Janell Lees

Emmanuel Dabuo Graduate Student, Interdisciplinary Materials Science Caldwell Research Group Before coming to Vanderbilt, Emmanuel was convinced his research would center on 2D materials, particularly graphene, for solar energy applications. That changed during a rotation in Prof. Caldwell’s lab, where he was introduced to defect characterization in… Read More

Thaissa Peixoto Graduate Student, Biomedical Engineering Gonzales Research Group I used to ask my favorite psychology professors whether they needed an electrical engineer in their lab. They mostly said no, and I couldn’t blame them. I was pretty sure the two things I loved had nothing to do… Read More

VINSE has opened its annual image competition to showcase new images for display within the VINSE Facilities. If you have materials or devices that have been fabricated, characterized, or imaged using VINSE equipment, submit your entries to VINSE by August 15. Image enhancement and false coloring is… Read More

Michael McNeill Graduate Student, Chemistry Hanusa Research Group My pursuit of organometallic research began during my undergraduate studies at Saint Joseph’s University under the direction of Dr. Graham. When I joined the lab, I was introduced to elements across the periodic table for the first time. Working with… Read More

  How can tiny structures in your favorite berry turn sunlight into electricity? On Monday, May 4th, VINSE welcomed students from White County High School to the Blackberry Solar Cell Lab for an interactive dive into solar energy and nanoscience. Students crafted working solar cells using blackberry juice and… Read More

We are proud to welcome our 2026 cohort of summer interns, marking the 15th year of the NSF REU program alongside the continued growth of the Summer Tech Crew, established in 2016. Together, these programs provide students with hands-on research and facility experience that supports innovation in nanoscale science and… Read More

Six former VINSE REU students have been awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships (NSF GRFP), one of the most competitive and highly regarded honors for graduate study in STEM. The fellowship provides a three-year annual stipend of $37,000, along with a $16,000 allowance for tuition and… Read More

  Jacob Clerc Graduate Student, Physics Matt Day Research Group Day Research Group I began my undergraduate studies with the intention of pursuing electrical engineering. However, it didn’t take long to realize that my true passion was physics. After my first summer research experience at my undergraduate institution,… Read More

Xiaomeng Zhang, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Scholar, Mechanical Engineering Deyu Li Research Group and Josh Caldwell Research Group My current research was inspired by the mentorship of several exceptional advisors who shaped my perspective on science. Working with Professor Jason Valentine, I discovered how light-matter interactions can be harnessed through… Read More

Segmented tomogram showing subcellular components of a human synapse, including plasma membranes (cyan), microtubules (orange), endoplasmic reticulum (blue), mitochondria (yellow), and synaptic vesicles (green). A key component of any imaging workflow is a robust platform for image analysis. This became critical with the advent of volume EM imaging on VINSE’s… Read More