Researcher Highlight

Emily Rouse Graduate Student, Chemistry Tim Hanusa Research Group One of the primary synthetic techniques used in the Hanusa group is solventless synthesis, specifically, mechanochemistry. Mechanochemistry involves driving chemical reactions through the application of mechanical force. This approach offers a sustainable alternative to conventional synthesis by minimizing or… Read More

Şahpar Nil Özer Undergraduate Student, Mechanical Engineering & Economics Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholar As an undergraduate at Vanderbilt University, I’ve built my academic path around the intersection of mechanical engineering, economics, and nanoscience, a combination that reflects my curiosity about both how the world works and how innovations move… Read More

Patricia Poley Biomedical Engineering Craig Duvall Research Group Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are chemicals that contain oxygen and are chemically reactive and unstable due to their possession of an unpaired electron. Common ROS species in the body include hydrogen peroxide and superoxide anions. At low levels, ROS exist… Read More

Jacob “Jake” Grayson Graduate Student, Physics & Astronomy Richard Haglund Research Group My research focuses on harnessing optical phase-change materials to enable new forms of active control in nanophotonic devices. In particular, I have been working to integrate vanadium dioxide (VO₂)—a material that undergoes a dramatic, reversible metal–insulator… Read More

Sk Md Ali Zaker Shawon Graduate Student, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Shihong Lin Research Group As a Ph.D. candidate in Chemical Engineering at Vanderbilt University, my research in the Lin Research Group advances membrane and electrochemical separation technologies to enable more sustainable chemical processes. I develop high-performance pervaporation… Read More

Nathaniel Karom Graduate Student, Physics and Astronomy Weiss Research Group My first experience at Vanderbilt was as an undergraduate student through the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. Under faculty mentorship, I was tasked with employing Density Function Theory (DFT) to investigate how atomic displacement affects the electrical… Read More

Dr. Bashiyar Almarwani Department of Biology Tennessee State University My research journey has been deeply rooted in addressing some of the most pressing challenges in infectious diseases and neurodegenerative disorders. The alarming rise of drug-resistant bacteria has underscored the urgent need for novel antimicrobial agents, while the… Read More

Guodong Zhu Graduate Student, Electrical and Computer Engineering Ndukaife Research Group Nanophotonics explores how light interacts with matter at the nanoscale. By engineering periodic nanostructures—such as metamaterials, metasurfaces, and photonic crystals — we can precisely control propagation and confinement of light. These capabilities enable highly sensitive biosensing, advanced… Read More

Vivian Nwosu Madueke Graduate Student, Interdisciplinary Materials Science Silvera Batista Research Group Most natural processes occur under conditions that are not in thermodynamic equilibrium but constantly experience flows of energy and matter. For instance, microorganisms survive by responding to dissipative chemical energies such as food in their environment… Read More

My current research is funded by the Partnerships for Research Education (PREM) at TSU-Fisk-University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and by the U54 Pilot Grant through the Meharry-Vanderbilt-TSU Cancer Partnership to end health disparities. I develop biomaterials for cancer immunotherapy under the guidance of Dr. Richard Mu at TSU, Dr. Read More