Analytical chemist and Cliffel Research Group member Hannah Richards refuses to accept "just because" as an answer.
Richards' need to know "why" is how she came to love chemistry: Science gave her the answers she needed.
"I was someone who always asked why, how, when and where. I needed to know all of the details," Richards said. "And hearing 'just because' or 'because I said so' was never enough for me. Science and chemistry addressed that. Chemistry always answers the why."
Along with the ability to satisfy her natural curiosity, chemistry tapped into Richards' penchant for breaking glass ceilings. Women working in chemistry weren't common in the towns she grew up in.
"I was raised on the outskirts of Nashville, in small country towns with strong gender stereotypes," said Richards, Class of 2026. "I was intrigued by exploring chemistry and science because it broke that norm. No one in my town did that. I liked defying those odds."
Richards' passion for chemistry and gender equity took her from Austin Peay State University, where she earned a bachelor of science in chemistry with a minor in women's and gender studies, to Vanderbilt, where she's a Ph.D. student who focuses on analytical chemistry.
Under David Cliffel, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Chemistry and principal investigator at Cliffel Research Group, Richards uses electrochemistry to develop tools that detect and quantify infection-related triggers of preterm birth.
"I've always valued diversity and women in STEM, and women's health specifically," Richards said. "I wanted to use analytical chemistry for something that's very understudied, and the human placenta is the least studied organ."
Richards' appetite for breaking barriers and pursuing her passions has earned her a seat at the table with science's brightest thinkers-a Schmidt Science Postdoctoral Fellowship that provides her with a unique opportunity to bridge disciplines. She is the first student at Vanderbilt to receive such a distinction.
"Hannah's selection as Vanderbilt's first Schmidt Science Fellow is a tremendous honor that underscores our university's commitment to nurturing exceptional scholars who will become the next generation of scholars and leaders," said André Christie-Mizell, vice provost for graduate education and dean of the Graduate School.
"The Schmidt Science Fellowship recognizes not only Hannah's outstanding scientific accomplishment and potential, but also her dedication to bridging disciplines and working at the intersection of two scientific disciplines to generate meaningful, real-world impact."
As a Schmidt Fellow, Richards will check another lifelong goal off her list-researching sea turtle marine biology at the Marine Science Laboratory at Florida Atlantic University.
"One thing I've always been passionate about is sea turtle health," Richards said. "But growing up in landlocked Nashville, Tennessee, without oceans and coasts-that wasn't something I could easily explore.
"I am so thankful for this opportunity! It's one of the most prestigious and competitive fellowships globally, and I get to be mentored by a very elite group of scientists that have gone on to do extraordinary things. It's truly an honor."
To protect leatherback sea turtles from extinction, Richards will investigate sea turtle egg fusariosis-an invasive fungal infection that impedes hatching success-bridging her work in Cliffel's group with marine conservation research.
"Because of the heavily interdisciplinary nature of my research lab, we have students from a lot of different disciplines, and each comes with a unique background and progress from there," Cliffel said. "Hannah had originally little interest in bioanalytical chemistry, but she has embraced its potential to the fullest in her work in my group."
"Her future work as a Schmidt Fellow builds on the research abilities she developed in my lab, but it represents a complete shift in application and focus. She has already done that so well in her graduate studies that I am certain she will be successful in the future."
The advice Richards has for status quo challengers like herself?
"You are your limit. Be limitless."
