Tess S. Fotidzis, Ph.D.

Dr. Tess Fotidzis is a literacy neuroscience researcher, educator, and organizational leader interested in how people make meaning through language—and what helps them when learning is difficult. Her work examines relationships among language processing, rhythm, and reading, with expertise in EEG and behavioral methods and interdisciplinary collaborations involving neuroimaging and noninvasive brain stimulation. Her years in classrooms continue to shape the questions she asks and her interest in making research useful to educators and learners.

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At Vanderbilt’s Neural Enhancement of Learning Laboratory (NELL), Dr. Fotidzis led the operational development of a research program supported by NIH and U.S. Army funding. Working closely with scientific leadership and university partners, she built the lab’s operating infrastructure, selected and developed its research team, and coordinated the resources and oversight needed to sustain its work. Her responsibilities spanned scientific implementation, personnel leadership, financial stewardship, and research governance. She also contributed to study design, developed a literacy intervention for adults with reading difficulties, and continues to collaborate on scientific publications.

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Across research and education, Dr. Fotidzis is drawn to the architecture of learning: how systems are built, how meaning is made, and how thoughtful design and supportive relationships can nurture human development, especially for individuals who struggle. Connection guides her work as a researcher, educator, leader, and mother. She takes time to understand people’s strengths and needs, pairing attentive mentorship with clear expectations and the support to work confidently and independently. Whether developing an intervention, guiding a team, or helping someone navigate an unfamiliar challenge, she brings rigor, warmth, care, creativity, and a commitment to making her work matter in people’s lives.

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Outside the lab, Dr. Fotidzis remains deeply connected to education, community, and the natural world. She volunteers weekly at her daughter’s school as a "Literacy Room Mom" and serves as a her daughter's Girl Scouts troop co-leader, supporting young girls' curiosity, confidence, creativity, and sense of responsibility to one another and the world around them. A lifelong animal advocate and environmental conservationist, she is passionate about protecting the Earth — its lands, air, waters, and the many species with whom we share them — and about helping nurture that love and stewardship in the next generation.

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Her curiosity also extends to biological intelligence and consciousness, how plants process and respond to information, and questions about consciousness beyond humans. She enjoys exploring connections among mind, body, and environment, alongside spiritual traditions of energy work and the mysteries of the natural world. These interests reflect a lifelong fascination with how living things communicate, what connects us, and how much remains to be understood.

When she is not in the lab or volunteering, you can usually find Dr. Fotidzis and her daughter walking barefoot outside, hugging trees, collecting sticks, observing plants and animals, or spending time in the woods or near water. She also enjoys reading novels and comic books, playing video games, watching anime, woodworking, and spending time with the raccoons, possums, and other backyard friends who regularly visit her shed while she works on projects. Her favorite moments, however, are those spent with her daughter and their three beloved feline family members.

Recent Publications