The Interdisciplinary Materials Science (IMS) graduate program is pleased to announce the arrival of 10 new PhD students who will join the program this upcoming academic year. This cohort reflects the program’s commitment to bringing together scholars from diverse academic disciplines and institutions to advance innovation in materials science.

The incoming students are:

• Sonja Boettcher – M.S. in Physics, Fisk University; B.S. in Physics, University of Nevada, Reno
• Christian Heffner – M.S. in Physics, Fisk University; B.S. in Physics, Fisk University
• Ke Huang – Doctoral study in Chemistry, Florida State University; M.S. in Engineering Mechanics, Xi’an Jiaotong University
• Kayla James – Doctoral study in Chemistry, Florida State University; B.S. in Biotechnology, University of Central Florida
• Joonyoung Kee – Doctoral study in Chemistry, Florida State University; M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Kyung Hee University
• Kenneth Klutse – B.S. in Biochemistry, Lipscomb University
• Brianna Landwersiek – B.S., West Chester University
• Xiaozhao Liu – Doctoral study in Chemistry, Florida State University; prior study in Chemistry, Northern Illinois University
• Jose Rosario Figueroa – M.S. in Nanoengineering, North Carolina State University; post-baccalaureate certificate in Nanotechnology, University of Texas at Austin
• Robert Shields – B.S. in Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara

The Interdisciplinary Materials Science program looks forward to supporting these students as they begin their doctoral studies and contribute to collaborative, cross-disciplinary research.

Congratulations to Zachary Martin in the Sharon Weiss research group! Zach’s paper, “Multichromatic porous silicon RGB rugate filters for use in smartphone biosensing,” published in Applied Optics, has been selected as this week’s Spotlight Publication.

This work is motivated by the goal of developing smartphone-based sensing devices that can quantify biomarker concentration, but with the detection capabilities of standard laboratory tests like ELISA. Smartphones are portable, widely available, and provide a practical platform for colorimetric biosensing outside of traditional laboratory settings, and without the need of specialized equipment. In this work, a porous silicon multichromatic rugate filter was fabricated to convert broadband white light from a smartphone’s flash LED into narrow red, green, and blue illumination bands to enable multichromatic sensing, where color change indicates capture of target biomolecules. The filter was designed using transfer matrix simulations, fabricated through electrochemical etching of porous silicon, and experimentally verified to produce three distinct reflection peaks. Smartphone imaging and CIE chromaticity analysis confirmed that the filter produced the intended multichromatic light, while simulations show that this filtered illumination can generate larger color changes in response to biomolecule-induced refractive index shifts than ordinary white-light illumination. This research is a step forward in the design of a low-cost, smartphone-based point-of-care biosensing platform that can perform quantitative analysis without external light sources.

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Keynote Lecture

Modified Self-Amplifying RNAs Are the Next Frontier in RNA Therapeutics

Dr. Grinstaff will present groundbreaking advances in self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) technology and discuss how modified nucleotides can dramatically improve the potency, durability, and therapeutic potential of RNA-based medicines. His lecture will highlight recent discoveries that challenge long-standing assumptions in the field and open new possibilities for vaccines, cell therapies, and protein replacement therapies.

ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ the Speaker

Mark W. Grinstaff is the William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor and Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science and Engineering, and Medicine at Boston University. He also serves as Director of Boston University’s Nanotechnology Innovation Center and Director of the NIH T32 Biomaterials Program.

An internationally recognized leader in biomaterials, nanotechnology, and translational medicine, Dr. Grinstaff has received numerous honors, including the ACS Nobel Laureate Signature Award, NSF CAREER Award, Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences Award, Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, ACS Award in Applied Polymer Science, RSC Centenary Prize, and the National Science Foundation Trailblazer Engineering Impact Award. He is a Fellow of multiple scientific and engineering societies and a Founding Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.

Dr. Grinstaff’s research accomplishments include more than 450 peer-reviewed publications, over 250 patents and patent applications, and more than 57,000 citations. His work has contributed to several commercialized medical technologies and products that have improved patient care worldwide.

Lecture Abstract

The discovery by Karikó and Weissman of the role of modified nucleotides in RNA transformed messenger RNA (mRNA) into a powerful therapeutic platform. However, the short half-life of mRNA often requires high doses, limiting accessibility and increasing the risk of side effects. Self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) offers an alternative approach by enabling prolonged protein expression at substantially lower doses, but its effectiveness has been constrained by strong innate immune responses that trigger RNA degradation and inhibit translation.

