News

DISSERTATION DEFENSE Kellen Arnold, Interdisciplinary Materials Science    *Under the supervision of Sharon Weiss “Integrated Photonics for Intense Light-matter Interaction and Applications in Aerospace” 05.20.25 | 12:30PM | ESB 044 | Zoom: 965 0203 9030 Passcode: 069821 Over the last several decades, the technological revolution into a digital… Read More

We are proud to recognize VINSE faculty Justus Ndukaife being named to the 2025 cohort of Chancellor Faculty Fellows. This honor recognizes scholarly excellence and supports the development of future academic leaders at Vanderbilt University. Justus Ndukaife is an internationally known expert in nanophotonics and optical nanotweezers. Since joining… Read More

The Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (VINSE) National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) will onboard our 13th cohort of undergraduate researches on Monday, 26, 2025. Since the VINSE NSF-REU program started in the summer of 2011, VINSE has hosted 145 students. Of these students 95%… Read More

We are proud to recognize two VINSE faculty members for their contributions to engineering research and student mentorship: Deyu Li, professor of mechanical engineering, received the Joe B. Wyatt Distinguished University Professor Award for his groundbreaking work in thermal sciences and innovations in nanoscale energy and materials technologies. Li’s… Read More

DISSERTATION DEFENSE Ryan Kowalski, Interdisciplinary Materials Science    *Under the supervision of Josh Caldwell and Richard Haglund  “Infrared Light at the Nanoscale: Confinement and Spectroscopy”  04.25.25 | 10:30AM | Buttrick Hall 206 | Zoom: 942 8904 4051 Passcode: 450959 Conventional optical microscopy and spectroscopy are limited by the diffraction… Read More

Two former VINSE REU students have been awarded the prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowships. NSF Fellows receive a three-year annual stipend of $37,000, along with a $16,000 allowance for tuition and fees, to support research-based advanced degrees in NSF-supported STEM disciplines. The… Read More

DISSERTATION DEFENSE Alexis Yates, Interdisciplinary Materials Science *under the direction of Ethan Lippmann and Angela Jefferson “Investigating brain endothelial cell mechanics with engineered in vitro models” 04.07.25  |  1:30PM |  298 Featheringill Hall | Zoom: 970 4846 2694 Passcode: 714340 As life expectancy in the US has increased,… Read More

This year, we’re introducing the VINSE Passport for the VINSE Friends and Family Day, this interactive booklet that guides visitors through exciting, educational activities focused on the tiny world of nanoscience. Explore groundbreaking materials like quantum dots, carbon nanotubes, and microfluidic devices with fun, hands-on experiments. Create a DNA necklace,… Read More

05.20.25  |  8:30am-4:30pm  |  001 Engineering Science Building Lunch break from 12:20-1:40 Join us for a hand-on workshop on thin film deposition using the Angstrom Multimode and Angstrom Resistive deposition systems in the VINSE cleanroom.  The session will be led by Mike Miller, Ph.D., Director of Business Development at… Read More

On Monday, March 10, VINSE welcomed 11 students from Robertson County’s homeschool group, Life is a Field Trip, organized by Susan Halsam, for our Cleanroom Solar Cell Lab. Inside the VINSE cleanroom, home of the cleanest air in Middle Tennessee, students explored solar energy through hands-on activities. During the lab,… Read More