VPA Symposium

Save the Date!

The 19th Annual VPA Symposium will take place on Tuesday, October 14, 2025 in the Student Life Center. 

This interdisciplinary one-day conference highlights postdoctoral research as well as provides a venue for networking and professional development.

Postdocs have the opportunity to present their research through either a lightning talk (brief oral presentation) or a poster presentation. The best presenters in both categories will be awarded at the closing event.

Please reach out to postdoc@vanderbilt.edu with any questions. 

Symposium Registration

Registration for the 19th Annual Postdoctoral Symposium will open on Monday, July 21. 

Keynote Announcement: Dr. Matthew Johnson-Roberson

Matthew Johnson-Roberson, Dean of the College of Connected Computing.

Dr. Matthew Johnson-Roberson is the inaugural dean of Vanderbilt University’s College of Connected Computing and a University Distinguished Professor with joint appointments in the College of Connected Computing and the School of Engineering. A visionary scholar and accomplished academic leader, Dr. Johnson-Roberson brings deep expertise in robotics, computer vision, machine learning, and autonomous systems.

Prior to joining Vanderbilt, Dr. Johnson-Roberson held postdoctoral appointments at both the Australian Centre for Field Robotics and the Centre for Autonomous Systems (CAS) at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Following his postdoctoral positions, he joined the University of Michigan College of Engineering in 2013 as a professor in the Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering department with a joint appointment in Computer Science and Engineering where he was the founding director of the Ford Center for Autonomous Vehicles. He then served as director of Carnegie Mellon University’s world-renowned Robotics Institute. He has led large-scale research initiatives, including a $45 million grant to build CMU’s Robotics Innovation Center, and has developed partnerships with industry leaders such as Google, Amazon, and Ford.

Dr. Johnson-Roberson’s leadership is guided by a commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and the principle of “Computing for All,” aiming to advance cutting-edge discovery and inclusive education across fields like AI, digital humanities, data analytics, and beyond. He is a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award and founder of the DROP Lab (Deep Robot Optical Perception).

He joins Vanderbilt alongside his wife, Dr. Alice Whyte, a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist at VUMC, and their daughter, Rosie.

Poster session

Previous Symposiums

  • The 18th Annual VPA Symposium | October 14, 2024

    The 18th Annual VPA Symposium took place on Monday, October 14 in the Student Life Center. 

    Click to view the 2024 VPA Symposium Booklet

     

    Keynote Speaker

    Dr. Patricia Clark

    University of Notre Dame

    O'Hara Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry; Associate Vice President for Research; Director, Biophysics Instrumentation Core Facility

    Patricia L. Clark has served as Associate Vice President for Research since 2021, leading all aspects of research development including assisting faculty in developing a successful research portfolio, collaborating with federal and military research agency advisors, leading a team of proposal development specialists and overseeing the development of NDR’s new Center for Broader Impacts. She is also the Rev. John Cardinal O'Hara Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and the director of the Biophysics Instrumentation Core Facility. Clark, who has been at Notre Dame since 2001, is a biochemist whose research laboratory uses a wide range of biophysical and other approaches to investigate protein folding in the cell. She founded the Biophysics Graduate Program in 2018, which she then led until 2021. She has received multiple awards throughout her career, including a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, the Barany Award from the Biophysical Society, the Hodgkin Award from the Protein Society, and a Director’s Pioneer Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). 

     

    Postdoc of the Year

    Dr. Eric Moses Gurevitch

    Postdoctoral Fellow
    Collaborative Humanities Postdoctoral Program
    Department of Asian Studies

    Eric Gurevitch is a postdoc in the Department of Asian Studies at Vanderbilt University in the Collaborative Humanities Postdoctoral Program (CHPP) where he has been working to shape his dissertation from his PhD studies into a book manuscript that explores the literate and numerate practices of artisans and other people from caste-oppressed communities in medieval and early modern South Asia. The second part of the book will focus on the social history of medicine in South Asia from 1300 from 1700 that centers medical debates, vernacular-language texts, and the collection of recipes and materia medica. The project investigates multilingual medical cultures that worked across boundaries and borders in South Asia and the Indian Ocean world. Prior to his postdoctoral role, he studied at the University of Chicago where he received both his B.A. and Ph.D. After graduation, Eric moved to Mysore to continue his studies, teaching English at the local school in the mornings and studying with Sanskrit and Kannada pandits in the afternoons before moving back to the United States to finish his Ph.D. which eventually led him to his current role at Vanderbilt as a postdoc.

