Visit from Malawi university leaders sparks new ideas for global collaboration
Members of MUST delegation, Address Malata (second from left) and Boyd Luwe (third from left), meet with Virginia Tech faculty and staff.
When top leaders from Malawi’s youngest public university arrived in Blacksburg this spring, they weren’t just touring labs — they were reconnecting with longtime collaborators and charting a path forward with one of their most trusted international partners.
For nearly a decade, the Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) and Virginia Tech have worked together on projects spanning engineering, medicine, public health, and design. In May, MUST’s vice chancellor and board members met with Virginia Tech faculty and administrators to explore how their growing partnership could deliver even greater impact — for students, researchers, and communities in both countries.
“Virginia Tech is one of our best models and one of our best partners,” Vice Chancellor Address Malata said during her second visit to Blacksburg in two years. “As we work to set clear targets for our next 10 years, we’re trying to learn from institutions like Virginia Tech — from the work you’ve done to push your institution to a place of distinction.”
Virginia Tech faculty and students have worked alongside their counterparts in the East Africa nation almost since MUST’s founding 13 years ago. Through Virginia Tech’s TEAM Malawi — short for Technology, Education, Advocacy, and Medicine — the two institutions have tackled shared challenges through community-driven, interdisciplinary projects.
One major focus has been women’s health. Faculty and students have partnered to develop low-cost, noninvasive technologies for detecting and treating breast and cervical cancer, including early research on focused ultrasound therapy. Their work goes beyond technology development to include public health outreach — such as co-designed surveys assessing cancer awareness and access to care, and culturally tailored education programs promoting prevention and screening.
Other initiatives have included designing low-cost diagnostic tools, improving medical devices for rural clinics, and exploring how architecture and public art can support community wellness. Faculty and students from engineering, design, and public health have traveled to Malawi to work side by side with peers at MUST and at local hospitals. These visits have sparked senior design projects, faculty-led research, and student-driven curricula that reflect a shared commitment to service and sustainability. Together, MUST and Virginia Tech have also been leading the highly successful African Drone and Data Academy (ADDA), preparing hundreds of youth for jobs in drone or data analytics industries.
This year, TEAM Malawi joined the Center for International Research, Education, and Development (CIRED), a universitywide center in Outreach and International Affairs. The center strengthens Virginia Tech’s global mission by identifying partnerships and funding opportunities that align the university’s expertise with global challenges. With its support, TEAM Malawi is better positioned to expand its reach, secure new resources, and deepen faculty and student engagement in collaborative research and development.
“Combining the expertise and energy of TEAM Malawi in the area of global health and CIRED’s long history of grant management and partnership facilitation, creates a brilliant symmetry,” said Tom Archibald, the center's executive director. “Together, we convene conversations, build partnerships, and facilitate action. We are conduits through which Hokies unite their Ut Prosim spirit and their research.”
The MUST delegation’s visit sparked a host of new ideas — including student and faculty exchanges, shared research centers, and expanded projects in medical technology, design, and infectious disease prevention.
The delegation met with ADDA representatives in Virginia Tech’s Uncrewed Systems Lab, and leaders from the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine; the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design; the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences; and Outreach and International Affairs — underscoring the wide-reaching potential of the partnership.
“Every stop we made, we made a meaningful connection,” said Andy Muelenaer, co-founder of TEAM Malawi and a professor of practice in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics. “The conversations we had were filled with fresh ideas and a real excitement to build on this strong foundation.”
Muelenaer and his colleagues are already moving forward on several of those ideas — including supporting efforts to bring simulation-based medical training to Malawi and strengthening partnerships already underway.
For both institutions, the collaboration is about more than research — it’s about making a measurable difference.
“We want to make a difference in people’s lives,” Malata said. “So, teaching students and even seeing them graduate is not enough. We are looking to impact initiatives that change Malawi.”
For Virginia Tech, the partnership is a living example of its global land-grant mission — building sustained relationships that foster innovation, advance learning, and help solve real-world problems.
“Our students and faculty grow tremendously from these relationships,” Muelenaer said. “And together, we’re creating solutions that have real impact — not just in the lab or classroom, but in communities.”
