Research
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Caves as time capsules: Vanderbilt researchers decode thousands of years of climate and fire history
Vanderbilt University researchers are analyzing mineral deposits in Western caves to reconstruct thousands of years of climate and wildfire history. Backed by international and internal grants, the team studies subterranean records to better understand environmental change and climate trends. Read MoreAug 31, 2026
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Celebrating five years of investment in innovation: Brighter Ventures Student Award granted support artificial intelligence–driven vaccine design
This year’s recipient of the Brighter Ventures Student Award is Victoria Howard. Howard is a fifth-year chemical and physical biology Ph.D. student in the lab of Ivelin Georgiev, the Louise B. McGavock Professor and a professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology at the School of Medicine. Read MoreAug 31, 2026
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How breakfast primes the response to the hormones that manage your blood sugar
You’ve probably heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Vanderbilt researchers have discovered why that adage holds weight—especially for the one in nine adults worldwide living with diabetes. Read MoreAug 31, 2026
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Chancellor Faculty Fellows Success Stories: See how members are excelling
Behind every major breakthrough is an investment that made it possible. Hear from Chancellor Faculty Fellows on how that support changed helped them to make a difference. Read MoreAug 31, 2026
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Former reconnaissance and NASA space flight center Director Christopher J. Scolese will lead new Vanderbilt Institute for Innovations Beyond Earth
Vanderbilt University has named the Honorable Christopher J. Scolese, former director of the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office and NASA’s renowned Goddard Space Flight Center, to lead the new Vanderbilt Institute for Innovations Beyond Earth, which will expand the university’s research and innovation enterprise. Read MoreAug 31, 2026
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Fulbright Program honors four Vanderbilt scholars in one year
James Cracraft, Ana Christina da Silva Iddings, Tatiana Peredo and Norbert Ross have four distinct research agendas, but they share a common goal: closing the distance between people. They are living Vanderbilt's commitment to radical collaboration across borders as Fulbright U.S. Scholar award recipients. Read MoreAug 27, 2026
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Go ahead and reply to that email right now—it may get you hired
New research from Vanderbilt marketing professor Eric VanEpps finds that fast replies can signal future responsiveness, making job seekers and service providers more likely to be hired. Read MoreAug 25, 2026
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Noreen, Lubinski and Benbow awarded ‘Gifted Child Quarterly’ Paper of the Year
By Jennifer Kiilerich The National Association for Gifted Children awarded Gabriella Noreen, a doctoral student in quantitative methods; David Lubinski, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Psychology Emeritus and professor emeritus of psychology and human development; and Camilla Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development;… Read MoreAug 25, 2026
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Norbert Ross takes research to the stage
Vanderbilt Associate Professor Norbert Ross’ theater work has taken him across Latin America, including to Chile and Argentina. (Submitted photo) Norbert Ross isn’t your typical cultural anthropologist. When he’s out in the field in places like Mexico, El Salvador, Argentina and Chile, the associate professor of anthropology in the… Read MoreAug 24, 2026
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Empowering dyslexic learners from day one at newly expanded Roberts Academy
Creating an environment where a child can fall in love with learning is the greatest gift a school can give, especially for kids juggling learning challenges. Take a step inside the greatly expanded Roberts Academy and Dyslexia Center at Vanderbilt University. Read MoreAug 24, 2026
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Michael Matheny: AI to improve human-centered healthcare for patients, practitioners
Dr. Michael Matheny is passionate about combining AI technologies with a human touch. See how he’s helping improve patient care and protecting patients with implanted medical devices. Read MoreAug 20, 2026
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Heard Libraries expand access to premium datasets through Dewey Data
Dewey Data, an academic research platform that provides access to commercial, third-party datasets, is now available to Vanderbilt users, courtesy of the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries. Dewey Data acts as a central hub where students, faculty and researchers can license and combine premium data from various industry-leading providers through a single, centralized portal. Read MoreAug 19, 2026
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Ana Christina da Silva Iddings: Supporting multilingual learners, exploring technology’s impact
Ana Christina da Silva Iddings will never forget the day that she—as a Brazilian teenager who did not speak English—flew by herself to Las Vegas. Her parents sent her there to live with relatives she had never met. Da Silva Iddings’ life-changing experiences in Vegas, where she became fluent in English and worked in daycare, set her on a path to help multilingual children who are simultaneously learning English as they learn other subjects in the classroom. Read MoreAug 17, 2026
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Records made to be broken: VU Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization posts another year of strong innovation outcomes
Vanderbilt’s Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization closed out fiscal 2025 with a record number of invention disclosures and one of its busiest years for licensing. In FY26, the team raised the bar even higher. In FY26, CTTC processed 267 new invention disclosures, a 16 percent increase over the previous year’s 231. That back-to-back growth signals that Vanderbilt’s high-performance innovation engine is accelerating. Read MoreAug 17, 2026
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What Tennessee educators are saying in 2026: New survey results
Following the June release of the 2026 Tennessee Educator Survey results, the Tennessee Education Research Alliance (TERA) at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development is publishing a series of briefs and snapshots throughout late summer and fall exploring what Tennessee educators said about some of… Read MoreAug 17, 2026
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Unlocking the past: New method helps gain insights into old tissues
A new method pioneered by the lab of Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology Ken Lau is poised to make previously inaccessible medical knowledge that has been locked away in old patient samples newly accessible to scientists. Read MoreAug 14, 2026
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Iraqi educators visit Peabody to learn, collaborate and advance educator training
By Jennifer Kiilerich From July 27-31, Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development welcomed Staff Excellence Fellows (SEF) from the American University of Iraq-Baghdad’s new Center for the Advancement of Higher Education in Iraq (CAHEI). The visit was an inflection point in the collaboration between Peabody and AUIB… Read MoreAug 14, 2026
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QUANTUM POTENTIAL Season 1 Highlights–Nature’s disease fighters, national security changes, a more personal justice system and more!
LISTEN: New ways to treat chronic pain. Creating a “person-centered” judicial system. Challenging outdated ideas about U.S. security. These and more in a special “Highlights of Season 1” episode of the Quantum Potential podcast. Read MoreAug 12, 2026
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Ela Knapik: What Fish Can Reveal About Disease
Ela Knapik still remembers the first zebrafish she saw under a microscope—two days old, no bigger than an eyelash, tail wiggling, heart visibly beating. That was more than 20 years ago during her search for a postdoc position. That tiny fish has held her attention ever since and helped unravel many of the biological mysteries she has published about during her professional career. Read MoreAug 12, 2026
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New VPA report proposes “CityRx,” public pharmacies for New York City
A new report published by the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator (VPA) proposes “CityRx,” a system of public pharmacies for New York City, which would combine a “public option” for pharmacies with support for independent pharmacies to restore and improve access to pharmacy services for all New Yorkers. Read MoreAug 11, 2026