  • The 17th Annual VPA Symposium | November 17, 2023

    On November 17, 2023 the VPA held the 17th Annual VPA Symposium at the VU Student Life Center.

    This interdisciplinary one-day conference highlights postdoctoral research as well as provides a venue for networking and professional development.

    Postdocs have the opportunity to present their research through either a lightning talk (brief oral presentation) or a poster presentation. The best presenters in both categories will be awarded at the closing event.

    Complete symposium program is now available!

    2023 Postdoc Symposium Schedule

    Keynote Speaker

    Keivan G. Stassun

    Dr. Keivan G. Stassun

    Stevenson Professor of Physics & Astronomy
    Vanderbilt University

    Dr. Stassun holds the Stevenson chair in Physics & Astronomy at Vanderbilt University, where he was previously the recipient of an NSF CAREER award, a Cottrell Scholar award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement, an HHMI Professor award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and a Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowship from the National Academies. Stassun is a co-investigator for NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission, chairs the executive committee of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and recently served on the National Academy of Science’s Decadal Steering Committee for Astronomy & Astrophysics. An elected Fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Astronomical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, his research on stars and exoplanets has appeared in more than 500 peer-reviewed journal articles, with an emphasis on developing new data-driven methods for making precise measurements of the fundamental physical properties of stars and planets. From 2004 to 2015, he served as founding director of the Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters-to-PhD Bridge Program, which has become one of the nation’s top producers of PhDs to underrepresented minorities in the physical sciences. Having trained more than 50 PhD students and postdoctoral scholars from diverse backgrounds, Stassun is a leader and advocate for broadening participation in STEM, especially of underrepresented minorities and persons with disabilities. He has served on NSF’s Committee for Equal Opportunity in Science and Engineering, chaired the American Astronomical Society’s Committee on Minorities, is a recipient of the American Physical Society’s Nicholson Medal for Human Outreach, has been named Mentor of the Year by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has been honored with a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. Stassun currently serves as founding director of the Frist Center for Autism & Innovation in Vanderbilt’s School of Engineering, focused on advancing science and engineering through the engagement and workforce development of autistic individuals and those with other forms of neurodiversity. In 2023, Stassun was appointed to a six-year term on the National Science Board by President Joseph R. Biden.

    Postdoc of the Year

    Siru Liu
    Dr. Siru Liu

    Assistant Professor
    Department of Biomedical Informatics
    Vanderbilt University Medical Center

    Siru Liu, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Her research interests include: optimizing electronic health record features and functions, with an emphasis on clinical decision support, leveraging machine learning and large language model techniques to improve healthcare quality, and analyzing public perceptions using social and behavioral science. She holds a PhD in Biomedical Informatics from the University of Utah School of Medicine. Dr. Liu received NIH NLM K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award for her research in optimizing CDS using explainable AI. She is recognized as a 2022 Google Cloud Research Innovator. She is a fellow in the NCI’s Multilevel Intervention Training Institute, a 2022-23 American Association of University Women International Fellow, and a scholar in the Women in AMIA (WIA) Leadership Program. She developed an explainable machine learning-based clinical decision support tool to predict new onsets of ICU delirium. This project was a finalist in the 2022 AMIA Artificial Intelligence Evaluation Showcase. She serves as a member of the WIA Committee and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee in AMIA. She also served on the Scientific Program Committee at the AMIA 2023 Annual Symposium and as an Area Chair in the Women in Machine Learning Workshop at NeurIPS.

  • The 16th Annual VPA Symposium | October 27, 2022

    This interdisciplinary one-day conference highlights postdoctoral research as well as provides a venue for networking and professional development.

    Postdocs have the opportunity to present their research through either a lightning talk (brief oral presentation) or a poster presentation. Best presenters in both categories received prizes to be presented at the closing event.

