About Us

VINSE’s mission is to drive innovation in nanoscience, nanotechnology, and education that benefits society by providing access to state-of-the-art instrumentation, sharing hands-on technical expertise, and facilitating interdisciplinary collaborations. Sign up for our emails and newsletter to stay informed about our announcements, events, and latest news.

about us

What We Do

VINSE is a multi-disciplinary institute that supports research, education, and K-12 outreach across science, engineering, and medicine.

what we do

VINSE facilities comprise a cleanroom with state-of-the-art nanofabrication and microfluidics and an adjoining materials characterization laboratory. VINSE also houses an advanced imaging suite featuring electron microscopy (EM), cryo-EM, and atomic force microscopy, all of which can address both materials and biological research. VINSE researchers are using nanoscience and nanotechnology to enable new discoveries across a broad range of areas spanning drug delivery, cellular communication, meta-optics, sensors, nanoelectronics, and fuel cell membranes.

Educationally, VINSE has strong ties to the Interdisciplinary Materials Science Program for graduate students and the undergraduate minor in Nanotechnology and Nanoscience. Students can also participate in a multi-year immersion in VINSE as part of the VINSE Tech crew or enroll in one of several classes that have laboratory components in VINSE facilities. VINSE outreach activities include classroom visits, on-campus high school field trips, sponsorship of NSF REU students, and laboratory modules for the Vanderbilt Summer Academy.

Industry & External Users

VINSE has users from Vanderbilt, other external academic institutions, and industry. VINSE staff are available to train new users, assist in process development, and carry out processes for researchers.

industry and external users

History

The Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (VINSE) was founded in 2001 as an interdisciplinary research center supported by an investment from the Vanderbilt endowment called the Academic Venture Capital Fund. Initial VINSE funding rested in three pillars: start-up packages for new faculty hires, construction of nanoscience core facilities including a cleanroom, and acquisition of shared-use equipment.

Originally housed in the basement of the Stevenson Center, VINSE facilities opened in 2003. VINSE has grown rapidly since its inception. Starting with only 27 faculty, VINSE now includes more than 50 faculty members and operates more than 13,000 sq. ft. of state-of-the-are core facilities for research, education, and outreach in the Engineering and Science Building.

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Contact Us

Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering

Visit Us:

1212 25th Avenue South
P: 615-322-1289
vinse@vanderbilt.edu

Mailing Address:

PMB 350106
2301 Vanderbilt Place
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN 37235-0106