VINSE Faculty News

De-en Jiang, H. Eugene McBrayer Chair in Chemical Engineering, was honored for his academic achievements during Vanderbilt’s endowed chair investiture ceremony on March 24. “Endowed chairs recognize faculty whose scholarship and impact set them apart,” said Chancellor Daniel Diermeier during the ceremony. “They… Read More

Congratulations to VINSE faculty member Mona Ebrish on receiving an NSF CAREER Award. Ebrish received the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award for her project, “CAREER: Unlocking Programmable Doping in Wide-Bandgap Materials.” The NSF CAREER Award is the foundation’s most prestigious award for early-career faculty, recognizing those who… Read More

Starting in January 2026, Dr. Asheley Chapman joined Vanderbilt University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Asheley’s research strengthens Vanderbilt’s efforts at the interface of nanotechnology, immunology, and translational medicine.  … Read More

Please join in congratulations Dr. Kálmán Varga for his exceptional achievements in teaching and undergraduate research. Prof. Varga recently received the Jeffrey Nordhaus Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Natural Sciences, honoring his dedication to students in the classroom and through research mentorship. He was recognized for his sustained… Read More

Starting in January 2026, Dr. Day will join Vanderbilt University as an Assistant Professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Physics & Astronomy and the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. His research group will explore quantum materials using advanced optoelectronic techniques, expanding Vanderbilt’s strengths at the intersection… Read More

VINSE faculty Justus Ndukaife, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and Chancellor Faculty Fellow, and his group in collaborative research with VINSE faculty Josh Caldwell’s group, produced all-metal thermal emitters designed to improve the stability of infrared light sources used in demanding environments. The work published in Advanced… 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