Recent work from the Grinstaff laboratory has demonstrated that specific modified nucleoside triphosphates, including 5-methylcytidine triphosphate (m5C), can be incorporated into saRNA at full substitution, resulting in enhanced immune evasion and significantly improved protein expression. Published in Nature Biotechnology (2025), this discovery overturns decades of conventional thinking that modified nucleotides are incompatible with self-amplifying RNA.

In preclinical studies, m5C-modified saRNA demonstrated substantially improved protein expression across multiple cell types, prolonged in vivo expression exceeding 30 days, reduced interferon responses, and enhanced vaccine performance. These findings greatly expand the therapeutic possibilities of saRNA technology, enabling more potent vaccines and creating opportunities for applications in cell therapy, protein replacement, and other non-vaccine modalities.

Date: November 19, 2026
Time: 4:10 p.m.
Location: Ballroom, Student Life Center

Dr. Brad Berron

Research Director of Beam Institute
Professor of Chemical Engineering
University of Kentucky

Engineering the Future of Kentucky Bourbon

09.09.26  |  4:10PM |

Kentucky’s bourbon industry produces over $10 billion in economic impact. The Beam Institute at the University of Kentucky brings together a group of more than 60 researchers across campus – and across the country – who are working together to tackle issues relevant to distillation, wine and brewing studies. This seminar will focus on areas that engineering students and faculty are making an impact on the future of the bourbon industry. We will discuss a portfolio of projects including the mass transfer analysis of distilled spirits through American white oak, the role of reactive distillation in the mitigation of potential carcinogens, and the upcycling of distillery wastes.

µþ¾±´Ç.ÌýDr. Brad Berron is the Research Director at The University of Kentucky’s James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits, coordinating the university’s research initiatives with over twenty distilleries and various industry partners. Beyond his managerial responsibilities, Dr. Berron’s research team is at the forefront bourbon innovation, leading multiple projects aimed at advancing industry sustainability, optimizing barrel yield, and enhancing overall distillate quality. Dr. Berron co-chairs the Research and Technical Committee for the Kentucky Distillers Association, he sits on the Distilling Subcommittee for the American Society of Brewing Chemists, and he is an active member of the American Distilling Institute’s Distilling Research Grant Advisory Team. Dr. Berron earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering from ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ where he was a part of the ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (VINSE) from 2003 to 2008 under the mentorship of G. Kane Jennings. When not researching bourbon, Dr. Berron enjoys biking the rolling hill of the bluegrass.

VINSE is excited to welcome Lauren Bayer, Sariah D’Empaire-Salomon, Thaissa Peixoto, and Kirsten Stinson as the newest members of the NanoGuides program. NanoGuides are graduate student ambassadors who lead tours, assist with outreach activities, and share nanoscale science with students and visitors across campus. With these additions, VINSE continues to expand its network of ambassadors representing departments across science and engineering.

Lauren Bayer is a graduate student in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering working in Dr. Carlos Silvera Batista’s laboratory. Her research investigates colloidal systems and interfaces under applied electric fields. Lauren is passionate about community engagement and STEM education, particularly inspiring young students to envision futures in science and engineering. She regularly uses the VINSE cleanroom to fabricate microfluidic channels and devices. Lauren earned a B.S. in chemical and petroleum engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, where she also completed a chemistry minor and a German Language Certificate. Her recent honors include the Outstanding TA Award from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the Mentor Award from Strong Women Strong Girls.

Sariah D’Empaire-Salomon is a graduate student in the Interdisciplinary Materials Science program conducting research in the Adams Lab at the intersection of materials science, biomechanics, and neurotrauma. Her work focuses on developing biofidelic human head surrogates using soft polymer and hydrogel materials to investigate how blast waves and impact loading contribute to traumatic brain injury. Sariah is excited about the role nanoscience, advanced materials, and fabrication tools can play in designing better protective systems for warfighters and first responders. She earned a B.S. in biology from Livingstone College and is a recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and the Provost’s Graduate Fellowship.

Thaissa Peixoto is a graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and a member of the Gonzales Lab. Her research interests include peripheral nerve stimulation, flexible electrode fabrication, and brain-computer interfaces. Thaissa has enjoyed using VINSE facilities to fabricate, image, test, and develop microscale devices and looks forward to sharing that enthusiasm with others as a NanoGuide. She earned a B.S. in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University and is a recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, the Provost’s Graduate Research Fellowship, and the Spring TA Award.