    Registration is closed. Day-of registration may be available.

    Complete symposium program is now available! Click here.

  • The 15th Annual VPA Symposium | November 1, 2021

    This interdisciplinary one-day conference highlights postdoctoral research as well as provide a venue for networking and professional development.

    Postdocs have the opportunity to present their research through either a lightning talk (brief oral presentation) or a poster presentation. Best presenters in both categories received prizes to be presented at the closing event.

    Schedule of Events (Central Time)

    Keynote Address

    Dr. Adia Harvey Wingfield

    Vice Dean of Faculty Development and Diversity
    Professor of Sociology
    Mary Tileston Hemenway Professor of Arts & Sciences
    Washington University in St. Louis

    Professional Work in a ‘Post Racial’ Era: Black Health Care Workers in the New Economy

    What happens to black professionals when work transforms? In an era of rapid technological change, shrinking protections for workers, and growing income inequality, work is no longer the secure, stable, predictable path to economic stability that it once was for some segments of the population. Instead, organizations today focus on shedding labor, cutting costs, and increasing shareholder returns. At the same time, however, many organizations also profess an interest in meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse population. How do they manage the tensions of adapting to these neoliberal ideals in a more multiracial society?

    This research study focuses on black professionals in the health care industry to answer this question. Using in depth interviews, field observations, and survey data analysis, I show how work transformation fundamentally changes the labor black professionals do within and outside of organizations. This labor varies by occupational status and gender, leaving black men and black women with divergent responsibilities depending on their position in the organizational hierarchy. Ultimately, this research identifies new challenges for organizations and reveals an additional way that racial inequality gets perpetuated in the new economy.

    BRET Career Advising Session

    Dr. Ashley Brady

    Assistant Dean of Biomedical Career Engagement and Strategic Partnerships
    BRET Office of Career Development ASPIRE Program
    Assistant Professor of Medical Education and Administration
    Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

    Career Development for Postdoctoral Fellows and the ASPIRE Program at Vanderbilt

    What are your career plans? What should your next steps be to get you there? If these questions overwhelm you, or you just want to be more strategic in preparing, then join Ashley Brady, PhD, as she shares ideas to help you make a plan and maximize the resources available to you, both on campus and elsewhere. Your postdoc years are an excellent time to explore career options, build skills and network to help you make the most of this important stage in your training.

    Organizing Committee

    Chitra Basu
    Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, VUMC

    Faith Bishop
    Office of Postdoctoral Affairs

    Maxime F Chevée
    Department of Pharmacology, VU

    Daniel Fehrenbach
    Department of Medicine
    Division of Clinical Pharmacology, VUMC

    Shramana Ghosh
    Dermatology, VUMC

    Kakali Ghoshal
    Department of Medicine
    Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, VUMC

    Caitlin Haskell
    Office of Postdoctoral Affairs

    Markie Sneed
    Division of Pediatrics, VUMC
    School of Nursing, Vanderbilt University

    Mohammad Saleem
    Department of Medicine
    Division of Clinical Pharmacology, VUMC

    Anirban Sengupta
    Institute of Imaging Science, VUMC

    Rei Ukita
    Department of Thoracic Surgery, VUMC

    Neelima Wagley
    Department of Psychology and Human Development, VU

    Zhiyu Wan
    Department of Biomedical Informatics, VUMC

    Brianna Yamasaki
    Department of Psychology and Human Development, VU

  • The 14th Annual VPA Symposium | October 29, 2020

    The 14th Annual VPA Symposium occurred October 29th, 2020. Thanks so much to Dr. Chad Topaz, everyone who presented, everyone who attended, and everyone who helped make this event possible!

    Congratulations to our Lightning Talk Winners Inga Saknite and Stephanie Moore-Lotridge!

    Congratulations to our Poster Winners Jessica Thomas, Andrew Patterson, Tomas Rush, and  Kakali Ghoshal!

    The Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association (VPA) is excited to announce that the 14th  Annual VPA Symposium will be held virtually on Thursday, October 29th! We are proud to be sponsored by the Oak Ridge Associated Universities consortium!

