Research
College of Arts and Science faculty, students explore the artistic power of scent
Feb. 27, 2026—Freshly brewed coffee. Cut grass. Campfires. Spring flowers. Reading these words may conjure a specific scent in your mind. Scent is everywhere, and there is a shared experience in how different cultures and individuals use and depict fragrance. A new exhibit currently on display at the Vanderbilt University Museum of Art, titled Scent: Connection, Confrontation,...
New study examines why some people can more easily detect AI imagery
Feb. 12, 2026—Being able to tell whether an image is real or generated by AI may be something you’re born with: object recognition. “It’s a stable trait that helps people meet new perceptual challenges,” study author Professor Isabel Gauthier said. “We were shocked ...
Sohee Park will use prestigious Gutenberg Chair award to study the neuroscience of the bodily self
Feb. 12, 2026—Over the next year, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Chair and Professor of Psychology Sohee Park will work to develop a novel approach to examine the nature of the body and the self in those with schizophrenia. Park will be conducting this research as part of her Gutenberg Chair award. Established in 2007, the award aims to...
Seeds from Svalbard brings the paradox and wonder of the Arctic to Buttrick Hall in immersive installation
Feb. 11, 2026—Svalbard, Norway, a cluster of islands north of the Arctic Circle, is rich with paradox. A former international whaling base and subsequent site of extractive coal mining, Svalbard is now home to the Global Seed Vault, which stores more than one millio...
Seeds from Svalbard brings the paradox and wonder of the Arctic to Buttrick Hall
Feb. 11, 2026—Svalbard, Norway, a cluster of islands north of the Arctic Circle, is rich with paradox. A former international whaling base and subsequent site of extractive coal mining, Svalbard is now home to the Global Seed Vault, which stores more than one millio...
Vanderbilt announces fall 2025 internal research funding award recipients
Feb. 8, 2026—Vanderbilt University has announced its fall 2025 recipients of the Seeding Success, Scaling Success and Rapid-Advancement MicroGrant Program awards, providing internal funding to help faculty launch new research directions, strengthen proposals and co...
Vanderbilt announces fall 2025 internal research funding award recipients
Feb. 8, 2026—Vanderbilt University has announced its fall 2025 recipients of the Seeding Success, Scaling Success and Rapid-Advancement MicroGrant Program awards, providing internal funding to help faculty launch new research directions, strengthen proposals and co...
Friend or foe? A&S faculty discuss benefits and concerns of AI
Jan. 29, 2026—Artificial intelligence has become increasingly present in our everyday lives—embedded in our cell phones, popping up on social media platforms, and incorporated into many business operations. With this rapid adoption comes many emotions ranging from excitement about having a technological aid that makes life more efficient to despair about the potential impacts on the environment...
Vanderbilt’s Center for Global Democracy becomes U.S. home for the Comparative Study of Election Surveys
Jan. 28, 2026—Vanderbilt University’s Center for Global Democracy is the new U.S. institutional home for the Comparative Study of Election Surveys, a leading global resource for understanding elections and democratic governance. This move strengthens Vanderbilt’s le...
New study examines why some people can more easily detect AI imagery
Jan. 28, 2026—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 to distinguish visually similar objects, can...