Research
-
DelGiorno lands prestigious American Cancer Society award to study therapeutic vulnerabilities in pancreatic cancer
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 MoreSep 26, 2025
-
College of Connected Computing researcher helps launch worldwide human-centered AI evaluation
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 MoreSep 26, 2025
-
Vanderbilt Unity Poll: Confidence in higher education rebounds, though affordability and political bias are still concerns
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 MoreSep 24, 2025
-
Maya Singhal: How neighborhoods create a feeling of safety across cultures
RESEARCH SPARK: Meet new faculty Maya Singhal and see how their research could help us understand the impact of diverse community dynamics. Read MoreSep 22, 2025
-
Vanderbilt hosts inaugural event to strengthen research–policy partnerships
Vanderbilt University welcomed regional policymakers, researchers and community leaders to campus on September 11 for Policy Innovation Days, designed to connect universities with state and local governments and highlight effective public policies based on research. Read MoreSep 17, 2025
-
University of Arkansas joins Mid-South Hub, expanding network of innovation-driven institutions
The Mid-South I-Corps Hub, one of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps Hubs led by Vanderbilt, is proud to welcome the University of Arkansas as its newest participating institution, marking the next stage in a regional partnership built on innovation and shared vision. Read MoreSep 17, 2025
-
An educator’s guide to Section 504 plans: Q&A with Vanderbilt special education researcher Meghan Burke
By Jennifer Kiilerich and Krystal Schmidt If you are an educator—or work with educators—then it’s likely you have encountered Section 504 plans. These plans support more than 1.3 million students with disabilities across the country, but they differ from Individualized Education Plans, or IEPs. In the… Read MoreSep 11, 2025
-
Vanderbilt professor joins Jordanian research team to innovate teacher education
Vanderbilt Peabody’s Emily Pendergrass has been named to the new global cohort “Empowering Teachers: 21st Century Skills.” The University of Jordan, in Amman, recently assembled the research team, which aims to boost teachers’ professional development in an age of evolving technologies and rapidly… Read MoreSep 10, 2025
-
NEW FACULTY: Professors explain how their research could better the world
Hear from Vanderbilt's newest faculty on the positive impact their research could have on society. Read MoreSep 8, 2025
-
AI requires responsible stewardship. Peabody’s new online hub guides the way.
By Jennifer Kiilerich Generative AI is ubiquitous these days, but its use tends to raise as many questions—from practical to ethical—as it answers. A Vanderbilt website launched this spring, the Peabody Hub for Mindful AI Innovation, provides a space for users to take a breath and… Read MoreSep 8, 2025
-
Researchers uncover critical genetic drivers of the gut’s “nervous system” development, offering insights into gut motility disorders
Vanderbilt researchers, including those from the Vanderbilt Brain Institute, have made significant strides in understanding how the enteric nervous system—sometimes called the “brain” of the gut—forms and functions. Read MoreSep 4, 2025
-
Connected Computing’s David Hyde receives $1.6 million NSF grant to develop open-source software platform for ‘physical intelligence’
David Hyde, assistant professor of computer science at Vanderbilt University’s College of Connected Computing, has received a $1.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a new, open-source software platform for “physical intelligence,” which is the combination of traditional physics simulation algorithms with artificial intelligence for addressing complex real-world applications. Read MoreSep 4, 2025
-
Simons Foundation awards $8 million grant to uncover secrets of black holes and strong gravity
Over the next four years, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy Alex Lupsasca will lead a Vanderbilt team in a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional collaboration funded by an $8 million grant from the Simons Foundation with a focus on black holes and strong gravity. Read MoreSep 4, 2025
-
Law School researchers spotlight how AI can accelerate governance research
In a new white paper sponsored by the Vanderbilt AI Law Lab (VAILL) and Vanderbilt Private Climate Governance Lab (PCG), Vanderbilt researchers spotlight two innovative tools they built to accelerate research into climate adaptation policy and AI regulation. Read MoreSep 4, 2025
-
Vanderbilt Innovation Catalyst Fund continues advancing research with new review committee
The Vanderbilt Innovation Catalyst Fund, launched in 2023, bridges the gap between academic research and real-world applications by supporting projects with commercial and societal potential. To date, the fund has completed six award cycles, distributing 39 grants to VU and VUMC awardees across diverse disciplines. Read MoreSep 4, 2025
-
Transatlantic collaboration: Vanderbilt, Liverpool award first joint research seed grants
Vanderbilt University and England’s University of Liverpool have announced the inaugural recipients of a new joint seed grant program, which supports faculty teams pursuing innovative projects designed to grow into larger collaborations and external funding. Read MoreSep 4, 2025
-
Global child development: Vanderbilt professor Jonathan Seiden’s research balances universal norms and local contexts
By Jenna Somers Whether a young child lives in Guatemala or the Netherlands, whether they attend school in a mudbrick building with dirt floors or a state-of-the-art facility, is it possible to develop common measures to understand their health and development? How does child development differ across cultural contexts, and… Read MoreSep 4, 2025
-
Vanderbilt researchers develop AI-based app to strengthen children’s literacy skills
By Jenna Somers After a hard day of work, a parent reading a bedtime story to their child might feel too tired and stressed to think of questions that could spark insightful conversations about the story with their child. But these conversations—which scholars call dialogic reading—are critical to literacy development. Read MoreSep 3, 2025
-
To navigate demographic decline, colleges must communicate value and meet student needs
By Jenna Somers The Great Recession of 2008 led to a pronounced decline in birthrates, and the impact has caught up with colleges and universities. Children born at the start of the recession are now 18 years old, but there are fewer of them compared to the prior decade,… Read MoreSep 2, 2025
-
NEW FACULTY: New professors on why they’re excited to be part of Vanderbilt
Meet some of Vanderbilt's newest faculty as they explain why Vanderbilt is the right academic home for them. Read MoreAug 27, 2025