Pamela VandeVord is now helping students and faculty tackle their interdisciplinary research goals at the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science.

“We are thrilled to have Pam join us as our director for research and scholarship,” said Stefan Duma, director of the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Sciences (ICTAS). “Her multifaceted experience makes her a great fit for this role. I am confident that her passion for bringing Hokies together across colleges to collaborate on ambitious, high-impact projects will further ICTAS’s mission to forge partnerships across disciplinary boundaries and ultimately enhance the university’s ability to embrace research opportunities in the service of society.”

VandeVord began her new role in December. She previously served as the College of Engineering’s associate dean for research and is excited to continue forming partnerships across the university.

“As an associate dean in engineering, I collaborated outside the college to form interdisciplinary research teams, and I want to broaden those experiences in this role,” said VandeVord, who is also the N. Waldo Harrison Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics. “I am eager to be more engaged in building upon the institute’s investments to create large multidisciplinary teams and supporting our researchers as they work to bring in external funding.”

She will continue partnerships that expand health science research, including collaborations with the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM).

As part of ICTAS’s partnership with VCOM, VandeVord and Gunnar Brolinson, VCOM’s vice president for research, recently received a $2.17 million grant to study a noninvasive method that could ease brain injury symptoms. Researchers are currently in the project’s beginning stages, with the primary goal to develop a framework for which the manipulation can be used by clinicians to alleviate neurological symptoms after brain injury. 

VandeVord’s role will also support the Coalition for Smart Construction at Virginia Tech, a university initiative that leverages and synergizes expertise from faculty to tackle the industry’s biggest challenges.

ICTAS now houses funding for pilot projects to support the coalition. The award requires recipients to focus on five main research themes developed from faculty and industry input. Among several other research funding opportunities, VandeVord will facilitate this award, acting as a resource for recipients as they begin their projects.

She also has a long list of awards from her time at Virginia Tech that further add to her qualifications for the role:

  • 2009 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers 
  • 2012 Virginia Tech Dean’s Award for Engineering Faculty Fellow 
  • 2015 Virginia Tech Engineering Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research
  • 2017 fellow, American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering 
  • 2017 and 2020 Virginia Tech Engineering Dean’s Award for Excellence in Service
  • 2020 fellow, Biomedical Engineering Society

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