Discovery Dialogues

Why do Nashville’s food deserts line up so closely with its old redlining maps? Mandy Muise, a PhD candidate in anthropology, explores that question, and others, through fieldwork with local farmers, gardeners, and activists. She discusses her partnerships with the Nashville Food Project and the Growing Together farmers’ market. Mandy also shares her creative approach to funding, the campus resour...

What happens when preventive care is available, but people don't trust it? That's the question driving Stacey Carter, PhD candidate in nursing science, whose research examines HPV vaccine hesitancy, health communication, and the gap between the educational materials parents receive and what they actually find useful. Drawing on her background as a nurse practitioner, Stacey discusses what she's le...

In this episode of Discovery Dialogues, Emily Harriott, PhD candidate in Neuroscience, and Harrison Parent, PhD candidate in Pharmacology, discuss how a chance meeting at a Vanderbilt research conference sparked an interdisciplinary collaboration funded by the Lacy-Fischer grant. Emily studies how brain structure, specifically white matter pathways, supports reading and academic achievement in chi...

Dr. Michael Kim, recent PhD graduate in Computer Science, joins Discovery Dialogues to discuss his dissertation work building the informatics infrastructure needed to study white matter in the brain at a massive scale. He walks through the winding path to a first-author Nature publication, including an initial rejection, months of revisions, and the mentorship that shaped him as a scientist. Micha...

In this episode of Discovery Dialogues, Dr. Hannah Richards a recent graduate in the chemistry department and Vanderbilt’s first Schmidt Science Fellow, shares how a last-minute campus visit turned into a decision she "just knew" was right. She discusses her work as an electroanalytical chemist developing a sensor platform that detects inflammatory markers linked to preterm birth. Hannah discusses...

Season 2 of Discovery Dialogues launches September 1st!

In this episode of Discovery Dialogues, Dr. Heather Hartmann shares her journey from chemistry undergraduate to Vanderbilt graduate student and postdoctoral scholar, highlighting the experiences that shaped her career in biomedical research. She discusses her groundbreaking work on thyroid cancer biomarkers and the effects of PFAS “forever chemicals,” as well as her current research on drug metabo...

In this episode of Discovery Dialogues, neuroscience PhD candidate Soren Emerson shares how personal experiences and a passion for helping others led him to study addiction and brain function at Vanderbilt. He explores how cocaine changes the brain and how his research could uncover new paths for treating substance use disorders. Along the way, Soren reflects on the challenges, collaboration, and...

Go beyond blueprints and into the human side of engineering as PhD candidate Joshua McDuffie explores how people make life-changing decisions in the face of disasters. From personal experiences with flooding to groundbreaking research on risk perception and trust, this episode reveals why the biggest challenges aren’t always technical—they’re human. It’s a powerful story of resilience, community,...

Step into the fascinating intersection of religion, politics, and mental health as PhD candidate Caleb Kobosh uncovers how “madness” was understood in early modern England. Through the gripping story of George Tross, this episode explores how personal crisis, faith, and identity collide—and what that reveals about how we still think about mental health today. It’s a thought-provoking conversation...

From chaotic double pendulums to the mysteries of the brain, PhD candidate Jose Zepeda shares his journey into neuroscience and addiction research at Vanderbilt University. He explores how tiny, little-understood neural circuits may hold the key to understanding motivation, behavior, and the roots of addiction. Along the way, he reflects on mentorship, failure, and the curiosity-driven science tha...

Go beyond the research and into the real-life journey of Vanderbilt University PhD candidate Ebony Pearson as she navigates the twists of graduate school, from pivoting away from medical school to finding her passion in psycholinguistics. She shares candid insights on building confidence, finding mentorship, balancing independence with community, and developing unexpected skills like coding and da...