Research

Jenny Davis, professor of sociology in the College of Arts and Science, and Pamela Wisniewski, associate professor in human-computer interaction and Flowers Faculty Fellow in the School of Engineering, join 22 other distinguished scholars from a wide a... Read More

  As a child, Shaniya Jarrett was fascinated by space and science fiction, but didn’t believe that pursuing the big scientific questions of the universe was a viable career option. Now a second-year astrophysics graduate student in the Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-Ph.D. Bridge Program, Shaniya is creating opportunities for young women… Read More

A new Vanderbilt University study challenges traditional views on childhood, emphasizing the role of cultural, social and historical factors in shaping policies on children’s health and well-being. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in collab... Read More

Credit: Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation/Kaerie Ray 2022 Beckman Scholar Sarah Hourihan. Photo credit: Wesley Dong College of Arts and Science senior Sarah Hourihan is eagerly awaiting journal publication of a first-author manuscript featuring results of research on the dark-eyed junco songbird completed as a Beckman Foundation… Read More

The Carolyn T. and Robert M. Rogers Center for the American Presidency has launched, with the goal of exploring the presidency through an innovative, comprehensive lens. Housed within the College of Arts and Science, the center will serve as a nationally recognized hub for innovative scholarship about… Read More

Julie Gamble, assistant professor of gender and sexuality studies, shares her experience biking through Quito, Ecuador with a women’s cyclist group to understand first-hand how urban mobility and infrastructure can help reduce gender inequality. Read More

Steven Wernke, associate professor and chair of anthropology, has developed GeoPACHA (Geospatial Platform for Andean Culture, History and Archaeology), a web application that allows researchers to map archaeological sites in the Andes at a greater scale than ever before. GeoPACHA has enabled new discoveries about past human… Read More

Adapted from article written by Anne Trafton, MIT News Office Throughout the brain’s cortex, neurons are arranged in six distinctive layers, which can be readily seen with a microscope. André Bastos, assistant professor of psychology, is senior author on a study published in Nature… Read More

Patrick Trent Greiner, assistant professor of sociology and C. Family Dean’s Faculty Fellow in Grand Challenges: Climate and Society, studies the intersection of environmental justice and sustainability. He investigates how public policy has created social inequality in the past, increasing environmental risk to marginalized… Read More

Lars Plate, assistant professor of chemistry and biological sciences, has received a $2.76 million collaborative grant to investigate medical therapy for people with cystic fibrosis. The interdisciplinary project brings together teams with varied expertise in computational structural biology, proteomics, biophysics, and physiology in hopes of improving the quality of life… Read More

A fresh political news site has just launched with John Sides, William R. Kenan Jr. Chair and professor in political science, at its helm. Goodauthority.org draws on the expertise of leading political scientists to provide the public with evidence-based, non-partisan information about the most… Read More

You might not have ever thought about how art made of snow can communicate the threats of global warming. Or how an underwater opera can highlight the distress of our oceans. These unusual pairings—and many more—are the focus of a new podcast that explores unexpected connections between the arts and… Read More

    When Liyu “Leo” Huang, BA’24, attended the Fall Research Match event during his freshmen year at Vanderbilt, he never imagined it would lead him to three years of immersive, hands-on research combining his two passions: medicine and the creative arts. A Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholar majoring in architecture… Read More

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences announced the election of three College of Arts and Science faculty among its 2023 cohort of 270 new members. They are:  María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Art… Read More

Gilbert Gonzales, assistant professor of medicine, health, and society, works at the intersection of LGBTQ health and public policy. A subject area where there once was limited data, Gonzales and colleagues have worked to bolster the research available to help inform both the public and… Read More

Vanderbilt, Northwestern, and University of Virginia study shows the benefits of working together persist even as polarization in Congress has risen After weeks of tense speculation over a looming financial catastrophe should the U.S. default on its debts, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and President Biden are finalizing terms for… Read More

Undergraduate students at A&S have unique opportunities to conduct a wide range of research, discovery, and scholarship during their time on campus. As an undergraduate researcher, Pax Poggi BA’25 studies the intersection of mathematics and consciousness. Hear about his work with the integrated information theory of consciousness,… Read More

Rebecca VanDiver, associate professor of art and architecture, discusses the work of Elizabeth Catlett, an African American printmaker and sculptor. VanDiver looks at how art functions not only as a lens into society, but also as a cultural vehicle between the movement and the museum. Read More

Alice Randall, Andrew W. Mellon Chair in the Humanities and writer-in-residence of African American and Diaspora Studies, discusses the untold stories of Black country music in Nashville and its roots that stretch back more than 100 years ago. Read More

Aimi Hamraie, associate professor of medicine, health, and society, discusses opportunities to make urban environments more equitable and accessible for disabled individuals. Hamraie, whose work focuses on disability and the built environment, offers solutions for a more accessible future for all. Read More