    This interdisciplinary one-day conference will highlight postdoctoral research as well as provide a virtual venue for networking and professional development. We are proud to announce our Keynote Speaker, Chad Topaz, Professor of Mathematics, Williams College, and Co-Founder and Executive Director of Research, Institute for the Quantitative Study of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity!

    Postdocs will have the opportunity to present their research through either a lightning talk (brief oral presentation) or a poster presentation. Best presenters in both categories will receive prizes (e.g., gift cards, travel award, etc.) to be presented at the closing event. All attendees will also be eligible to receive raffle prizes throughout the day!

    Events will be held through Zoom and Gather.

    Keynote: Quantitative Approaches to Social Justice

    Chad Topaz, Professor of Mathematics, Williams College, and Co-Founder and Executive Director of Research, Institute for the Quantitative Study of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity.

    https://chadtopaz.com/

    Civil rights leader, educator, and investigative journalist Ida B. Wells said that "the way to right wrongs is to shine the light of truth upon them." In this talk, I demonstrate how quantitative and computational approaches can shine a light on social injustices and help build solutions to remedy them. One project uses data science tools to study gender representation on mathematics journal editorial boards, finding that of 13,000 editorial positions studied, a mere 8.9% are held by women. A second project is constitutes a large scale study of gender and ethnic representation amongst artists whose works are held in the collections of major U.S. museums. We estimate that 85% of these artists are white and 87% are men. We find that the relationship between museum collection mission and artist diversity is weak, suggesting that a museum wishing to increase diversity might do so without changing its emphases on specific time periods and regions. Finally, I will mention other quantitative social justice projects underway in the realms of criminal justice, music, education, and more.

    Schedule of Events (Central Time):

    10:00-12:00 Poster Session

    12:30-1:30 Keynote Seminar

    1:30-2:00 BRET Office Career Advising Session

    2:00-3:00 Science Advocacy & Policy Discussion: held in conjunction with the VU and VUMC Office of Federal Relations "VU in DC" event. Separate registration required.

    3:15-4:15 Lightning Talks

    4:30-6:00 Closing Ceremony w/ Prizes, Virtual Professional and Community Networking

    Congratulations to our Poster Winners Kakali Ghoshal, Tomas Rush, Andrew Patterson, and Jessica Thomas!

    Congratulations to our Lightning Talk Winners Stephanie Moore-Lotridge and Inga Saknite!

  • The 13th Annual VPA Symposium | April 9th, 2019

    The VPA Annual Symposium is the premier event that highlights postdoctoral research across different fields from both VU and VUMC. It also serves as a venue for postdocs to network with each other, faculty, other members of the Vanderbilt community and leaders in several industries pertinent to postdoctoral development.

    Our Keynote Speaker this year was Dr. Lydia Villa-Komaroff, a molecular biologist, executive, and diversity advocate. Dr. Villa-Komaroff is a consultant and speaker, founder of Intersections, SBD and founding member of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS). Her storied career will be a message for all to see!

  • The 12th Annual VPA Symposium | April 12, 2018

    Thank you to all postdocs, staff, and faculty, who attended and participated in the 12 th annual VPA symposium. Also, thank you to the OPA and BRET offices who helped make the symposium a success, and to the VPA symposium organizing committee who has worked hard all year to make this event happen!

    Congratulations to Natalie Hinkel for being named Postdoc of the Year, and to Kareem Mohni and Monica Ridgeway for being honorable mentions. Congratulations to professor Anita Disney for being Mentor of the Year.

    VU News Article

    And congratulations to all poster and lightning round winners:

    Lightning round winners: Mindy Leelawong and Daniel Blackwell

    Poster winners: Benjamin Nixon, Abigail LaBella, Bartholomew Roland, Sarah Short, Xin Tong, Amy Engevik, Oleg Kovtun, Lauren Palmer, William Beavers, and Ralph Hazlewood.

    Our keynote speaker will be Liz Neeley, Executive Director of The Story Collider!

    Afternoon Breakout Sessions Focused on:

    Postdoc lightning round (5 minute) talks & posters.

    See all the abstracts here.