Postdoc Features

Written by Laura Carter-Stone, Ph.D. When I first started teaching—first kindergarteners, then high schoolers, then undergraduates and master’s students—I made a lot of mistakes. To my master’s students, I gave so much feedback on their midsemester projects that a few students groaned to see it. To my undergraduates, I gave… Read More

Written by Helen Makhdoumian, Ph.D. Walk by the Robert Penn Warren Humanities Center (RPW) on a sunny afternoon, and you’ll likely see a group of people eating at one of the tables outside and having a lively conversation. Odds are good it’ll be a group of Collaborative Humanities Postdoctoral Program… Read More

Written by Katherine Ankenbauer, Ph.D. Curiosity has always gotten the better of me. As a child, my curiosity had to be quite a difficult quality as I was always getting into SOMETHING. At home? It was my mother’s bathroom cabinet where I proceeded to put lotion in my hair, thinking… Read More

Written by Kanchana Devanathan, Ph.D. “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them”, I am quoting the famous quote by Walt Disney here because I have always been a dreamer. Ever since childhood, I dreamt of becoming someone who can cure people’s sickness. Read More

Written by Kaylin Hill, Ph.D. Hello everyone! I am a current research assistant professor in the Psychology and Human Development department. I first joined the Vanderbilt community as a NIH T32 post-doctoral fellow under the mentorship of Drs. Autumn Kujawa and Kathryn Humphreys. With their support and guidance, and the incredible… Read More

Written by Jane Miller, Ph.D. Ever since I can remember, I have always been curious about what other people were thinking, but it was not until a couple months ago that I realized that curiosity set me up perfectly to become a psychologist. My academic journey began my senior spring… Read More

Written by Karin Steffen, Ph.D. I’m a biologist, a molecular geneticist or bioinformatician. But overarchingly, all my research has linked back to evolution. There are two patterns that emerged in my academic career path so far. One, I’ve always consciously chosen engaging and supportive mentors and PIs. Their passion for… Read More

Written by Douglas DeMoulin, Ph.D. My journey started at Murray State University where I received my BS and MS in Occupational Safety and Health. Following in my father’s footsteps, I wanted to pursue a Ph.D and focus my research efforts on the health and well-being of firefighters. I always had… Read More

Written by Juliet Nyanamba, Ph.D. I think of life as a canvas, initially blank, full of endless possibilities, and over time, together with the people around us, we get to paint a masterpiece. Some paint strokes are also added by environmental factors, experiences, and things beyond our control. As a… Read More

Written by Tor Nasci, Ph.D. When asked what I wanted to be as a child I would always say a “heart doctor” though I never really understood what that could entail. Through my little sister’s health struggles in her early years, I developed a secondary interest in… Read More