17 faculty members named College of Engineering Dean’s Fellows
In its third year, the program helps drive the college’s strategic goals and shapes the future of research, education, and outreach.
The 17 faculty in 2025-26 Dean's Fellows from the College of Engineering
Dean Julie Ross has named 17 faculty members from the College of Engineering as 2025-26 Dean’s Fellows. The program recognizes emerging and established faculty leaders who will contribute to strategic priorities in education, research, and outreach.
Launched in 2023, the Dean’s Fellows program taps into faculty expertise and leadership to further the college’s bold vision. Over the course of the year-long program, fellows work closely with college leadership on initiatives that span departments and disciplines. Expanding on the success of the 2024 cohort, the newest group will continue to focus on promoting the development of large-scale, engineering-based, externally funded centers.
“The Dean’s Fellows bring incredible energy and insights to the college,” Ross, the Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Dean of Engineering. “They’re learning more about how the college operates while helping us build momentum toward our strategic goals.”
The work of the fellows complements department-level responsibilities while allowing them to pursue projects with collegewide impact.
The 2025 Dean’s Fellows are:
- Shane Ross, aerospace and ocean engineering
- Adam Maxwell, biomedical engineering and mechanics
- Miguel Perez, biomedical engineering and mechanics
- Landon Marston, civil and environmental engineering
- Mike Bortner, chemical engineering
- Jin-Hee Cho, computer science
- Anuj Karpatne, computer science
- Christina DiMarino, electrical and computer engineering
- Xiaoting Jia, electrical and computer engineering
- Ali Mehrizi-Sani, electrical and computer engineering
- Jake Grohs, engineering education
- Lisa McNair, engineering education
- Navid Ghaffarzadegan, industrial and systems engineering
- Michael Bartlett, mechanical engineering
- Bart Raeymaekers, mechanical engineering
- Abiola Akanmu, Myers-Lawson School of Construction
- Wencai Zhang, mining and minerals engineering
The Dean’s Fellows program reflects the college’s commitment to building leadership capacity from within and collaborating with faculty to shape the future of engineering education and research at Virginia Tech.
Andrew McCoy, the Beliveau Professor of Building Construction in the Myers-Lawson School of Construction, reflected about his experience in the second cohort of Dean's Fellows: "The Dean's Fellows program introduced me to leading scientists from across the college and the university, helped me to learn about the university's processes in ways I had never known, and placed me in the room with business leaders across many industry sectors. The insight I gained was invaluable and will continue to guide my research growth at Virginia Tech."
