Research
First-ever longitudinal study on LGBTQ+ aging is window into seldom-studied community
Jun. 20, 2022—NASHVILLE, Tenn.—A four-year longitudinal study of older LGBTQ+ people in the South is being conducted to better identify the sources of stress and resilience for this infrequently studied population. Led by Tara McKay, assistant professor of medicine, health, and society, and her team, the Vanderbilt University Social Networks, Aging, and Policy Study (VUSNAPS) is providing...
Lea named CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar for outstanding early-career research and pursuit of interdisciplinary science
Jun. 16, 2022—Amanda Lea, assistant professor of biological sciences, has been named to the 2022–24 cohort of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Azrieli Global Scholars in recognition of her outstanding early-career research and interdisciplinary work. Lea...
Vanderbilt LGBTQ+ Policy Lab founders conduct first research on health effects of legal same-sex marriage
Jun. 9, 2022—NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Leaders of Vanderbilt’s LGBTQ+ Policy Lab have provided the first comprehensive evidence on the effects of access to legal same-sex marriage. Their efforts revealed that marriage access impacted the LGBTQ+ community positively in multiple ways. The first-of-its-kind study, published last year, analyzed aspects of both marriage and health in same-sex households following the full...
The Hunger Games: E.coli Edition demonstrates how mutualism and cooperative behavior shape species
Jun. 8, 2022—Vanderbilt and Arizona State University microbiologists explore the effects of feast and famine cycles on E. coli, providing insight into how the bacterial communities that reside in our guts, with our crops, in lakes and streams, and beyond become so ...
Vanderbilt psychologists win access to neuroscience observatory to conduct ‘quantum leap’ experiments on predictive coding in the brain
Jun. 1, 2022—Vanderbilt psychology researchers have won access to an exclusive "brain observatory" to explore a general theory around brain energy conservation known as predictive coding.
Research Snapshot: Discovery of mosquito survival tactics leaves room for new disease vector control tactics
May. 31, 2022—Mosquito-borne diseases like malaria represent an ongoing global health crisis of (literally) biblical proportions. LJ Zwiebel has identified the biological factors that help female mosquitos mate, suck blood and sense environmental threats. Est. read...
Amanda Lea named 2022 Searle Scholar, wins $300K to pursue research on effect of early-life environments on human health
May. 19, 2022—Amanda Lea, assistant professor of biological sciences, has been named a 2022 Searle Scholar, an honor bestowed on 15 exceptional young faculty in the biomedical sciences and chemistry. Lea will receive $300,000 in flexible funding to support her work ...
Esteemed astrophysics professor Keivan Stassun co-authors study for NASA on increasing diversity and inclusion in space mission leadership
May. 17, 2022—Keivan Stassun, Stevenson Professor of Physics and Astronomy and director of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, is a co-author of the study “Increasing Diversity and Inclusion in the Leadership of Competed Space Missions.” The report will be p...
Vanderbilt researchers develop new evolutionary approach for identifying proteins that functionally interact
May. 3, 2022—Graduate student measures the coevolution of genes in genomes; method may fundamentally change how we identify genes with similar functions.
NIMH awards $3.4M to Womelsdorf to study how next generation of schizophrenia drugs affects brain networks, cognition
Apr. 27, 2022—The National Institute of Mental Health has awarded a $3.4 million grant to professor Thilo Womelsdorf to study the underlying mechanisms of action for potential drugs to regulate cognitive function and brain network activity affected in schizophrenia ...