Academics and Higher Education Professionals

Our academicians and other professionals in higher education develop and prepare the next generation of engineers, business leaders, special education and clinical practitioners, and students across all other relevant domains to bring a “neurodiversity paradigm” to all whose lives they will touch and everything they will invent, create and do.

People

Programs

Impacts

Resources

Learn about the people who research and develop neuroinclusive higher education practices to support a better education for all.

Learn about the education supporting programs run by the FCAI and our partners including supports for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students.

Learn about the students we serves and how our programs impact them and the neurodivergent community.

If you are an educator or researcher in the education space, we hope you find these resources helpful!

Academics and Higher Education Professionals News

SEEKING RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS: PEACES Study Team Recruiting Autistic Undergraduates for Experience Study

November 29, 2025

What is the study? On behalf of the Postsecondary Education: Autistic Collegians’ Experience of Success (PEACES) study team, we encourage our partners to spread the word about this research study that honors the holistic lived experiences of autistic college students. One goal of this study is to create a publicly accessible national database that provides…

Frist Center for Autism & Innovation Convenes Inaugural NeuroCorps Cohort

November 12, 2025

The Frist Center for Autism & Innovation (FCAI) at Vanderbilt University is proud to announce the successful convening of the inaugural NeuroCorps cohort on Monday and Tuesday this week. This brand-new program brings together six neurodivergent leaders, entrepreneurs, and business and non-profit leaders, comprising staff and visiting scholars, to advance neuroinclusion in the workplace and…

Creating a Neuroinclusive Profession: Congratulating Tim Vogus on New JMS “Says” Essay

November 8, 2025

The Frist Center for Autism and Innovation celebrates Deputy Director Dr. Tim Vogus on the publication of his new “JMS Says” essay, “Creating a Neuroinclusive Profession: Overcoming the Double Empathy Problem,” in the Journal of Management Studies. In this compelling piece, Vogus blends personal experience as the father of an autistic son with years of scholarship…

STUDY SEEKING PARTICIPANTS: Job Coaches with Experience in Autism Needed

November 7, 2025

What is the study? Georgia Tech’s Collaborative Wellness and Computing (Co-Well Comp) Lab is seeking participants in their study, which intends to examine strengths-based job coaching practices for autistic individuals and explore the challenges and opportunities of using an LLM. This project aims to investigate 1) the traditional strength-based job coaching approach for autistic individuals…

STUDY SEEKING PARTICIPANTS: Autistic Young Adults Needed

November 7, 2025

What is the study? This study aims to understand what autistic young adults consider essential workplace supports. Eligibility Between the ages of 18 and 29 Current or previous work experience Currently living in the United States Autistic (formal diagnosis or self-identification) Participation This survey should take about 10-15 minutes to complete. Participate at this link:…

RECORDING NOW AVAILABLE: FCAI August Salon Series with Holden Thorp

September 4, 2025

FCAI is excited to announce that our August Salon Series, featuring FCAI Distinguished Fellow and Editor-in-Chief of the Science Family of Journals, Holden Thorp, is now available online on our YouTube channel or embedded in this post. You can find out more about our Fellows and Affiliates and their Salon Series Talks here.

NISE Fellow Hari Srinivasan Co-Authors Foreword with Temple Grandin in Autism for Dummies

May 25, 2025

We want to extend our deepest congratulations to Hari Srinivasan, one of our Neurodiversity Inspired Science and Engineering (NISE) fellows. Hari co-authored the foreword for the new book Autism for Dummies with Temple Grandin. Hari’s section of the foreword is provided below, along with a link for those interested in buying the book. Congratulations again,…

Vanderbilt Magazine Article Tells Story of FCAI and Autism Research

May 24, 2025

We are thrilled to announce the release of an exciting article in Vanderbilt Magazine celebrating the groundbreaking work of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation! By highlighting our mission to empower neurodivergent and autistic individuals and spotlighting the dedication and passion of our director and staff, this article is a testament to the incredible…

New Resource Available: “Supporting Fair and Inclusive Graduate Programs: A Guide for Faculty and Institutions”

April 30, 2025

We are excited to share a new resource developed with the support of Dr. Julie R. Posselt, one of our FCAI visiting faculty fellows. This new resource, entitled “Supporting Fair and Inclusive Graduate Programs: A Guide for Faculty and Institutions,” is a collaboration between the Council of Graduate Schools and the Equity in Graduate Education…

New Website by Neurodivergent Teen Launches to Support Aspiring College Students

April 23, 2025

We’re excited to share this amazing resource, created by high school student Ellie Rosenthal-Strisik, a passionate advocate, neurodivergent student, and friend of the College Autism Network and Frist Center for Autism and Innovation. Ellie created this resource for students like themselves–not for their parents, counselors, or coaches to then translate for students. We’re excited to…