News

In a collaboration between Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, investigators have received a $2.5 million grant to develop a head-mounted augmented reality system that can guide surgeons in ensuring complete tumor removal in head and neck cancer surgery… Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have received a U.S. National Science Foundation CIVIC Innovation Challenge grant to develop innovative gunshot detection technology using machine learning that could become a model for communities nationwide. Will Hedgecock, principal investigator at Vanderbilt’s Institute for Software Integrated Systems, is leading the development. Co-PIs of… Read More

Ayan Mukhopadhyay, senior research scientist at the Institute for Software Integrated Systems at Vanderbilt University, has received a U.S. National Science Foundation grant to develop technology that uses artificial intelligence to address unauthorized road closures in Nashville, Tennessee. Ayan Mukhopadhyay The $697,211 award is part of NSF’s… Read More

Schematic of the experimental s-SNOM apparatus. (created by Ryan Kowalski and Niclas Müller)   Josh Caldwell, professor of mechanical engineering and Director of the Interdisciplinary Materials Science graduate program at Vanderbilt University, and Alex Paarmann of the Fritz Haber Institute, led an international collaborative research project that successfully… Read More

A highly collaborative research project on two-dimensional materials only a few atoms thick has resulted in an important advance that could lead to a new class of 2D materials for a range of critical applications in electronics, energy storage, and other areas. In a paper published last week, “Order… Read More

Vanderbilt University and the University of Liverpool in the U.K. have announced the inaugural recipients of a new joint seed grant program that supports faculty teams pursuing innovative projects designed to grow into larger collaborations and generate external funding. Ravindra Duddu Ravindra Duddu, associate professor of civil and environmental… Read More

The Interdisciplinary Materials Science (IMS) program held its annual Sales Pitch Competition, where students were challenged to deliver a three-minute research talk (no slides allowed) using only a single image or prop to engage the audience. Incoming students served as judges, and cash prizes were awarded to the top presentations. First Place – Rahul Shah […] Read More

VINSE graduate student Chris Whittington, a Ph.D. student in Interdisciplinary Materials Science at Vanderbilt University, received the Best Poster Presentation Award at the 2025 SPIE Optics + Photonics Conference, held August 17–21 in San Diego, CA. His poster, “Heterogeneous Integration of VO₂ Nanopatches on Subwavelength-Engineered Antislot Photonic Crystal for Optical Switching,” tied for the top […] Read More

VINSE graduate student Owen Meilander, a Ph.D. student in Interdisciplinary Materials Science working under the direction of Professor Mona Ebrish, received the Best Student Poster Presentation Award at the 2025 Lester Eastman Conference on High Performance Devices, held August 11–12 at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. His poster, “Gate Leakage Suppression of Enhancement […] Read More

A Vanderbilt engineering professor is working with clinical colleagues to develop and validate an augmented reality (AR) vision guidance system to help surgeons place cochlear implants more precisely. The guidance system leverages emerging artificial intelligence (AI) technology and uses inexpensive, commonly available equipment, making it practical for many operating rooms. Read More