Course completed
Who Autism Research Leaves Out
If genuine progress in autism research and the development of real solutions are to be achieved, we must expand the zone of the researchable autistic.
-Hari Srinivasan, Time
My other list of Publications: https://uniquelyhari.blogspot.com/p/published-work.html
How Reasonable are Reasonable Accommodations at Work
Adopting universal design principles—proactively considering diverse needs—would reduce reliance on individualized accommodations and benefit all employees.
2025 Career Luminary Award
Yes. I got one of those glass triangles on the table. Solid and heavy.
Super cool to get an Impact Award.
Special shoutout to Keivan Stassun & Tim Vogus for recruiting me to Vanderbilt University in the first place, to be able to contribute to IMPACT here.
Established in 2024, these awards recognize the essential contributors to student career growth across eleven categories for faculty, staff, alums, parents, employer partners, and students.
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.
First Peer Review
Just completed a peer review for JADD (Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders). Good to get to contribute to the scientific process from the other side. It’s unexpectedly empowering to get to evaluate work in your field.
🎓 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.
Finding solutions for the most marginalized
"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
Keynote at Berkeley's First Neurodiversity Symposium
I was Keynote at Berkeley's 1st Neurodiversity Symposium
Keynote Talk: It's Not Either-Or from Esteemed UC Berkeley Alumnus, Hari Srinivasan"
The itinerary called me "Esteemed" OMG.
And here is the recording https://youtu.be/20sikIOD-u0
Keynote Talk: It's Not Either-Or from Esteemed UC Berkeley Alumnus, Hari Srinivasan"
The itinerary called me "Esteemed" OMG.
And here is the recording https://youtu.be/20sikIOD-u0
Later I heard from an attendee:
"By the way, leading up to your keynote, you were described by one of the presenters in a previous session today as a “very beloved member of the Berkeley neurodiversity community” Thanks you Cal!
Disability and Multilingualism
Embracing multilingualism and disability inclusion means valuing and integrating these diverse forms of communication into our educational systems, workplaces, and communities.
Read Full Article at unesco.org...
Inside Higher Ed
Article in "Inside Higher Ed" in Frist Center for Autism and Innovation
‘Highest Levels of Research’
Hari Srinivasan, an advocate for autistic people, neuroscience Ph.D. student and NISE program fellow, told Inside Higher Ed in an email that the revocation of the NSF funding could have ripple effects on the overall perception of autistic people, as well as on research into their experiences.
“When you cut off the funds, autism gets less visibility, which means opportunities are less, which will slow the work we’ve done towards progress and solutions,” wrote Srinivasan. “[It] also means less research in autism space. And ultimately research findings is what influences funding priorities, who get access to what spaces, who gets access to what resources, and it is research findings that lead us to solutions.”
Srinivasan, who describes himself as having limited spoken language ability, said he’d been interested in neuroscience since he was a middle schooler and became fascinated by illustrations of the nervous system in textbooks owned by his aunt and uncle, who are doctors. But his experiences with special education classes in elementary and middle school—which he described as being “like kindergarten on repeat year after year”—left him unsure if he would be able to pursue his dreams of becoming a neuroscientist.
Luckily, his experiences at a charter high school that allowed him to take more advanced courses and at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned his undergraduate degree, continued to set him up for success: Stassun personally recruited him to Vanderbilt. Now he is researching how autistic people “perceive and interact with the space immediately around their bodies, known as peripersonal space,” he told Inside Higher Ed. He hopes to transform his research into practical solutions “that can help autistics better navigate their spatial and social environment.”
Graduate Appreciation Week
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
First Forum Presentation
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!
Caught Between Tears and Stoicism
It’s a catch-22: If we don’t show emotion, we risk being labeled as "cold" or "unexpressive"; if we do, we might be seen as "overly emotional."
Read Full Article at
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.
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