Kirsten Stinson is a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry conducting research in the Macdonald Lab. Her work focuses on phase control of metal chalcogenides and pnictides through the synthesis of nanoparticles with a variety of structures and morphologies. Kirsten is passionate about making science engaging and accessible for learners of all backgrounds and enjoys finding creative ways to explain scientific concepts. Through her research and previous teaching and outreach experiences, she has developed extensive familiarity with VINSE facilities. She earned a B.S. in biochemistry from Taylor University and received the Undergraduate Award for Inorganic Chemistry.

Together, Lauren, Sariah, Thaissa, and Kirsten bring enthusiasm, expertise, and a passion for outreach to VINSE’s mission, helping inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.

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Congratulations to Courtney Ragle! Courtney’s paper, “Tuning Vibrational Coupling Strength Between Hyperbolic Media and Organic Molecules,” published in Nanophotonics, has been selected as this week’s Spotlight Publication. This work was a collaborative effort between VINSE faculty members Lauren Buchanan and Josh Caldwell.

Vibrational strong coupling work over the years has focused on standard Fabry-Perot cavity systems and strong oscillators to explore the fundamentals of these light-matter interactions. This work specifically explores weaker oscillators within a widely available polymer and a sub-diffractional light confinement system to better elucidate available tuning parameters for increasing coupling strength of vibrational bonds to confined light modes. We highlight the relationship of coupling strength to material thicknesses, polariton dispersion behavior, and isotopic enrichment of a hyperbolic material within a real system to highlight the capability of this field to move toward more tailored control. Experimentally, we see clear trends in the use of these parameters to increase coupling strengths across all investigated vibrational bond modes that correspond directly to associated group velocities of the hosted polaritons at individual mid-IR wavelengths. With a heightened understanding of the sub-diffractional system tuning abilities, this sets up the field to move toward extremely targeted vibrational bond mode coupling.

Read the full article in .

Macdonald has served as associate director of IMS since 2021 and has been a member of the program’s interdisciplinary faculty community for many years. As director, she will lead the graduate program’s continued commitment to interdisciplinary research and training in materials science.

“IMS is unique because it brings together researchers from a wide range of disciplines to address important challenges in materials science,” said Macdonald. “I look forward to working with our students and faculty to continue fostering the collaborative environment that makes the program so successful.”

The program’s associate director role will be assumed by G. Kane Jennings, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, also effective July 1.

“IMS has long been a model for interdisciplinary graduate education at Vanderbilt,” said Jennings. “The program gives students the flexibility to pursue ambitious research questions while drawing on expertise from across the university. I’m excited to work with Janet, our faculty, and our students as we continue to strengthen those connections and create new opportunities for collaboration.”

Caldwell, professor of mechanical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and chemistry, has led the program since 2021. During his tenure, IMS strengthened its role as a hub for interdisciplinary graduate education and research.

“Josh has been an outstanding leader for IMS,” said Macdonald. “His dedication to the program and its students has helped strengthen our interdisciplinary community and build a strong foundation for the future.”

IMS offers a flexible approach to graduate education, allowing students to design individualized curricula while working with co-advisers from at least two departments and a faculty committee representing three or more disciplines. This structure encourages students to pursue research that spans traditional academic boundaries and addresses complex scientific and engineering challenges.

As the educational arm of the ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (VINSE), IMS provides students with access to world-class cleanroom, fabrication, and characterization facilities that support research across a broad range of materials-related fields.

Before coming to Vanderbilt, Emmanuel was convinced his research would center on 2D materials, particularly graphene, for solar energy applications. That changed during a rotation in Prof. Caldwell’s lab, where he was introduced to defect characterization in wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductors.

After exploring the literature on gallium nitride (GaN) and learning about its role in enabling technologies such as blue LEDs, Emmanuel became fascinated by its potential to transform next-generation electronics and energy technologies. When he officially joined Dr. Caldwell’s lab, the research focused on developing scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) to characterize defects in WBG materials, especially GaN.

VINSE has played an important role in Emmanuel’s academic journey at Vanderbilt. From the cleanroom and analytical labs to the advanced imaging suites and NanoGuides activities, VINSE has been a place where Emmanuel has grown as both a researcher and a Vanderbilt community member.

