Alumni Biographies
Lauren Campbell
Lauren, originally from Connecticut, joined the Bridge Program in 2007 after earning her B.S. in Physics from Hofstra University. Her research interests include the structure, formation, and interaction history of the Milky Way. She developed a tunable, multi-component model of the underlying gravitational potential of the Milky Way with which she integrates the orbits of individual stars. After earning her Ph.D. in Astrophysics in 2015 she joined Vanderbilt’s Center for Teaching and the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL, a national network of universities) as a postdoctoral fellow. She developed new materials and programs for the professional development of future faculty (grad students and postdocs) that centered around evidence-based teaching practices in the college STEM classroom. Now she holds a joint appointment as an Academic Adviser for Vanderbilt undergraduate students and Lecturer in the Physics & Astronomy Department. When not in the classroom or helping students formulate their academic paths, you’re likely to find Lauren with her husband and fellow Bridger, Desmond, chasing after their son or attempting Vegan alternatives in her favorite recipes.
Desmond Campbell
Desmond, a native of Nashville, TN, earned a B.S. degree in Physics from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN prior to matriculating into the Fisk-Vanderbilt Bridge program in 2006. For his master’s degree in physics, Desmond characterized various materials for radiation detection, with a specific focus for medical imaging applications. Desmond bridged to the physics department at Vanderbilt for the Ph.D, where he joined the Institute of Imaging Science to investigate the performance of position-sensitive High Purity Germanium detectors for biomedical imaging applications. Desmond earned his Ph.D. in 2015 and continued his research in the imaging sciences as a postdoctoral scholar, focusing on building an Germanium based imaging system for preclinical use, as well as novel image processing schemes for better delineating and tracking mild cognitive impairments and alzheimer’s disease. Since then, he has shifted his focus from the benchtop to the classroom as a postdoctoral fellow and co-instructor in the Day of Discovery program with the Center for Science Outreach at Vanderbilt. Desmond now leads 7th and 8th grade students from Metro Nashville Public Schools in a STEM-focused laboratory curriculum, while simultaneously finding new ways to teach science to middle school students. When not on Vanderbilt’s campus working, Desmond can be found with his wife and son at the playground or Nashville zoo.
Jedidah Isler
Jedidah Isler grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia and is a longtime lover of the night sky. She was in the first class of the Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-Ph.D. Bridge Program and went on to complete her Ph.D. at Yale University in 2014, where she studied supermassive, hyperactive black holes called blazars. Jedidah is also very passionate about STEM equity and working to make space for intersectional and often marginalized identities in STEM. She’s the founder and host of Vanguard: Conversations with Women of Color in STEM and thinks you should drop what you’re doing and participate or donate to the cause. She can be found all over the interwebs @jedidahislerphd.
Tommy LeBlanc
Thompson LeBlanc is a Senior Data Product Engineer with HCA. He graduated from the Bridge Program in 2012 with a Ph. D. in Physics and Astronomy from Vanderbilt University. Less than a month after his successful defense, he moved to Baltimore, MD with his family to be a Research and Instrument Analyst at the Space Telescope Science Institute, working on the James Webb Telescope. After 2 and a half years at STScI, he returned to Nashville and began a career as a software developer in the healthcare industry. When he's not in front of a screen (or two) typing away, he's spending time with his family, brewing beer, caring for his hydroponic herbs, or building something that necessitates power tools. He is currently working with his colleagues on a web application to improve the care of septic patients across the country. He can be reached at tlcommodore@gmail.com.