Second cohort of Dean's Fellows advances College of Engineering strategic plan
Over the last year, a group of College of Engineering faculty and leaders has been focused on strategies to lead large-scale research centers.
The second cohort of the Dean’s Fellows program, spearheaded by the College of Engineering dean’s office, continues to expand the leadership capacity of the engineering faculty from a variety of departments and backgrounds. Over the course of the program, these individuals have been given an inside look at how the college operates so they can leverage different structures to support large-scale, transdisciplinary research at Virginia Tech.
The 2024-25 Dean’s Fellows cohort includes 17 faculty and staff members representing nine departments across the college:
- Nicole Akers, assistant director of research and innovation
- Doug A. Bowman, computer science
- Rafaella De Vita, mechanical engineering
- Harpreet Dhillon, electrical and computer engineering
- Michelle Goetsch, grant proposal writing manager
- Gabriel Isaacman-VanWertz, civil and environmental engineering
- Zhenyu "James" Kong, industrial system engineering
- Lingjia Liu, electrical and computer engineering
- Todd Lowe, aerospace and ocean engineering
- Kurt Luther, computer science
- Andrew McCoy, Myers-Lawson School of Construction
- Shima Shahab, mechanical engineering
- Tripp Shealy, civil and environmental engineering
- Eli Vlaisavljevich, biomedical engineering and mechanics
- Chris Williams, mechanical engineering
- Yang "Cindy" Yi, electrical and computer engineering
- Hang Yu, materials science and engineering
Developing large-scale centers
This year’s cohort has focused on promoting the development of large-scale, engineering-based, externally funded centers. The cohort includes faculty based in Blacksburg and in Northern Virginia to help build synergies across campus locations as the college strategizes about how best to work with partners in its growing network of innovation.
The group’s focus on this specific theme will help advance other strategic plan goals, including:
- Growing and diversifying revenue streams
- Accelerating transdisciplinary activity
- Expanding the College of Engineering’s reputation nationally and internationally
“Our Dean's Fellows have worked with faculty members from across the college to take their research agendas toward large-scale, transdisciplinary centers that can have high impact,” said David Knight, chief of strategy for engineering and special assistant to the provost.
This effort allowed faculty members to think about building and leveraging key partnerships enabled by entities such as Virginia Tech in the D.C. area, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, and Virginia Tech’s research institutes. Developing such partnerships is critical for leading these kinds of collaborative centers.
Earlier this year, the group met with leaders from across the college to foster innovative leadership and collaborative thinking.
“Our workshop brought together the cohort to think through Virginia Tech–specific structures and processes with college leadership while also emphasizing fresh ways of thinking from outside the university. Rather than thinking about leading specific research projects, we're shifting the mindset toward leading large teams and research organizations,” Knight said.
For Vlaisavljevich, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, the program has provided an opportunity to put ideas for an interdisciplinary center into motion.
"It has been exciting to be a part of the Dean's Fellows program,” Vlaisavljevich said. “In addition to connecting with other faculty members across the college and learning about the process for pursuing large-scale grants, this program gave me an opportunity to start formulating specific plans for establishing a new interdisciplinary center at Virginia Tech based on my own research in the health frontier. I am excited to unite faculty working across disciplines in pursuit of a shared translational research mission."
Reflecting on the first year
As the second year comes to a close and the third cohort selection is underway, the first cohort chosen in 2023 continues to experience the impact of this opportunity. That inaugural Dean’s Fellows cohort focused on transforming the graduate engineering education system by connecting, integrating, and improving numerous processes, in addition to providing support for graduate students.
“It allowed us to form lasting connections with a community of service-oriented faculty and staff in the College of Engineering and collaborate on impactful projects aimed at improving graduate education,” said Anne Staples, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and member of the 2023-24 cohort. “For example, the Canvas course that my partner, Andrea L'Afflitto, and I are developing will guide students in preparing their applications for graduate fellowships.
“This experience was invaluable,” she said. “As fellows, we gained insights into the college’s strategic, data-driven decision-making processes, empowering us to share valuable perspectives with colleagues in our home departments. This has helped us all work more effectively to support our students and advance our research and other missions at Virginia Tech.”