Research

By Jenna Somers Brent Evans (Vanderbilt) On February 28, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear arguments in two cases challenging the legality of the Biden administration’s student loan debt relief program, which, if it prevailed, would cancel about $400 million in debt for about 16 million… Read More

An international consortium co-led by Vanderbilt's Rubén Martínez-Barricarte has discovered a new genetic disorder that causes immunodeficiency and profound susceptibility to opportunistic infections including a life-threatening fungal pneumonia.  Read More

Mikail Rubinov, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, has been awarded $600,000 from the National Science Foundation to develop new computational methods for analysis of large-scale brain activity data. The three-year project is funded by the NSF Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience (CRCNS). It was awarded alongside a companion project from the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation... Read More

Vanderbilt University and the School of Engineering offer undergraduates numerous summer research opportunities to expand their classroom knowledge and gain valuable practical experience. The Institute for Software Integrated Systems is hosting a virtual open house for interested students on Feb. 22 from 3 to 6 p.m. The registration deadline is Feb. 21. The School of... Read More

Five graduate students named Eisenhower Fellows Vanderbilt University’s strengths in transportation, resilience and sustainability are on display this week at the Transportation Research Board’s 102nd annual meeting held in person in Washington, D.C. As part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the TRB provides leadership in transportation improvements and innovation. Four faculty members and six... Read More

A company co-founded by Robert J. Webster III, Richard A. Schroeder Professor of Mechanical Engineering and associate professor of medicine and urology at Vanderbilt University, has received a breakthrough device designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that could open the door for new diagnostic and therapeutic applications of flexible endoscopy. The designation given... Read More

A company co-founded by Robert J. Webster III, Richard A. Schroeder Professor of Mechanical Engineering and associate professor of medicine and urology at Vanderbilt University, has received a breakthrough device designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that could open the door for new diagnostic and therapeutic applications of flexible endoscopy. The designation given... Read More

Vanderbilt investigators have discovered that vasopressin, which has long been thought to be produced only in the brain, is also produced in the kidney. Read More

Autumn Kujawa, assistant professor of psychology and human development, recently received a two-year, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation Young Investigator Grant of $70,000 for a novel study to identify biomarkers associated with suicidal behavior in adolescents. Read More

Armed with a two-year, $141,444 grant from the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research, Professor of Psychology and Human Development Elisabeth Dykens is developing the first psychometrically sound self-report survey of hyperphagia for people with Prader-Willi syndrome. Read More

Technology driven by deep-learning model delivers 4D video-rate imaging, improves precision A multidisciplinary team of engineers and clinicians at Vanderbilt University Medical Center has advanced its work to develop new tools for intraoperative imaging during ophthalmic surgery. The team recently presented a novel, automated instrument tracking method that leverages multimodal imaging and deep learning to... Read More

Maizie (Xin) Zhou, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and computer science, is the recipient of a $1.9 million award from the National Institutes of Health. She has also received $120,000 from Complete Genomics, a leader in human genome sequencing. The Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA)(R35) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIH) will... Read More

This year’s roundup of the top news articles highlights the wide reach and positive impact of Vanderbilt’s research and innovation. Read More

Vanderbilt investigators have discovered a molecular mechanism that promotes chronic kidney disease following kidney injury. Read More

An international team of investigators has found that mild to moderate reduction in kidney function may cause cardiovascular disease, even in people without symptoms of heart disease or diabetes. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have uncovered conditions needed to produce cellulose at the single molecule level that could one day aid in the dismantling of bacterial defenses as well as potentially lead to the engineering of more efficient and cost-effective biofuel feedstock sources. The findings were published in the scientific journal PNAS. The researchers used optical tweezers... Read More

Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver represented Vanderbilt at the White House Summit on STEMM Equity and Excellence in Washington, D.C., Dec. 12. The summit marked the launch of the STEMM Opportunity Alliance.   Read More

Using historical crash data, data collection, advanced classification models and machine learning algorithms that encompass critical factors in bicycle crash outcomes, Vanderbilt engineers Ishita Dash, Mark Abkowitz and Craig Philip developed an analysis that will result in a set of policies and actions that transportation planners nationwide can use to mitigate cyclists’ safety risks. The... Read More

The National Association for Gifted Children has recognized David Lubinski, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Psychology, and Camilla Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development, with the Gifted Child Quarterly Paper of the Year award. Read More

Sarah Brown-Schmidt, professor of psychology and human development, recently received a three-year $382,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for her research project, “Perspective-taking in Conversation,” to understand the cognitive mechanisms that allow people to engage in everyday conversation. Read More