VKC Associate Director Laurie Cutting wins SEC Faculty Achievement Award
Laurie Cutting, Ph.D.
Laurie E. Cutting, Ph.D., a pioneering educational neuroscientist devoted to unlocking the mysteries of brain function in learning, has been named the 2025 SEC Faculty Achievement Award winner from Vanderbilt University. The annual award honors faculty members from each of the 16 Southeastern Conference universities for dedication to advancing academic excellence through teaching, innovation and service.
“I am delighted to congratulate Laurie Cutting on this recognition. Her contributions as a scientist, an academic leader, and a mentor to many up-and-coming scholars make her uniquely worthy of this honor. Vanderbilt can be proud,” said Camilla P. Benbow, Ed.D., Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development at Peabody.
Cutting’s research portfolio spans multiple disciplines, bridging cognitive, educational and neurobiological perspectives to gain greater understanding of language processing, reading development, learning disabilities and more. Using state-of-the-art neuroimaging techniques, her studies bring crucial insights to evidence-based interventions to support those with reading challenges.
Cutting is the Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Neuroscience and professor of Special Education at Peabody College of Education and Human Development. She is the associate director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and has additional appointments across the university in the departments of Pediatrics, Psychology, Radiology and Electrical and Computer Engineering. Cutting played a key role in launching the nation’s first doctoral program in Educational Neuroscience at Vanderbilt.
In 2023, Cutting was appointed associate provost in the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation, where she leads efforts to build scientific discovery across medicine and social sciences. She also promotes commercialization of Vanderbilt’s intellectual property.
Monteggia named fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Lisa Monteggia, Ph.D.
Lisa M. Monteggia, Ph.D., has been elected a 2024 fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. After a rigorous nomination and review process, Monteggia, along with Vanderbilt colleague Matthew J. Tyska, are among the 471 scientists, engineers, and innovators who have been recognized for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements by the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals.
A tradition dating back to 1874, election as an AAAS Fellow is a lifetime honor, and all fellows are expected to meet the commonly held standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity. Monteggia is now among the storied fellows who have been elected from Vanderbilt throughout the university’s history.
Lisa M. Monteggia, Lee E. Limbird Professor of Pharmacology and Barlow Family Director of the Vanderbilt Brain Institute, and a Vanderbilt Kennedy Center member, was one of 14 faculty nationwide to be honored in the section of neuroscience. AAAS cited Monteggia’s contributions to understanding cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, in particular the role of epigenetic factors, including MeCP2 and HDACs, in the central nervous system.
“It is an honor to be elected as an AAAS Fellow. Our research utilizes multidisciplinary approaches to better understand the brain and advance treatment for neuropsychiatric disorders,” Monteggia said. “I am thankful to the amazing graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who have trained in my laboratory, and through their efforts expanded our knowledge of fundamentals of neuroscience.”
These accolades were first reported in Vanderbilt University News and Research News
