Peter Cummings

After a 20-year career of research, service and mentorship at the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, Peter Cummings retired Aug. 15, 2022, and relocated to Edinburgh, Scotland, with his family. Cummings is a globally recognized expert in molecular modeling and simulations, and he has been pivotal in the acceptance of… Read More

John R. Hall, BE’55, a champion for education and trustee emeritus whose deep devotion to Vanderbilt earned him the nickname “Kentucky Commodore,” died Nov. 25 in Lexington, Kentucky. He was 88 years old. Hall’s accomplishments at Vanderbilt began on the Commodores football team as the university’s first Academic All-American and… Read More

Complex molecular simulations support advancements in multiple fields. Vanderbilt engineers developed MoSDeF, Molecular Simulation and Design Framework, to make such research easily reproducible. The open-source software suite is available at mosdef.org.   Science moves forward when researchers verify their and others’ results. “Reproducibility in scientific research is a prominent issue,… Read More

While others may have opened somewhat traditional gifts during the 2019 holiday season, Peter Cummings received an extraordinary one:  A singular issue of Molecular Physics, Volume 117, numbers 23-24, honoring him on his 65th birthday and recognizing him as “a constantly innovating scientific force” in molecular theory and molecular simulation… Read More

Peter T. Cummings, John R. Hall Professor of Chemical Engineering and the School of Engineering’s associate dean for research, has been named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. The designation FRSC is given to an elected Fellow who has made outstanding contributions to chemistry. Peter Cummings Cummings… Read More

Vanderbilt University has engaged Lewis-Burke Associates LLC, a specialty consulting firm based in Washington, D.C., to afford faculty more opportunities for enhancing their research and scholarship. Through this engagement, Lewis-Burke will collaborate directly with faculty, provide advice on funding trends, identify new opportunities, discuss strategies to overcome… Read More

Peter T. Cummings will present the Molecular Physics Lecture, one of five plenary lectures, at the global Thermodynamics 2019 conference on the coast of Huelva at Punta Umbría, Spain, June 26-28. The lecture—“The Molecular Simulation Design Framework (MoSDeF): Capabilities and Applications”—is sponsored by Taylor & Francis, publishers of the journal… Read More

Two engineering deans are members of a new working group formed to assess the current status and plan for the advancement of environmental health and safety at Vanderbilt University. The Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Assessment and Planning Working Group will report to Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs… Read More

Philippe Fauchet, Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of the School of Engineering, has announced a new structure for his office with a number of colleagues taking on new roles and responsibilities. “These decisions reflect thoughtful review of our goals, especially our plans for strategic initiatives and growth, and more effective… Read More

In a one-week intensive course in June, engineering’s associate dean for research will teach molecular simulations to 44 graduate students in Beijing. “I’m presenting a crash course for chemical engineering students on how to perform simulations of materials from the molecule up,” said Peter Cummings, also the John R. Hall… Read More