VINSE Faculty News

VINSE faculty Justus Ndukaife, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and Chancellor Faculty Fellow, research has produced all-metal thermal emitters designed to improve the stability of infrared light sources used in demanding environments. The work published in Advanced Optical Materials and supported by his Office of Naval Research Young… Read More

VINSE faculty member Todd Giorgio, professor of biomedical engineering, is leading a multidisciplinary team developing new methods to improve early ovarian cancer detection. The effort focuses on modifying clinically approved microbubbles with antibody fragments to enhance tumor visibility during ultrasound screening, providing a practical route toward more effective, noninvasive screening. Read More

VINSE faculty Leon Bellan, associate professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering, research has developed an implantable, cooling-triggered drug delivery device designed for a safer, more convenient method of on-demand pain relief. The findings of the Bellan Lab for Advanced Materials, published in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, demonstrate the releases… Read More

VINSE welcomes Andrea Locke, who joined the institute in August 2025. Locke leads the Locke Biosensing Lab, which develops optical biosensing platforms to address clinical diagnostic challenges at the point of care. The lab integrates nanoplasmonic structures into paper- and microfluidic-based systems to create rapid, user-friendly diagnostic tools. Current projects… Read More

Congratulations to Dr. Marjan Rafat, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, biomedical engineering, and radiation oncology, on receiving a Seeding Success internal grant. This award will support her project, “Developing Novel Extracellular Matrix Hydrogels to Study the Impact of Obesity on Breast Cancer Recurrence,” research at the intersection of… Read More

Xiaoguang Dong, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, has received a $622,769 NSF CAREER Award to advance research on magnetic miniature soft robots for precision medicine. His work will integrate wireless microfluidics to enable these tiny robots to perform complex tasks like targeted drug delivery and liquid biopsies, improving… Read More

Three VINSE faculty members were honored for outstanding excellence and achievement within the School of Engineering. These faculty members were recognized for contributions to research and teaching. VINSE extends its congratulations to the awardees for their dedication, innovation, and leadership within the engineering and nanoscale science communities. Award for Excellence… 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

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

VINSE is pleased to share that Justus Ndukaife, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been selected as one of the 2025 Optica Ambassadors. This distinguished appointment recognizes Ndukaife for his exceptional contributions to the field of optics and photonics, as well as his commitment to… Read More