Vanderbilt and Nissan: A collaborative path to innovation

Vanderbilt University and Nissan Motor Corporation have joined forces to pursue strategic projects in data science and beyond. The partnership is expected to unlock significant value and identify potential cost savings of over $70 million for Nissan.

The roots of this radical collaboration trace back to the annual Nissan-Vanderbilt Accelerator, where Nissan Senior Vice President Mark Kaczynski was introduced to the university's innovation ecosystem. Kaczynski, inspired by the accelerator's promising projects and ideas, engaged Vanderbilt's Corporate Partnerships team, which led to campus visits and key introductions that laid the foundation for a series of high-impact projects.

At the core of this collaboration is Vanderbilt Data Science, an academic hub that provides deep expertise and advanced technical capabilities. During early discussions, a Nissan team led by Francois Peltier identified a strong alignment of Nissan's strategic goals with Vanderbilt research and student talent.

The partnership's first major project-VME Optimization-launched in fall 2024 under the guidance of Associate Professor Jesse Blocher. The initiative tasked Vanderbilt students with analyzing the relationship between Nissan's VME incentives and sales performance. By integrating insights from the consulting company McKinsey and leveraging advanced tools like Meta's Prophet AI, the project not only advanced Nissan's internal decision-making, but also provided real-world learning experiences for the students. One student from the team went on to secure an internship at Nissan-an example of the immediate career impact of such engagement.

Building on this momentum, Nissan deepened its involvement in spring 2025 through Vanderbilt's Data Science in Practice course led by Adjunct Professor Kempton Presley, CEO of Adhere Health. Thirty-five students enrolled in the 10-week course. They worked on eight Nissan-sponsored projects that addressed complex business problems, and they delivered actionable insights. Kaczynski attended the final student presentations on April 17 to witness the impressive results and strategic value created in such a short time.

Reflecting on the experience, Presley remarked:

"I had the privilege of launching a set of projects where our students' ingenuity met a forward-thinking corporate partner with compelling challenges. What began as a coordinated set of ideas quickly gained momentum, evolving into a dynamic collaboration that delivered real process improvements and measurable financial impact."

Peltier, who oversaw much of the implementation for Nissan, shared:

"Open innovation is about going beyond our traditional approaches. Vanderbilt Data Science brought great talent to the table, and, when paired with the deep expertise of Nissan employees, we created an incredible environment to solve real-world challenges and generate millions of dollars in value."

The partnership will continue to include the AI Factory initiative, an effort to optimize Nissan's production processes through advanced analytics and machine learning. This initiative will support Nissan's broader innovation strategy and provide Vanderbilt students with valuable exposure to next-generation technologies.

Vanderbilt and Nissan's model for university-industry collaboration drives mutual success. The growing partnership sustains its momentum in delivering meaningful results for both institutions by empowering students, enhancing business performance and paving the way for future innovations.