New center director eyes burgeoning growth over the next three years

David Schmale III is looking forward to bolstering growth as the new director for the Translational Plant Sciences Center.

“I’m excited. It’s a wonderful community,” said Schmale, who is also professor in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, “The center has done so much for me and members of my lab. It’s time to pay it forward. I am looking forward to planting new seeds, elevating our programs, celebrating our successes, and bringing people together.” 

Schmale’s focus for growth includes three main areas: broadening collaboration within and outside of the university, enhancing workforce development opportunities, and harnessing pathways for real-world impact.

When announcing the new leadership in October, Robin McCarley, executive director of the Fralin Life Sciences Institute, briefly touched upon Schmale’s accomplishments over his 17-year tenure at Virginia Tech. Those include the following:

• Attracted more than $22 million in funding 
• Mentored a collective 75 undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral researchers 
• Named one of Popular Science magazine’s Brilliant Ten in 2013
• Named a Fulbright U.S. Scholar to research in New Zealand in 2019-20
• Received Virginia Tech’s Sporn Award 
• Member and currently vice chair of the Academy of Teaching Excellence

“Collectively, these accomplishments speak to David’s outstanding record of national and international service to students and early career professionals, to his discipline, and to agricultural stakeholders,” McCarley said. “I am confident these foundational experiences will allow David to effectively lead and build upon the center’s mission.”

During the announcement, McCarley also stated his appreciation for former center director, Guillaume Pilot. An associate professor in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Pilot was the founding director and oversaw its transformation into a center in 2021. 

During his three-year term, Schmale hopes to achieve several goals that involve collaboration, people, and community impact. 

Collaboration

Schmale’s goals begin with finding common denominators in academics and industry, both locally and globally.

“We need to nurture and broaden the Translational Plant Sciences Center community with a particular emphasis on the inclusion of social scientists and engineers. These new partnerships will be essential for the center to be competitive for multi-million dollar center proposals,” Schmale said.

This is similar to the two center grants recently funded by the Fralin Life Sciences Institute.

With an eye toward securing at least one large-center grant from a federal sponsor such as the National Science Foundation, Schmale would like to work across campus as well as connect with industry experts to ensure the translation of that research to real-world applications. He also is looking toward promoting international partnerships that are needed to address crop resilience and food security around the world. 

People

Schmale hopes to bolster the current Translational Plant Sciences Center interdisciplinary graduate education program and explore new ways to build and support undergraduate research programs. Early career mentoring is particularly important to Schmale and this includes providing mentoring for not only postdoctoral researchers but also graduate students and assistant professors.

“How do you obtain the skills that you need to be a successful leader? One way is to learn from individuals who are doing it the best,” Schmale said. 

Applying translational research in the field now requires knowledge of intellectual property, which includes developing, protecting, and marketing that intellectual property. According to Schmale, providing training in that area will ensure the next generation of visionaries, innovators, and leaders will be able to protect Virginia Tech’s intellectual property in the United States.

Schmale is adamant that diversity and inclusion are important to developing a workforce in translational plant research. During his time at Virginia Tech, he has worked to develop partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities to offer undergraduate research experiences. 

Community impact

Finding solutions to real-world agricultural problems for stakeholders, which includes industry partners and the community, is another important goal for Schmale.

“Virginia Tech has 11 Agricultural Research and Extension Centers, and they are uniquely positioned around the state. These centers are conduits to our stakeholders,” Schmale said. “Many are focal points of expertise for specific commodities and agricultural technologies. They are excellent places for pilot projects and testbeds for the Translational Plant Sciences Center that are scalable.” 

Though still in the learning phase of his new role, Schmale is excited for the future. 

“This center is uniquely positioned to have a tremendous impact on communities around the world,” Schmale said. “Our faculty, students, and staff are conducting cutting-edge research to address grand challenges in the security of our nation’s foods, fuels, fibers, and forests. We are doing important work that will feed the future.”