New Faculty 2017

A high school science class discussion about how genetic traits are passed down from one generation to another inspired Tuya Pal to pursue a career in clinical genetics. Pal is a physician who specializes in cancer health disparities among diverse populations. Read More

Daniel Work can’t think of a better place to research traffic issues than Nashville. He’s bringing his expertise on applying cyber-physical systems—the combination of physical systems with technological advances—to transportation to a city that adds roughly 85 new residents per day. Read More

Renã A. S. Robinson’s interest in aging dates back to her childhood. Her mother spent her spare time as a caregiver attending to elderly people with dementia. Now an analytic chemist, Robinson is investigating the science behind this very human condition. She is employing the emerging field of proteomics to study the process of aging as well as neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Read More

Erin Calipari could be described as a code breaker. Using technologies that allow her to probe the activity of single neurons in awake and behaving animals, she is piecing together the neural code that controls motivation and decision-making. Read More

A self-described “medical geographer,” Yolanda J. McDonald, an assistant professor of human and organizational development, begins each new research project with the “where” of things, before getting to the who, what, when and how. Read More

While literary luminaries Toni Morrison and James Baldwin are among the top influencers on David Ikard’s research, he credits everything from political rhetoric to popular television series for sparking his scholarship. Read More

Four to five drinks in an evening. Starting the weekend on Thursday with happy hour. No big deal, right? Wrong, according to Mariann Piano, whose work indicates that binge drinking by young adults 18-30 may lead to vascular dysfunction and increased vulnerability to cardiovascular disease. Read More

The regimen is all too familiar for those battling breast cancer and for their loved ones: tough rounds of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. The patient goes on to live a long, cancer-free life when that regimen works. Marjan Rafat studies when it doesn’t. Read More

Middle Tennessee gains a community activist along with a respected historian with the addition of Rhonda Y. Williams to the Vanderbilt faculty. Read More

One of James Booth’s biggest research challenges is keeping his young subjects from getting wiggly while measuring their brain activity during an MRI scan. As a neurocognitive researcher, he uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to tease out how children’s brains develop academic skills. Read More

Melissa Thomas-Hunt, Vanderbilt’s inaugural vice provost for inclusive excellence, sees a big part of her new role as breaking down the traditional notions of “diversity.” Read More

Kejia Hu, new assistant professor of operations management, believes big data can be used as a tool for good, bringing about positive change in the marketplace. And her research can prove it. Read More

As one of the architects of California’s successful statewide carbon cap-and-trade program, Matthew Zaragoza-Watkins, a new assistant professor of economics at Vanderbilt, worked to find a way for companies in California to reduce their carbon emissions while still remaining competitive with firms in states with fewer environmental regulations. Read More

A complete list of new Vanderbilt University faculty for the 2017-18 academic year Blair School of Music Zach Ebin, senior artist teacher of Suzuki violin and director of the Suzuki program B.A., Brandeis University, 2004 M.M., Berklee College of Music, 2006 M.A., Brandeis University, 2007 Ph.D., York… Read More