News

How do detectives turn crime-scene evidence into useful clues? On Thursday, October 29th, VINSE welcomed students from Centennial High School to our Forensics Lab to find out. Students explored how scientists use light to learn about the composition and properties of different materials. Using Raman, FTIR, absorption, and photoluminescence spectroscopy,… Read More

Congratulations to Jason Valentine, VINSE Deputy Director and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, who has been elected to the 2027 Fellow Class of the Optica Society. The society honors Jason for pioneering contributions to low-loss dielectric metasurfaces and meta-optics for image processing, and for sustained education in nanophotonics. The society’s board… Read More

Dr. Yang Han joined VINSE in fall 2026 as a new faculty member in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Vanderbilt University. His research focuses on developing advanced membrane materials for chemical separations, with an emphasis on understanding how molecules and ions move through materials at the nanoscale. Read More

Dr. Ruogu Fang joined VINSE in fall 2026 as a Professor of Biomedical Engineering and the Flowers Family Endowed Dean’s Faculty Fellow at Vanderbilt University. Her research brings together artificial intelligence, neuroscience, and biomedical imaging to advance precision brain health and develop AI systems inspired by the brain. Dr. Fang… Read More

VINSE welcomed Dr. Soumya Srivastava in fall 2026 as an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. She joins Vanderbilt from West Virginia University, where she was a tenured Associate Professor. Her research combines microfluidics, electrokinetics, and machine learning to build label free platforms that… Read More

Dr. Shekhar Bhansali joined VINSE in fall 2026, bringing extensive experience in nanotechnology, microfluidics, and sensor development. He joined Vanderbilt University in 2025 as the Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He also holds an appointment in the… Read More

How can blackberry juice help students learn about solar energy? On Friday, October 23, 2026, we welcomed 12 students from Summit High School to our Blackberry Solar Cell Lab. Students used blackberry juice to build their own solar cells, tested how much electrical power they could produce, and then explored… Read More

  The Vanderbilt Engineering Ambassadors welcomed students from Margaret Allen Middle School for a day of hands-on activities that made science and engineering engaging, understandable, and accessible. VINSE co-sponsored the outreach event, which was held at the Engineering and Science Building. The Vanderbilt Engineering Ambassadors are Vanderbilt graduate students… Read More

Dr. Bin Ouyang joined VINSE in fall 2026 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Vanderbilt University. His research combines computational modeling, artificial intelligence, and experimental synthesis to better understand how materials form and how their properties can be controlled. His work focuses on… Read More

Dr. Yuri Bazilevs joined VINSE in fall 2026 as a new faculty member in the Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at Vanderbilt University. He holds the J. Lawrence Wilson Chair in Engineering and serves as Director of the SCALES Research Center. His research focuses on computational… Read More