Graduate Students

Dr. Laura Carter-Stone, under the guidance of Kevin Leander, has been awarded the Otto Bassler Outstanding Dissertation Award for Peabody College’s Department of Teaching and Learning. Her dissertation delves into how dramatic improvisation can inspire more democratic, just, and vital teaching methods. After working as a post-doctoral researcher in… Read More

On April 5th, the Annual Joel G. Hardman Student-Invited Pharmacology Forum was organized by the Pharmacology Program students and held in Alumni Hall. This year’s topic was “Pharmacology in the Wild, II”, and featured speakers such as Angela Calderón, Ph.D. from Auburn University, Stephen Mackessy, Ph.D. from Colorado State… Read More

Alumnus Mateo Andres Perezrodriguez, MA ’11, Economics Isaac Reeser, Assistant Director, Development and Alumni Relations, spoke with Alumnus Mateo Andres Perezrodriguez, MA ’11, Economics this spring. In this story, you will learn about Mateo’s journey to Vanderbilt and how his experiences in the commodore community have influenced his… Read More

Jamal Bryant, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Pharmacology, successfully defended his dissertation titled “Wnt Receptor Regulation by the Tumor Suppressor APC” on Friday, March 8. Jamal worked in Dr. Raymond Blind’s lab and studied the signaling properties of non-membrane nuclear lipids. Congratulations to Jamal on this achievement!… Read More

Cayla Ontoko is a Ph.D. student in the Molecular Physiology and Biophysics program. She successfully defended her dissertation titled “The Roles of Arachidonic Acid- and Docosahexaenoic Acid-Derived Epoxides and Their Endocannabinoid Derivatives in Diabetes-Induced Retinal Vascular Inflammation” on Friday, March 8. The aim of her thesis project is… Read More

Teresa Torres, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Pathology Torres is a member of the Vanderbilt Institute of Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee and is actively involved in the Nashville community. She volunteers with Best Buddies, an international organization that promotes… Read More

Migel Cuj, Ph.D. student in Anthropology Cuj was awarded third place in the 2024 Peter K. New Student Research Competition for his paper, Beyond Physical Metrics: a Cultural Approach of the Biomedical Categories of Child Growth Standard. He will receive this award at the 84th Annual Meeting… Read More

Taylor McNeill, Ph.D. student in the Department of Teaching and Learning Taylor is a fifth-year Ph.D. student who published an article titled “Prove Yourself”: Exploring Epistemological Values in Mathematics Department Support and Oppression on Black Women Faculty. The article was published in a leading mathematics education journal, the… Read More

Jenny Tran Graduate Student, Biochemistry Jenny Tran is a first-year graduate student in the Department of Biochemistry. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Georgia (UGA) in 2018. Her previous research includes peptide self-assembly at Emory University and NMR sparse labeling… Read More

Mellissa Meisels, American Politics, Political Methodology Melissa has accepted a job at Yale University. In Fall 2024, she will be a post-doctoral fellow at the Center for the Study of American Politics, and in Fall 2025, she will start a tenure-track job in the Political Science Department. She… Read More