Research at Vanderbilt

The combined value of federal grants and contracts for research and related activities at Vanderbilt University, including the Medical Center, totaled $424 million in fiscal year 2009. The National Science Foundation ranked Vanderbilt 22nd among U.S. colleges and universities based on all federal obligations for research and development funding in fiscal year 2007, the most recent year for which these rankings are available. This is the fifth consecutive year that Vanderbilt has been ranked in the top 25 universities.

In addition, Vanderbilt placed No. 7 in rankings released for the scholarly production of professors at research universities in the United States. The rankings, by Academic Analytics of Chester, Pa., were released in January 2007, using data from 2005.

Research funding:
To perform cutting-edge research, Vanderbilt relies on considerable funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Education, and the Department of Energy, as well as from a number of other federal research funding sources.

Agency Funding at Vanderbilt:


Research Highlights:

August 17, 2011: A new lower-limb prosthetic developed at Vanderbilt University allows amputees to walk without the leg-dragging gait characteristic of conventional artificial legs. The device uses the latest advances in computer, sensor, electric motor and battery technology to give it bionic capabilities: It is the first prosthetic with powered knee and ankle joints that operate in unison. More information is available here.

May 31, 2011: A simple technique for stamping patterns invisible to the human eye onto a special class of nanomaterials was developed by Vanderbilt University engineers. It provides a new, cost-effective way to produce novel devices in areas ranging from drug delivery to solar cells. More information is available here.

May 18, 2011: New research from the National Center on Performance Incentives at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College finds that teacher salaries are largely set by schedules which are neither performance related nor market-driven, and have significant consequences on school staffing and workforce quality. More information is available here.

May 9, 2011: Vanderbilt University researchers have found a new class of repellant, called Vanderbilt University Allosteric Agonist or VUAA1, to be thousands of times more effective than DEET. The compound works by affecting insects’ sense of smell through a newly discovered molecular channel. More information is available here.

February 9, 2011: Results of a landmark, seven-year National Institutes of Health-funded trial, Management of Myelomeningocele Study, demonstrate clear benefit for babies who undergo fetal surgery to treat spina bifida, the most common birth defect in the central nervous system. More information is available here.