Seven Virginia Tech faculty members have been elected to the 2026 class of the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (VASEM), recognizing their sustained contributions to research, innovation, education, and service to the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Virginia Tech’s total membership now stands at 32 with the addition of seven new 2026 inductees: Luiz DaSilva, Stefan Duma, Carla Finkielstein, Lee Learman, Robin McCarley, Naren Ramakrishnan, and John Rossmeisl. They represent the university's research breadth in wireless communications, cybersecurity, cancer biology, medical education, artificial intelligence, drug delivery, and comparative oncology.

According to its website, VASEM brings together leaders in science, engineering, and medicine from across Virginia to provide independent expertise on issues important to the commonwealth, foster collaboration, and promote research and innovation. Its members include individuals affiliated with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine as well as other leaders in their fields.

Luiz DaSilva

DaSilva is the inaugural executive director of the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) and the Bradley Professor of Cybersecurity in Virginia Tech’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His research pioneered the application of game theory to the analysis and design of wireless networks, and his leadership has helped build Virginia’s statewide cybersecurity research and innovation ecosystem.

  • Leads CCI, a network of 47 Virginia institutions of higher education focused on cybersecurity research, innovation, and workforce development

  • Has authored two books and more than 320 peer-reviewed papers and supervised 21 Ph.D. students to completion

  • Is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and Trinity College Dublin, a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors, and an IEEE Communications Society Distinguished Lecturer

DaSilva’s work combines fundamental research in wireless communications with large-scale partnerships designed to translate research into economic and societal impact.

Stefan Duma

Duma is a University Distinguished Professor and executive director of the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science. He leads interdisciplinary research spanning engineering and science and is the founding director of the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab, where his research has advanced safety in automobiles, sports, and drones with strong commercial and military applications.

  • Has secured more than $55 million in research funding from federal and industrial sponsors

  • Has published more than 600 technical papers, including more than 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, and 11 books

  • Is a Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society and the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine and a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors

Duma’s work has helped establish Virginia Tech as a national leader in injury biomechanics and data-driven approaches to improving human safety.

Carla Finkielstein

Finkielstein is the Roger H. Moore and Mojdeh Khatam-Moore Faculty Fellow and a professor in the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and Department of Biological Sciences. A cancer biologist, she studies how the body’s circadian clock regulates cell division, DNA repair, and tumor development, research that advances the emerging field of chronotherapeutics.

  • Directs the Virginia Tech Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, which processed more than 225,000 COVID-19 tests across western Virginia and contributed more than 28,000 complete SARS-CoV-2 sequences to public repositories

  • Has published more than 90 peer-reviewed articles and delivered more than 100 scientific presentations, including 27 internationally

  • Has received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, Virginia Tech’s Ut Prosim Scholar Award, and the J. Shelton Horsley Research Award from the Virginia Academy of Science

Finkielstein is now applying the laboratory’s diagnostic expertise to personalized cancer screening, with the goal of providing advanced results rapidly to help clinicians make more informed treatment decisions.

Lee Learman

Learman is dean of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and a physician, researcher, educator, and academic leader. Since becoming dean in 2019, he has guided the medical school through significant growth in enrollment, research, academic programs, facilities, and partnerships focused on Virginia’s healthcare workforce.

  • Secured new state support and a record $20 million gift from Jim ’74 and Augustine ’71 Smith to strengthen medical education and scholarships for Virginia students, and expanded the entering medical school class from 42 to a record 64 students in the Class of 2030
  • Established the Department of Health Systems and Implementation Science and expanded research through the Smart Healthcare Hub and the Jeffrey Modell Center for Informatics and Data Science
  • Has published over 95 peer-reviewed papers including clinical studies and educational research papers cited by over 9,000 other publications

Learman’s clinical and education research spans women’s health, medical education, and health systems, strengthening the school’s role in preparing physicians and advancing healthcare in the commonwealth.

Robin McCarley

Robin McCarley is executive director of the Fralin Life Sciences Institute and a professor in the Department of Chemistry. His research has produced new tools for medical imaging, diagnostics, and drug delivery while helping translate fundamental discoveries toward commercialization and clinical applications.

  • Leads an interdisciplinary institute supporting more than 400 researchers and staff and 1,300 Ph.D. students across 12 colleges and schools

  • Has authored more than 100 refereed articles and book chapters, holds 14 awarded and pending patents, and has secured more than $25 million in agency and foundation funding

  • Is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and the American Association for the Advancement of Science and has been recognized among Stanford University’s top 2% of highly cited scientists

McCarley has also mentored dozens of students and postdoctoral researchers while advancing partnerships that move life sciences discoveries toward real-world applications.

Naren Ramakrishnan

Ramakrishnan is a University Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and director of the Sanghani Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics. His research integrates artificial intelligence (AI), data science, forecasting, computational epidemiology, and urban analytics to understand complex systems and anticipate emerging events.

  • Developed EMBERS, a 24/7 forecasting system sponsored by the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity that uses open-source data to anticipate events including disease outbreaks, civil unrest, and election outcomes

  • Is a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

  • Leads AI and machine learning efforts for the Institute for Advanced Computing and has helped establish interdisciplinary programs connecting data science to public health, urban systems, and other societal challenges

Ramakrishnan also helped lead Virginia Tech’s 2025 Virginia AI Summit, organized by VASEM to examine the opportunities and challenges surrounding AI and its role in Virginia’s future.

John Rossmeisl

Rossmeisl is the Dr. and Mrs. Dorsey Taylor Mahin Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. An internationally recognized veterinary neurologist and neurosurgeon, he leads translational research using naturally occurring brain tumors in dogs to develop treatments that can benefit both animals and humans.

  • Leads the Veterinary and Comparative Neuro-oncology Laboratory, developing molecularly targeted therapies and novel methods for delivering drugs across the blood-brain barrier

  • Has helped pioneer the use of irreversible electroporation and high-frequency irreversible electroporation to treat brain tumors and holds 21 patents related to his work

  • Received Virginia’s Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and Virginia Tech’s inaugural Jacob A. Lutz III Award for Eminent Scholars

Rossmeisl’s research exemplifies the One Health approach, using naturally occurring disease in companion animals to accelerate the development and testing of new therapies for human cancer. His research has advanced treatments toward human clinical trials.

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