Looking ahead, Emmanuel hopes his research will help improve the performance and reliability of wide-bandgap semiconductors, especially GaN, by developing advanced characterization techniques to better understand defects and carrier behavior.

Outside the lab, Emmanuel enjoys talking with his mom, preparing Ghanaian dishes and beverages, riding his bike, and tending his pepper and ginger plants. One of his favorite activities is simply watering them and watching them grow. He also enjoys reading and exploring new ideas, which helps him stay curious and balanced beyond his research.

Congratulations to Emma Endres, Ph.D., a recent graduate from the Janet Macdonald Lab! Emma’s paper, “Directing Cation Coordination and Phase in Nickel Sulfide Nanocrystals through the Addition of Phosphines,” published in Chemistry of Materials, has been selected as this week’s spotlight publication. This work was a collaborative effort between VINSE faculty members Janet Macdonald and De-en Jiang.

Multiple routes to achieve phase control have been explored in nanocrystal syntheses, such as precursor reactivity and cation exchange. These routes have opened doors to phase manipulation, but the former does not directly target the product structure, and the latter has limitations on which structures can be formed. Ideally in colloidal synthesis, we could achieve phase purity using a single-step synthesis while also templating specific structural features of the phase, similar to that of cation exchange.

In this work, we combine these ideas, targeting the cation using coordination chemistry concepts in solution to affect the coordination that the metal assumes in the solid. Using a collection of monodentate and bidentate phosphine ligands, we evaluate how different bite angles, steric bulk, and electronic properties affect the metal coordination in the resulting nanoparticle phase. In this manner, three nickel sulfides were selectively prepared in a colloidal synthesis. We showed that the steric bulk of the phosphine had the most influence on the product coordination by taking up sites on the metal. Through DFT calculations and synthetic experiments, we also found evidence that supports that phosphines influence the phase both at the nucleation stage and through surface effects on larger particles.

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Authors: Emma J. Endres, Yiming Chen, De-en Jiang, Janet E. Macdonald

Abstract: In nanocrystal syntheses, multiple routes to achieve phase control have been explored, such as precursor reactivity and cation exchange. While these routes have opened doors to phase manipulation, the former does not directly target the product structure and the latter has limitations on which structures can be formed. Here, we combine both ideas, focusing on the structure and also influencing precursor reactivity. For the first time, we intentionally used concepts from coordination chemistry to influence the metal in solution and, in turn, affect the interstitial sites that the cation fills in the solid. Through the addition of bidentate and monodentate phosphine ligands of varying bite angles, steric bulk, and electron donation ability, we were able to influence the coordination around the nickel ion and thus the product nickel sulfide phase. We discovered that the steric bulk of the phosphine had the biggest influence on the resulting product by destabilizing surfaces with highly coordinated nickel atoms by occupying coordination sites on the metal. By varying which phosphine ligand was added, we were able to selectively target pure millerite (NiS), heazlewoodite (Ni₃S₂), and godlevskite (Ni₉S₈).

I used to ask my favorite psychology professors whether they needed an electrical engineer in their lab. They mostly said no, and I couldn’t blame them. I was pretty sure the two things I loved had nothing to do with each other. Occasionally, I got the feeling that what I was learning in psychology was actually a control system, or something about neurons acting like op amps and logic gates, but I never grasped that circuits were the beginning of sensing, understanding, and writing to the brain. Neural engineering was the field that had already figured out what I was just beginning to understand, and doing research at that intersection still feels like the coolest gig in the world.

My experience with VINSE began 2 years ago when I came to Vanderbilt as part of the VINSE Research Experience for Undergraduates. I had the most fun of my life in the cleanroom, learning as much as I could over 10 weeks. The people I met in VINSE, like Grace, Owen, Megan, and Ben, were a major reason I decided to come back. These days, I am increasingly interested in microscopy, experimenting with ways to fabricate cuff electrodes, and electroplating materials to enhance signal properties.

Within VINSE, there is a palpable encouragement to try whatever you can think of to answer your questions. For me and my PI, Dr. Daniel Gonzales, these questions center on Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) and its ability to modulate neural activity. We are particularly interested in using our lab’s flexible electrode arrays to understand the spatiotemporal dynamics of VNS and its potential to enhance learning in Brain-Computer Interfaces.

Outside the lab, I am learning horsemanship, trying to fix a boat with the love of my life, and finding secret campsites. This summer, I can also be found growing tomatoes, eating French butter with bread, and visiting Dollywood.