Research
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New study examines why some people can more easily detect AI imagery
Can you tell the difference between an artificial-intelligence-generated face and a real one? In an era of digital misinformation, where fabricated images can spread widely across news and social media, this skill is proving invaluable. A new study has found that a person’s object recognition ability, or the ability… Read MoreJan. 28, 2026
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Major Jackson: Devouring the Art of Language
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 MoreJan. 15, 2026
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Political science students create mock “Freedom Report” on Middle East countries
Freedom is something many people in the world seek, but what factors contribute to a country being considered free? This is a question students in Associate Professor of Political Science Katherine Carroll’s course, Middle East Politics, explored by creating a mock report for Freedom House, a… Read MoreDec. 17, 2025
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Never forgotten: Tiffany Fracchia’s class helps identify missing American WWII soldier in France
There are more than 80,000 unaccounted-for American service personnel from past conflicts, according to the U.S. Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). More than 70,000 are missing from World War II alone, leaving their surviving families and descendants with questions, but no answers. Growing up, Associate Professor of the… Read MoreDec. 10, 2025
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Vanderbilt University and EPB launch innovation institute to accelerate quantum science and technology breakthroughs
Vanderbilt University and EPB of Chattanooga, home of America’s most comprehensive quantum commercialization infrastructure, announced plans to establish the Institute for Quantum Innovation, further positioning Chattanooga—and Tennessee—as a national ... Read MoreDec. 9, 2025
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Study reveals role giant ground sloths played in the environment, potentially aiding in ecological restoration today
A new study led by Aditya Kurre, BA’22, and Associate Professor of Biological Sciences and Guggenheim Fellow Larisa DeSantis has revealed the specific diet of two species of giant ground sloth, uncovering the vital roles they played in their environmen... Read MoreNov. 20, 2025
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Vanderbilt University Unity Poll: Americans say college should teach “how to think,” not “what to think”
As conversations about the value and nature of higher education continue at colleges and universities nationwide, a new national Vanderbilt Unity Poll finds that Americans are largely united on the fundamental value of higher education—and in their dis... Read MoreNov. 19, 2025
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Research Investment: Vanderbilt finds ways to set up new faculty for success
Vanderbilt supports new faculty every step of the way—by connecting them with senior faculty who serve as mentors, observe their classes and provide valuable feedback, and proofread their grant proposals to make them stronger. These professors who join... Read MoreNov. 12, 2025
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Research and music sync with Immersion Vanderbilt
Meet two student-professor teams using AI and social media to take their musical Immersion research to a new level. Read MoreNov. 5, 2025
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All Hands On: Vanderbilt alumni translate their student research experiences into postgraduate success
As a research institution, the two “products” Vanderbilt puts into the world are alumni and the research produced. Whether it’s helping to cure cancer, inspire with art, or promote sustainability, Vanderbilt students learn to apply the combination of p... Read MoreNov. 4, 2025
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Study reveals role giant ground sloths played in the environment, potentially aiding in ecological restoration today
Adapted from an article by Andy Flick Aditya Kurre When you think of a sloth, an image of a slow, cuddly, furry creature hanging out in trees may come to mind—the picture of tranquility. But millions of years ago, sloths were around 9 feet tall and weighed anywhere from 400-2,500… Read MoreOct. 28, 2025
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What would a small black hole do to the human body? Robert Scherrer aims to answer that
Some people may worry about being bitten by a snake or spider, but have you ever considered what would happen if a small black hole tried to pass through your body? An article by Professor of Physics Robert Scherrer in the International Journal of Modern Physics D… Read MoreOct. 21, 2025
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Quantum Potential Podcast SPECIAL EPISODE: AI, Propaganda and Democracy with Brett Goldstein and Brett Benson
Political propaganda and artificial intelligence–driven misinformation are infiltrating social media accounts, and Americans need to do something about it. That’s the warning revealed in research from two Vanderbilt professors and discussed on this spe... Read MoreOct. 20, 2025
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On the 10-year anniversary of the first gravitational wave detection, A&S astrophysicists lead the way in discoveries
On September 14, 2015, at 4:51 a.m. Central Time, scientists witnessed something no human had ever seen before: two black holes colliding. A computer simulation of two black holes colliding created by researchers from LIGO, the California Institute of Technology, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. These black holes, which… Read MoreOct. 16, 2025
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Vanderbilt researchers’ work on cover of Science
Through a collaboration between US and Kenyan researchers and Turkana communities of northern Kenya, scientists have uncovered key genetic adaptations underlying survival in hot and dry environments, revealing how natural selection has enabled this pas... Read MoreOct. 9, 2025
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Robert Barsky highlights Atlanta’s history and arts culture while giving back to the community
Atlanta-based artist Susan Ker-Seymer and Robert Barsky For those experiencing writer’s block, or just looking for inspiration, journeying outside and spending time in nature may be the answer. The natural world has a cadence that helps us relax and refocus, allowing creativity to flow. This was the case for Professor… Read MoreOct. 8, 2025
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Vanderbilt’s Center for Global Democracy partners with Notre Dame’s Kellogg Institute to launch the 2025/26 AmericasBarometer survey
Vanderbilt University’s Center for Global Democracy is partnering with the University of Notre Dame’s Kellogg Institute for International Studies to carry forward one of the world’s leading surveys on democratic governance. Starting in October 2025, the Center for Global Democracy, with support from the Kellogg Institute, will… Read MoreOct. 7, 2025
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Search begins for Vanderbilt’s new vice provost for research and innovation, committee named
A national search is underway for Vanderbilt’s next vice provost for research and innovation. Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver has appointed a committee to identify candidates for the university’s new chief research offi... Read MoreSep. 29, 2025
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John Wikswo: Transforming small-scale science into planet-sized impact
When an “unsolvable” problem needs solving, put John Wikswo on the team. As director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education and University Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Molecular Physiology an... Read MoreSep. 26, 2025
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Vanderbilt Unity Poll: Confidence in higher education rebounds, though affordability and political bias are still concerns
The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy recently conducted a national poll to gauge Americans’ opinions on topics related to institutions of higher education, including their confidence in those institutions, their current relevance, fed... Read MoreSep. 24, 2025