Faculty Research News

Cristina Stanciu, Ph.D., a VCU English professor and director of the Humanities Research Center, is author of the new book "The Makings and Unmakings of Americans: Indians and Immigrants in American Literature and Culture, 1879-1924."

VCU professor Cristina Stanciu on her new book, ‘The Makings and Unmakings of Americans’

Jan. 26, 2023

A cultural history of Americanization, the book draws from an archive of Indigenous and new immigrant writing and visual culture.

Dace Svikis, Ph.D., a VCU professor, traveled to Mizoram, India, in the fall as part of the Fulbright Specialist Program. Here, she delivers the keynote speech at the international seminar, "Make Mental Health a Global Priority," at Mizoram University. (Courtesy Dace Svikis)

VCU professor, Fulbright specialist travels to India to train community leaders on substance use disorder treatment

Jan. 9, 2023

The international collaboration between VCU psychology, psychiatry and OB/GYN professor Dace Svikis and 2019-2020 visiting scholar Lalchhanhima Ralte began with a Fulbright exchange fellowship program.

Headlines about the prominence of Ukrainian women on the front lines of war are misleading, said Jessica Trisko Darden, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at VCU's College of Humanities and Sciences. “The Ukraine war echoes a global pattern where national militaries accept women in larger numbers than in the past — yet relegate women to roles that distance them from front-line combat,” she wrote in a recent column in The Washington Post. (Getty Images)

Ukraine’s need for women in war conflicts with nation’s gender norms, VCU professor’s new research finds

Jan. 6, 2023

“The Ukrainian military has tried to adopt more equal policies, but those have faced pushback from Ukrainian society, which largely sees women’s place in society as guardians of the home and family,” political science professor says.

Emily Pitts, a sophomore anthropology major, paints a 3-D-printed replica of the JB55 Connecticut "vampire" skull. (Brian McNeill, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

19th-century ‘Connecticut vampire’ receives forensic facial reconstruction with help from VCU researchers

Jan. 3, 2023

VCU team from Virtual Curation Laboratory provides 3-D digital model of skull of man who died in the 1830s and then received unusual burial.

The National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development fiscal year 2021 survey, released Thursday, ranks VCU as No. 50 in the country for fiscal research expenditures. (Photo by John Wallace, VCU School of Dentistry)

VCU breaks into top 50 of public research universities in the U.S.

Dec. 16, 2022

New ranking from the National Science Foundation is achieved ahead of the schedule set by the university.

"Wilde once said that he always began his books with the cover. He would be among the first to say that my new book’s cover design is a striking work of art!" said Nicholas Frankel, Ph.D., a VCU professor of English, editor of "The Critical Writings of Oscar Wilde" and author of several books on Oscar Wilde. "I am honored and thrilled that the work of the award-winning graphic artist and illustrator Yuko Shimizu features on the cover of one of my books." (Courtesy Nicholas Frankel)

Oscar Wilde would be a New Yorker critic or late-night TV host if he were alive today, says editor of new collection of Wilde’s writings

Dec. 13, 2022

English professor Nicholas Frankel shares insights on Oscar Wilde’s lasting impact on pop culture review, critique and how we consume media today.

Faye Belgrave, Ph.D., encourages students, faculty and staff to venture off campus and engage with the local community to have the full VCU experience. (Jeffrey Kraus, VCU Office of Institutional Equity, Effectiveness and Success)

Growing up in the segregated South inspires professor to pursue avenues that bring people together

Dec. 8, 2022

Faye Belgrave urges students and researchers to seek out community engagement connections.

"CBS Sunday Morning" correspondent David Pogue (right) interviews Alex Keena, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science, at Scott House on VCU's Monroe Park Campus. (Mary Kate Brogan, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

VCU professor shares gerrymandering expertise with ‘CBS Sunday Morning’

Nov. 15, 2022

“What’s clear is that when politicians are drawing the line, then we see partisan gerrymandering,” said Alex Keena, an assistant professor of political science and co-author of two books on gerrymandering.

"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," in theaters this week, centers the stories of Black women as leaders, something pop culture scholar Grace D. Gipson, Ph.D., says has the power to make a difference in how Black girls and women see themselves - and how others see them. “Representation is essential and important because what we see in pop culture influences and offers us a viewpoint into how we make decisions, how we view things, the way in which things are portrayed and people are portrayed,” says Gipson, an assistant professor of African American Studies at VCU's College of Humanities and Sciences. (Courtesy Walt Disney Studios)

The smartest person in the Marvel universe, how ‘Black Panther’ – and its sequel – changed Hollywood and why representation in pop culture matters

Nov. 10, 2022

“‘Black Panther’ has changed the game of saying what can and does sell. It wasn’t just Black people who went to go see ‘Black Panther;’ everybody — the world — went to see it,” says Grace D. Gipson, Ph.D.

Urban agriculture is among the areas of focus for the Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment. (Getty Images)

VCU launches Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment

Nov. 3, 2022

The institute will help faculty from across the university work on projects that address the climate change crisis.