College Of Arts And Science

Whether Major Jackson is teaching, writing or critiquing, at the center of his work is a voracious hunger for artful language—underpinned by a commitment to painting the quotidian in new and unexpected ways. 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

Vanderbilt researchers uncovered evidence of a Chinese government-linked AI propaganda campaign, revealing unprecedented scale and precision in influence operations. The work reflects the university’s growing role in addressing urgent global security challenges.  Read More

Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver has launched a global search for the next dean of the Vanderbilt University College of Arts and Science, who will begin their appointment in the 2026–27 academic year. Dean Timothy P. McNamara has announced his decision to step down from the deanship at the end of his term on June 30, 2026, and return to the faculty. Read More

Tracy Sharpley-Whiting's research explores the interior lives of historical figures whose artistic influence shaped their worlds. Her impressive accomplishments led to her recent election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies. Read More

Five questions with Jacob Mchangama, one of the world’s leading authorities on the fundamental freedom of free speech Read More

Jim Emison is dedicated to seeking justice for Elbert Williams, the first known NAACP member to be racially terrorized and slain. Read More

Joanna Winston Foley, BA’65, brings the lack of racial representation in public art to light through advocacy and her website Representation Matters. Read More

Ann Marie, BA’64, and Martin McNamara III, BA’58, and their family recognized their many ties with Vanderbilt by creating the Martin F. McNamara Jr. Scholarship in honor of Martin’s father, a student-athlete who graduated in 1932. The scholarship benefits College of Arts and Science undergraduates. Read More

At Vanderbilt, people with autism aren’t only research subjects—they are key drivers of scientific discovery. Vanderbilt’s autism research centers and academic programs have fostered a collaborative ecosystem where neurodiverse scholars and scientists can thrive and bring their unique perspectives and abilities to bear on complex research challenges. Read More

Vanderbilt University honored 32 retiring faculty members on May 9 for their years of service by bestowing upon them the title of emerita or emeritus faculty during Vanderbilt’s Commencement ceremony at GEODIS Park. Two outgoing deans also were recognized for service to the university. Read More

What keeps Class of 2025 student Duaa Faquih inspired and grounded? Check out her 5 questions here. Read More

Meet four members of the Class of 2025 who are collaborating in powerful ways. Read More

Journalist Lauren Egan, BA'17, reports on politics in D.C. for The Bulwark and formerly for Politico. She got her start on-air from war-torn Ukraine for NBC News. Read More

By Jenna Somers Climate Champions Fellows touring Vanderbilt’s campus South Asian university students who won Climate Champions Fellowships through the Student Society for Climate Change Awareness’s Climate Tank Accelerator visited Vanderbilt University in February, supported by a U.S. State Department grant. The fellows were from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan,… Read More

Major Jackson, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Chair in the Humanities, has been awarded the inaugural Patricia Cannon Willis Prize for American Poetry by Yale Library. Jackson was recognized for his acclaimed collection Razzle Dazzle: New and Selected Poems 2002–2022, published by W.W. Norton in 2023.   Read More

Awarded annually since 1955, the fellowships honor extraordinary U.S. and Canadian researchers who stand out as the next generation of leaders for their creativity, innovation and research accomplishments. Tiriac, an assistant professor of biological sciences and Hooley Family Dean's Faculty Fellow in Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt, is part of the 2025 class. Read More

Vanderbilt’s Innovation Catalyst Fund has awarded seven new faculty-led projects, advancing translational research and innovation in health care, engineering and AI-driven solutions. Read More

A transdisciplinary team at Vanderbilt University seeks to identify Tennessee communities at risk of exposure to toxic man-made chemicals in their drinking water. Read More

Vanderbilt’s Carrie K. Jones and the University of Glasgow’s Andrew Tobin have received a prestigious £5 million ($6.2 million) Wellcome Trust Discovery Award to study how blocking the M5 muscarinic receptor in the brain could reduce opioid addiction while preserving pain relief. This groundbreaking international collaboration, supported by the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, aims to advance new treatments in the critical global health crisis of opioid use disorder. Read More