’s leading centers of creativity, technology and entrepreneurship. Read More

Three Metro Nashville Public Schools students from the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt’s (SSMV) senior class have been named as Top 300 Scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2026 competition. This competition recognizes and empowers the nation’s most promising young scientists who are creating ideas and solutions… Read More

Each spring the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs partners with the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association to recognize postdoctoral fellows who demonstrate excellence in research, service, mentorship and a commitment to the postdoctoral community. Further, faculty mentors who demonstrate willingness to share expertise and advice with our postdoctoral fellows are also celebrated.   Read More

The Greater Nashville Tech Council has announced the finalists for the 2026 GNTC Awards, highlighting exceptional talent from the Vanderbilt faculty, staff and alumni community. These awards honor innovation and excellence within Middle Tennessee’s the technology sector. Following over 200 public nominations across 15 categories, a panel of tech leaders and industry peers has selected the top three finalists in each category. Read More

The collected papers of celebrated humorist Roy Blount Jr. are now housed at Vanderbilt University’s Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries. Blount, a 1963 graduate of Vanderbilt, donated the collection in late 2024. Read More

Vanderbilt University expands its generative AI tool and training to include community-wide access to ChatGPT Edu, Amplify 2.0 and Grow with Google, part of a multi-tool approach to powering advancements in research, education and operations. Read More

Melissa Gresalfi will step down as Vanderbilt University’s dean of residential colleges and residential education and dean of The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Tiffiny Tung announced today. Gresalfi, who also is a professor of mathematics education, has been given an opportunity to enhance her research projects. Her last day as dean is June 30.   Read More

Ushering in a new age of ambition and innovation as a multicampus university, Vanderbilt University announced today that it is proceeding with a planned graduate campus in West Palm Beach—and launched a new $250 million phase of the fundraising campaign for the project. Read More