Dear Hari Srinivasan,
Congratulations! You are a 2025 recipient of the Career Luminary Award.
Your outstanding contributions to career empowerment within our university community have not gone unnoticed, and we are thrilled to honor your dedication and excellence. These awards are incredibly special,
Career Luminary Award (Current PhD Student): This award celebrates a graduate student who has shown exceptional dedication to career development within their academic program and has made a significant impact on career-related initiatives.
🎓 What’s Peer Review?
Before a research paper gets published in a scientific journal, they’re sent to 2-3 other experts in the same field (🧠 like me now!) to read and give detailed feedback. It’s not just saying a simple yes or no. As a reviewer, you're expected to check if the research question is meaningful, evaluate whether the methods and data are sound, identify missing info or unclear sections, suggest improvements, flag any ethical / technical concerns and recommend whether it should be accepted, revised, or rejected. The goal is to make sure the science is solid before it becomes part of the official literature. The goal is to check for quality, accuracy, and whether the work adds something new to the field. It’s kind of like a report card for a research paper, by people who understand the topic.
"There is very valuable insight that can be derived from the disability justice principles of Sins Invalid. This insight is that if we find solutions for the most marginalized members of a group, the entire group benefits. Just like elevators to help wheelchair users ended up benefiting everyone. " - Hari Srinivasan
Dear Graduate Students,
As we kick off national Graduate Student Appreciation Week, I want to be the first to tell you how grateful we here in the BRET Office are that you are part of our Vanderbilt community. We thank you for the contributions you have made and are making to the progress of science. Your effort and perspectives are important to our faculty, staff, postdocs, and your fellow grad students.
Your hard work, dedication, and resilience are critical elements for our pushing the frontiers of biomedical research, and it is privilege for us to help you along the way.
On behalf of all of my BRET Office colleagues …. thank you for all of your contributions.
Walter J. Chazin, PhD
Chancellor’s Chair in Medicine
Departments of Biochemistry and Chemistry
Senior Associate Dean for Graduate and Postdoctoral Education
and Training, School of Medicine Basic Sciences
Director, Molecular Biophysics Training Program
Founding Director, Center for Structural Biology
Exciting News from our Lab!
We're proud to share that two of our talented third-year PhD candidates in Neuroscience, William Quackenbush and
Hari Srinivasan, recently presented their research at the Vanderbilt Brain Institute's Neuroscience Graduate Program Research Forum!
This was their first time presenting at the forum, and both talks were incredibly well received.
Coinciding with Autism Month of April, Hari Srinivasan presented his research on: "Virtual Bubbles, Real Insights: Investigating Peripersonal Space (PPS) in Autism." Hari's work explores how autistics process the space around their bodies, offering a novel perspective on sensory-motor integration.
In March, William Quackenbush presented his research on: "Regulating Rhythms: Elucidating Brain-Behavior Relationships of Motor Stereotypies Across Sensory Landscapes." His work focuses on motor stereotypies (or stimming) in autism, aiming to understand the sensory and motor dynamics that shape these behaviors.
Both William and Hari are co-mentored by Prof. Mark Wallace at Vanderbilt and Prof. Carissa Cascio (now at the University of Kansas, Lawrence). They are also NISE Fellows (Neurodiversity Inspired Science & Engineering Fellows) at the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, reflecting their commitment to advancing autism research through innovative and interdisciplinary approaches.
It’s exciting to see these promising areas of research being presented at the forum! Congratulations to both William and Hari on their well-received presentations!
My Ted X talk titled "Pebbles in the Pond of Change
Hari Srinivasan, shares a powerful message about the power of small actions in creating ever-widening ripples in the pond of change. Drawing from personal experiences and the legacy of disability rights leaders, he redefines progress as a journey that starts with simple, accessible steps. His inspiring message encourages everyone to identify and act on their own "small pebbles" to drive societal transformation.
