An emerging cohesive and progressive vision for Virginia Tech’s growing presence in the greater Washington, D.C., metro area was shared with members of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors at their quarterly meeting held on June 11 in Blacksburg.

That conversation was led by Julie Ross, the Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Dean of Engineering and special advisor to the president, who was tapped by President Tim Sands and Executive Vice President and Provost Cyril Clarke in 2023 to lead the Northern Virginia Steering Committee. The group was charged with developing a future vision and organizational plan for Virginia Tech in the D.C. area.

“Developing a cohesive vision and a path for Virginia Tech’s growth in the greater D.C. area is critical as the university aspires to become a top global research university and prepares to open the first building of the Innovation Campus in Alexandra next year,” Ross said. “Over the past six months, we’ve engaged stakeholders across the region to gather feedback and share ideas as we build on the success over the last 50 years.”

During remarks, Ross reported on the committee’s progress to date that is organized into three phases with recommendations focused on strategic positioning, organizational structure, and operational support for the D.C. area. The committee was charged to review and assess the instructional, research, and outreach activities in the area with a special emphasis on those activities that leverage opportunities afforded by operating in the nation’s capital. 

Work is focused on university-level strategy and sites, including the Virginia Tech Research Center — Arlington, the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus in Alexandria, and the redevelopment of Falls Church.

Nearing completion of phase two work, Ross said the committee is looking at the operational needs of the region, budget models, facilities and operating costs, tuition models, transportation, and housing. This included a preview of the proposed future operational and administrative structure: the formation of a cross-cutting academic unit to serve as the core academic structure for the region; the hiring of a vice president for the D.C. area; and a shared academic business and student support services operation at the regional level.

Ross reported that the committee is on track for submitting final recommendations to Sands and Clarke this summer. She emphasized strong alignment with the vision set forth by Lance Collins, vice president and executive director of the Innovation Campus, who followed with a presentation to the Board of Visitors with an update.

Innovation Campus grows faculty and advances research

Collins updated the board on faculty, research, and curriculum progress for the Innovation Campus.

The Innovation Campus now has 18 faculty members focused on computer science and computer engineering that support its four research areas of focus: Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Quantum Architecture and Software Development, Intelligent Interfaces, and Next Gen Wireless. Several marquee faculty searches to expand capabilities in these areas are in their final stages.

Building upon the Innovation Campus' goals of supporting an outward facing faculty, Collins emphasized key faculty productivity numbers, including how the Innovation Campus’ 12 tenured faculty brought in $15.2 million in grant awards in 2023.

“As we work toward a faculty of 50 purpose-driven, industry connected researchers, it is also important to put a face to some of these statistics,” Collins said, as he highlighted some of the specific faculty members.

Some of the new faculty hires include Yang “Cindy” Yi, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, is bringing her expertise in semiconductors, integrated circuits, and high-performance computing to the Innovation Campus. As a researcher on the UPWARDS project, an international partnership between 11 Japanese and United States universities funded by a $30 million investment from Micron Technology, Tokyo Electronics, and the National Science Foundation, Ye is helping focus Virginia Tech’s $3.47 million share on the area of women in semiconductors.

“This is very important to me – we want the Innovation Campus to be welcoming to people who historically have not had opportunities in STEM, and Cindy is reinforcing that goal in terms of women,” Collins said.

Collins also highlighted the addition of Steven Flammia, founding director of Innovation Campus’ Center for Quantum Architecture and Software Development and professor of computer science. Flammia brings a combination of experience in industry and academia, having most recently worked as a principal research scientist for Amazon Web Services.

Collins said the new Quantum Center in Northern Virginia is building on strengths of the Virginia Tech Center for Quantum Information Science and Engineering and the National Security Institute. “Virginia Tech is positioned to become a national leader in quantum, and we are excited to have Steve leading the efforts at the Innovation Campus,” Collins said.

Collins closed by discussing advances in the Innovation Campus’ project-based learning model. The first cohort of Master of Engineering students participating in the new integrated project-based curriculum will begin this fall, connecting the campus even further with industry partners.

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