Research Excellence at Vanderbilt

Graduate education at Vanderbilt prepares the next generations of academic leaders by paving the way for doctoral students to intensely focus on the quest to pursue new ways of seeing and shaping in the world. Graduate students team up with world-class faculty across campus to create discoveries that will shape the future.

Interdisciplinary Research

Vanderbilt is a unique community that values collaboration over competition, making it a leader in interdisciplinary research. Faculty form teams that span departments and schools, and students work on varied research projects that contribute to the university culture of teamwork and innovation. Below is a sample of interdisciplinary programs, institutes, and research groups.

  • Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Materials Science

    Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Materials Science Students design their curriculum spanning the fields of engineering, chemistry, physics, and medicine.

  • Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities

    Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities is a place where faculty and students from the humanities, social sciences, and when appropriate, the natural sciences gather to share ideas and teach one another. The Warren Center also engages in outreach to the community by sponsoring teacher training, lectures and seminars, and publications designed to promote the importance of the humanities in today's world.

  • The Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy

    The Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy supports research and programming that address the five primary sources of cultural policy in the United States: the decisions of individual actors in the arts industries; corporate practice; trade agreements and regulatory agencies; the passions and objectives of private arts patrons and NGOs; and intellectual property law.

  • The Biomathematics Research Group

    The Biomathematics Research Group brings together mathematicians and scientists to conduct research on problems in developmental biology, cancer research, infectious diseases, pharmacology, the clinical sciences, molecular biophysics, genetics, and the neurosciences.

Here is a complete list of Vanderbilt University's Centers and Institutes.

Responsible Conduct of Research

As a premier academic and research institution, Vanderbilt University has an obligation to model, teach, and actively promote the responsible conduct of research in scholarship and science. Research integrity is crucial for exceptional research and is seen as a vital part of training, regardless of funding source.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) require that all those engaged in either NIH- or NSF-funded research must also be educated in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). Vanderbilt has developed programs to meet these requirements and to ensure that its students, faculty, and staff, as appropriate, understand the issues surrounding the RCR, and their obligations as individuals and members of the larger research community. 

Vanderbilt's approach to RCR training incorporates online and discussion-based content based on the individual's experience level and discipline. The RCR series covers core norms, principles, regulations, and rules governing the practice of research. All graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in certain departments are expected to complete training in responsible conduct of research (RCR). In addition, depending upon the program in which the student or trainee is enrolled, they may have additional RCR requirements for ongoing training. 

Note: The RCR training at Vanderbilt fulfills both the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation requirements. 

This page and the information contained within it only apply to Vanderbilt graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. For information that relates to RCR training and requirements for Vanderbilt faculty, individuals should contact the schools in which the faculty member is appointed.

Useful Links:

Summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates

Vanderbilt offers research opportunities to both Vanderbilt and other institution's undergraduate students. These programs, whether campus-wide like the Vanderbilt Summer Research Program (VUSRP) or department-specific like the Physics Department's Research Experience for Undergraduates (PA-REU) have four primary goals:

  • To provide a substantive research experience that will allow each student to actively participate in a research project including reading the relevant literature, developing ideas, and communicating findings to colleagues.
  • To provide enrichment seminars that will help construct a strong foundation on which to build science, social science, and humanistic careers.
  • To create opportunities for student-faculty interaction beyond the classroom and facilitate mentor relationships for students who wish to pursue research and academic careers.
  • To provide guidance and preparation for application to graduate schools.

Some Vanderbilt research programs that should be of particular interest to underrepresented students include:

  • NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduate

    The Physics and Astronomy department, the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology (VICB) , and the Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (ViNSE) offer Research Experiences For Undergraduates (REU) funded by the National Science Foundation. These programs provide opportunities for visiting students to work closely with faculty, post-doctoral students, and our graduate students on forefront research projects in those fields. The Physics & Astronomy program offers research opportunities in everything from astrophysics to particle and high-energy nuclear physics.

    The Biomedical Engineering program targets students majoring in a number of disciplines including Science Education, Biological Sciences, Computer Science, Graphics Arts, Physical Sciences, Engineering, or Learning Sciences. VICB targets junior and senior chemistry, biochemistry, and biology majors who have high potential to succeed in chemical biology research areas. The coordinators for all these programs are particularly interested in diversifying their fields and strongly encourage applications for underrepresented racial minorities and women.

  • Vanderbilt Undergraduate Summer Research Program (VUSRP)

    The Vanderbilt Undergraduate Summer Research Program (VUSRP) offers a ten-week summer research experience for up to 50 Vanderbilt undergraduates who express a serious interest in pursuing a Ph.D. and following a career in college or university teaching and research. The purpose of the program is to motivate and prepare students to make competitive applications to research doctoral programs, with a view toward completing the Ph.D. and going on to teach and conduct original research. Each student receives a $4000 stipend to support their living in Nashville during the summer months. A poster session, open to the Vanderbilt community, is held in the Fall featuring the work done by VUSRP participants.

  • The Leadership Alliance Summer Research Early Identification Program (SR-EIP)

    Vanderbilt is a member of The Leadership Alliance, a consortium of 31 institutions of higher learning dedicated to increasing diversity in doctoral programs and on college and university faculties. The Alliance collaborates in a number of programs, from undergraduate research to national symposia, to increase the participation of historically underrepresented groups in higher education.

    Vanderbilt is a participant in the Alliance's Summer Research Early Identification Program (SR-EIP) and maintains a summer research program for undergraduates who are racial/ethnic minorities, women in the sciences and engineering majors, or who are from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Students accepted for Vanderbilt's Leadership Alliance group will work with a Vanderbilt faculty member as a research assistant in either a laboratory project or a research project appropriate to a humanities or social science field.  Access the SR-EIP application here.

  • Vanderbilt Summer Science Academy (VSSA)

    The Vanderbilt Summer Science Academy (VSSA) offers biomedical research opportunities to undergraduates who want to pursue a career in the biomedical sciences. Although each of the participating programs operates independently, the Academy unites students and provides them with opportunities for academic and social interaction.

    Participation in the Academy serves as a valuable learning experience that enhances a student's skills and makes them more competitive for acceptance to frontline graduate programs. While each of the programs actively recruits underrepresented students, the Vascular Biology Program targets minority students and operates in conjunction with the Meharry Medical College. More information about the Academy programs can be found at the VSSA Website.

Research Abroad: Freie University of Berlin

The Freie University of Berlin maintains a partnership with Vanderbilt University for a direct exchange. To learn more about the program, review this fact sheet or visit the Freie University of Berlin Direct Exchange page.

You can access the application form for 2024-2025 here. 

The deadline to apply is March 15, 2024.