Our Research
The Education and Brain Sciences Research Lab (EBRL) seeks to understand why some children are successful at learning to read while others are not. Using neuroimaging and behavioral testing, our NIH and NSF funded studies investigate reading comprehension, Neurofibromatosis Type 1, and the effects of reading interventions in children with and without reading difficulties.
We aim to improve the diagnosis and treatment of children who are struggling learners by combining findings from neurobiological, psychological, and educational perspectives.
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~News~
Having a Brain Blast at Sevier Park!
(EBRL’s table setup for Brain Blast 2026) Looking to learn more about brains and neuroscience in a kid-friendly environment? Well, we’re happy to teach you! Every March, Vanderbilt Brain Institute neuroscientists gather together to teach adults and kids alike all about neuroscience and their research in honor of Brain Awareness Month. Dozens of different labs […]
Postdoctoral Fellows and Faculty Celebrated at Graduate Education Honors Banquet
(Awardees of the Postdoctoral Awards Ceremony 2026) On March 19th, Vanderbilt held their annual Graduate School banquet and held their Postdoctoral Awards Ceremony simultaneously, bringing the two events together for the first time. Yearly this awards ceremony is held to honor those within the Vanderbilt community that have demonstrated exceptional leadership, excellence in academics, innovation, […]
EBRL at Annual Cognitive Neuroscience Society Meeting 2026
(From left to right: Addison Cavender, Dr. Amanda Martinez-Lincoln, and Emily Harriott) Earlier this month members of EBRL attended the annual meeting for the Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS). Each year the Cognitive Neuroscience Society holds a meeting in the spring to gather top minds in the field of neuroscience to share the latest in research. […]
Andrea Burgess Defends Her Dissertation
(Andrea Burgess in front of her slides.) EBRL is overjoyed to report that the lab’s own PhD student Andrea Burgess has successfully defended her doctoral dissertation! On March 4th, 2026, she presented her dissertation titled: “How the brain processes emotional salience in text: Investigating lexical arousal in discourse processing” to a lively crowd of a […]
Laurie Cutting Selected as an 2026 AERA Exemplary Scholar
The American Educational Research Association has announced their selections for the 2026 AERA Exemplary Scholars, one of which being Vanderbilt’s (and EBRL’s) own Dr. Laurie Cutting. AERA is a community of education researchers dedicated to advancing knowledge about education and promoting the usage of research to improve education for the common good. The AERA Fellows […]
Vanderbilt HBCD Study Team at Nashville Recovery Fest
Our team on the Healthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) study was proud to be a part of the 2025 RecoveryFest Nashville at East Park on September 27, 2025. We loved meeting members from the community at our booth – especially moms, babies and some special pups – and also connecting with folks from other […]
EBRL at Flux 2025 Dublin, Ireland
EBRL gives a warm wave from the often rainy land of Ireland. Earlier this month the annual Flux conference was held in the lovely Dublin, Ireland, and EBRL made the trip over the pond to attend. Flux is a society for developmental cognitive neuroscience; “dedicated to advancing the understanding for human brain development by serving […]
EBRL at SSSR Conference 2025
It’s once again conference season here at EBRL and once again members of the lab attended the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading (SSSR) Conference to share our research and interact with our fellow researchers on the field of reading study. Each year representatives of the lab go to learn from fellow scientists and […]
Dr. Laurie Cutting Awarded SEC Faculty Achievement Award
EBRL is proud to report that Dr. Laurie Cutting has been named the 2025 SEC Faculty Achievement Award winner. The annual award honors faculty members from across all the 16 SEC universities for dedication to advancing academic excellence through teaching, innovation, and service. Learn more about the award by clicking this link.
EBRL Welcomes Two New Lab Members!
This week EBRL welcomes two new full-time staff members to our roster. We welcome both Robin Friesz and Presley Smith to the team! We’re looking forward to working with them as things move forward.