Faculty Accolades

External Awards and Honors

Edward (Ted) Fischer, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Anthropology: Cultural Contexts of Health and Wellbeing Grant from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation & World Health Organization
Jada Benn Torres, associate professor of anthropology: mentor for Ph.D. student Olawunmi Winful: National Science Foundation, Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement
Steve Wernke, associate professor of anthropology: National Endowment for the Humanities, Digital Humanities Advancement Grant

Markus Eberl, associate professor of anthropology: Guatemala’s First Petrified Forest: Dead trees and the stories they tell. National Geographic Society’s Meridian grant
Gabriel Torres Colón, assistant professor of anthropology: Wenner Gren Foundation, Engaged Research Grant
Steve Wernke, associate professor of anthropology: Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Williamns Island Project
Natalie Robbins, program manager of VISR: National Institute of Health—Subawardee, Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research
S. Harvey, associate professor of anthropology: Ford Foundation Senior Fellowship
Sophie Bjork-James, assistant professor of anthropology: National Science Foundation, Cultural Anthropology Program Senior Research Award

Jada Benn Torres, associate professor of anthropology: Robert Sussman Award for Scientific Contributions to Anthropology; anthropology section of American Association for the Advancement of Science
Jada Benn Torres, associate professor of anthropology (PI) and Gabriel Torres Colón, assistant professor of anthropology: National Geographic Explorer Grant. A Community-based Analysis of Afro-Puerto Rican Genetic Ancestry and Cultural Identity
Markus Eberl, associate professor of anthropology: Changing Communities of Ancient Builders: Machine Learning-based Analysis of Mortars from Caesarea Maritima (Israel). NEH Digital Humanities
Markus Eberl, associate professor of anthropology: Rust Foundation Grant
Sophie Bjork-James, assistant professor of anthropology: American Academy of Religion Grant. Religion and Opposition to Organized Racism in the Northwestern United States
Steve Wernke, associate professor of anthropology: National Endowment for the Humanities. Humanities in Place: An Immersive, Place-Based Curriculum for Historic Preservation & Humanities-Centered Land Use at Vanderbilt University

Edward (Ted) Fischer, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Anthropology: Harvie Bransomb Distinguished Professor Award
S. Harvey, associate professor of anthropology: Driving Innovation Forward. Vanderbilt University Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization, July 2020. Web-Based Covid-19 Self-Screening Tool

Beth Conklin, associate professor of anthropology: Covid-19 Innovative Teaching Award; Teaching Courses Focused on Timely and Topical Pandemic-Related Issues
S. Harvey, associate professor of anthropology: Covid-19 Innovative Teaching Award; Teaching Courses Focused on Timely and Topical Pandemic-Related Issues
Steve Wernke, associate professor of anthropology: Covid-19 Innovative Teaching Award; Creating Safe, Productive, and Engaging In-person Learning Environments

Rebecca Gamez, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and H. Family Dean’s Faculty Fellow in Racial Justice: Outstanding Faculty Instructor Award; Vanderbilt Anthropology Graduate Student Association
Michelle Young, assistant professor of anthropology: Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award; Vanderbilt Anthropology Graduate Student Association

Carwil Bjork-James, associate professor of anthropology: Outstanding Faculty Instructor Award; Vanderbilt Anthropology Graduate Student Association
Jada Benn-Torres, associate professor of anthropology: Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award; Vanderbilt Anthropology Graduate Student Association

Lesley Gill, professor of anthropology, emerita: Outstanding Faculty Instructor Award; Vanderbilt Anthropology Graduate Student Association
Markus Eberl, associate professor of anthropology: Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award; Vanderbilt Anthropology Graduate Student Association