Frist Center For Autism And Innovation

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

See how a passion to help underrepresented students ignited astrophysicist Keivan Stassun’s mission, earning him a MacArthur “genius” award. Read More

Stassun, who is also a founding co-director the Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-Ph.D. Bridge Program, was among the 2024 MacArthur fellows announced on Tuesday, Oct. 1. The fellowship, which is awarded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, aims to identify extraordinarily creative individuals with a track record of excellence in a field of scholarship or area of practice. Recipients also demonstrate the ability to affect society in significant and beneficial ways through their pioneering work or the rigor of their contributions, according to the foundation. Read More

AJ Hinton, Amber Crabtree, and colleagues collaborated to provide a commentary on the challenges facing autistic adults in science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine. As autistic adults face a high unemployment rate, the authors argue that solutions are necessary to evoke change within STEMM institutions to acquire and retain autistic employees. Read More

The Frist Center for Autism and Innovation has announced its 2024 call for membership, which allows Vanderbilt faculty and staff to apply to become affiliates or fellows of the Center. The work of current fellows and affiliates has resulted in multi-million-dollar grants and was highlighted nationally on CBS’s 60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper. Read More

Mechanical engineering Professor Nilanjan Sarkar, Frist Center Director Keivan Stassun and collaborators receive $1M to develop an integrated AI and behavioral science-based driving training system to improve transportation independence for neurodiverse individuals. Read More

Vanderbilt University and the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation at Vanderbilt are collaborating with The Precisionists, Inc., a Wilmington, Delaware-based company that assesses, trains and employs neurodiverse adults to carry out project-based consulting work. TPI anticipates steady growth in Nashville and plans to create more than 500 local jobs for adults with autism and neurodiversities within the next three to five years.  Read More

Tim Vogus, deputy director of Vanderbilt's Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, uses research to push for a workforce that welcomes, accepts, and embraces neurodivergent professionals. Read More

The Neurodiversity Inspired Science and Engineering graduate trainee program builds on the unique strengths of the School of Engineering’s Frist Center for Autism and Innovation and the Graduate School. Read More

The Frist Center for Autism and Innovation has announced its 2023 call for membership, which allows Vanderbilt faculty and staff to apply to become affiliates or fellows of the center. Applications are due by March 15.  Read More

Keivan Stassun, Stevenson Professor of Physics and Astronomy and director of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation at Vanderbilt University, has been appointed to the National Science Board by President Joe Biden. Read More

The Frist Center for Autism and Innovation at Vanderbilt will be featured on NPR's This Is Nashville on Monday, Dec. 12, in conjunction with the national airing on PBS of the documentary In A Different Key. Read More

Nilanjan Sarkar and Meiyi Ma have received Civic Innovation Challenge planning grants from the National Science Foundation. The purpose of the NSF CIVIC program is to accelerate the transition to practice of foundational research and emerging technologies into communities through civic-engaged research. Read More

Vanderbilt School of Engineering’s Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, working in partnership with Fisk University, has won a $1.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation to create a system of programs to support neurodiverse students in engineering majors and careers. Read More

Keivan Stassun, Stevenson Professor of Physics and Astronomy and director of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, is a co-author of the study “Increasing Diversity and Inclusion in the Leadership of Competed Space Missions.” The report will be published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on May 18. Read More

Applications are open through June 15 for the Neurodiversity Inspired Science and Engineering graduate trainee program. The NISE program engages students across STEM disciplines in the development, deployment and commercialization of future of work at the human technology frontier (FW-HTF) approaches and devices that support neurodiverse individuals, and/or that are inspired by their abilities. Read More

In 2022, neurodiversity in the workplace is an issue capturing attention, as conversations on how to create more inclusive spaces for all continue among business leaders. Tim Vogus, deputy director of Vanderbilt's Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, focuses on research related to improving the workplace for people on the autism spectrum. Read More

Join HR Employee Learning and Engagement for the next installment in its Thought Leader Series. “Neurodiversity in the Workplace” with David Caudel, associate director of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, will be on Thursday, April 14, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. via Zoom. Read More

Vanderbilt will host an exclusive pre-release screening of the documentary "In A Different Key" on Thursday, March 31. The film is the story of a mother who tracks down the first person ever diagnosed with autism, now an elderly man in rural Mississippi, to learn if his life story holds promise for her own autistic son. Read More

The Frist Center for Autism and Innovation has announced its 2022 call for membership, which allows Vanderbilt faculty and staff to apply to become affiliates or fellows of the center. Applications are due by March 15.  Read More