Alexander Leonessa honored with emeritus status
Leonessa led flagship efforts in robotics and academic leadership before his retirement.
Alexander Leonessa, a retired professor of mechanical engineering in the Virginia Tech College of Engineering, has been conferred the title of professor emeritus by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.
The emeritus title may be conferred on retired faculty members who are specially recommended to the board by Virginia Tech President Tim Sands in recognition of exemplary service to the university. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board receive a copy of the resolution and a certificate of appreciation.
A member of the Virginia Tech community for more than 15 years, Leonessa served on numerous administrative roles both at college and university level, including associate department head for strategic initiatives, chair of the Commission of Research, work-life liaison for the College of Engineering, and director of the Proposal Development Institute. He also served on a two-year rotation as a program director at the National Science Foundation where he supervised the Disability and Rehabilitation Engineering program. His scholarship focused on control theory and robotics; autonomous ground, aerial, surface, and underwater vehicles; humanoids and rehabilitation robotics; exoskeletons; sensory-motor neuroprosthesis; and human-robot interaction.
Leonessa published 51 refereed journal articles, 91 peer-reviewed conference proceedings, one book, three book chapters, and one patent. He served as an associate editor for several prestigious journals including Scientific Reports, Mechatronics, and IEEE Control System Magazine.
The work of Leonessa's research group resulted in 40 externally funded research projects and over $26 million total external research funding. He advised 32 graduate students on master's theses and 17 on doctoral dissertations. Leonessa was recognized with multiple awards including the Alumni Award for Outreach Excellence and the Excellence in Access and Inclusion Award by the Office for the Services for Students with Disabilities.
Leonessa received his bachelor's degree from the University of Rome La Sapienza and his master's degree and Ph.D. from Georgia Tech. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, he held faculty positions at the University of Central Florida and Florida Atlantic University.
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