As research grows, new program brings faculty perspective to maximizing opportunity
February 22, 2018
Research at Virginia Tech is booming. Research expenditures have climbed to $531 million as innovation in every corner of campus fuels discovery across the spectrum of academic disciplines. Blossoming transdisciplinary collaborations and powerful industry partnerships carve out new areas of strength and bolster the university’s capacity to address major societal challenges.
This expansion opens up a multitude of opportunities for researchers; it also calls for a robust infrastructure to underpin new types of projects and help shape bold initiatives that can effectively harness the energy and talent suffusing the research enterprise.
To help ensure that researchers have the tools to pursue their biggest, most ambitious ideas and tackle the stickiest problems in their field, the university is tapping the expertise of the people who know firsthand what it takes to execute research at the highest level: the faculty.
The Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation (OVPRI) has established a new Faculty Fellows Program, which selects faculty leaders for up to three-year terms to contribute to the development of Virginia Tech’s research and innovation infrastructure in targeted areas.
“As we continue our rapid growth in the research and innovation space, we must ensure that Virginia Tech has systems in place to support the exceptional work of our research community,” said Theresa Mayer, the university’s vice president for research and innovation. “This program will offer a new mechanism to engage faculty and deepen the dialogue among the many groups that are working together to move our research enterprise forward.”