Stavrou family gifts establish $350,000 to support junior faculty and graduate scholarships in the D.C. area

Angelos Stavrou’s decision to create an endowment at Virginia Tech goes beyond his role as a professor in the College of Engineering.

Angelos and his wife, Daliborka, both completed their graduate education in the United States after growing up abroad and deeply value the transformative role institutions of higher education play in shaping lives. 

“Education and academic institutions are central to how we grow as people, how we progress,” said Stavrou. “Daliborka and I have always believed in giving back, and supporting junior faculty and graduate scholarships at Virginia Tech in the D.C. area allows us to open doors for others in a truly meaningful way.”

The Stavrous gifted $200,000 to endow a junior faculty fellowship that will help recruit new faculty researchers to the Institute for Advanced Computing in Alexandria. The $200,000 is being matched with an additional $50,000 from the Moraco Fellowship Challenge. The Stavrous have committed another $100,000 to endow a scholarship to support Master of Engineering students in the D.C. area.

“It is wonderful to see a faculty member give back through philanthropy as well as through the work they contribute to the university every day,” said Lance Collins, vice president of Virginia Tech in the D.C. area. “With his extensive background in entrepreneurship, Angelos brings a wealth of experience to the university and the Institute for Advanced Computing. I’m thrilled that this gift will help us expand opportunities in the D.C. area.” 

The Institute for Advanced Computing currently has 19 faculty members based in the D.C. area with research focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning, wireless and next-gen technology, quantum information science, computer systems, and human computer interaction. The institute has a goal to expand to 50 faculty members in the coming years.

“Supporting the next generation of faculty is essential,” Stavrou said. “Junior faculty members bring energy, new ideas, and emerging expertise, and when combined with the experience and mentorship of senior faculty, they help renew and revitalize the university.”

Stavrou joined Virginia Tech in August 2020 as a professor in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering based in the D.C. area. In August 2022, he was among the first group of 12 faculty members to join what is now the Institute for Advanced Computing and today leads the institute’s entrepreneurship activities.

Stavrou is the founder of Kryptowire Inc., now Quokka Inc., a venture capital-funded mobile security startup. His research interests include large systems security and survivability, intrusion detection systems, and nextG cybersecurity. Daliborka Stavrou, who holds a Ph.D. in management science, is the vice president of research and development at ThinkSense, a company focused on developing and enhancing digital biomarker technologies.

The Stavrous' gift toward scholarships will benefit a component of the commonwealth’s Tech Talent Investment Program. The Master of Engineering programs in computer engineering and computer science and applications are technical, industry-connected degrees that utilize a distinct project-based approach to expand students’ professional skills and prepare them to assume leadership roles in industry and government. The programs are part of the university’s overall efforts to grow its presence in the D.C. area.

“We are extremely grateful to the Stavrous for their support of Master of Engineering students,” said Kirk Cameron, interim director of the institute. “Angelos’ industry experience is an inspiration to our graduate students and his generosity is a superb example for us all.”

Extending the challenge

Virginia Tech’s Giving Day runs for 24 hours starting at noon ET Wednesday, Feb. 18. Highlighting their focus on the importance of philanthropy, the Stavrou family will generously give another $75,000 toward student scholarships and junior faculty recruitment for the Institute for Advanced Computing once 50 donors make gifts to support Virginia Tech’s programs in the greater D.C. area.

“Efforts like Giving Day that multiply the impact of each gift are especially powerful,” said Daliborka Stavrou. “Matching opportunities encourage people to give together, creating a collective momentum that quickly builds – like a snowball effect. They remind us that meaningful progress happens not through individual action alone, but through shared commitment and teamwork.”

For Angelos Stavrou, the Moraco Challenge was that source of motivation. “For me, having the matching funds was an incentive. Every dollar we gave was amplified by this other gift. It was a great way to extend the total impact.”

Thanks to the matching gift, that total impact can increase as dozens of others who step forward this Giving Day. Join the Stavrous and support graduate student scholarships in the D.C. area with a gift on the D.C. area page on Feb. 18-19, starting at noon ET.