Shuhai Xiao awarded Clifton C. Garvin, Jr. Endowed Professorship
Shuhai Xiao, professor of geobiology in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, has been awarded the Clifton C. Garvin, Jr. Endowed Professorship by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.
The Clifton C. Garvin, Jr. Endowed Professorship in the College of Science was established in 1984 with a gift from Clifton C. Garvin Jr. to support professorships at Virginia Tech.
Before joining the Virginia Tech community in 2003, Xiao was an assistant professor for three years at Tulane University. He was promoted to professor in 2008 and University Distinguished Professor in 2025. Xiao is one of only two members of the National Academy of Sciences among full-time faculty in the College of Science.
Xiao is a paleontologist and an internationally recognized expert in the evolution of early life on Earth. He has received numerous awards and honors, including induction into the National Academy of Sciences in 2023, the Virginia Outstanding Scientist Award in 2017, a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2010, and appointments as a fellow in numerous professional societies.
Throughout his career, Xiao has made significant contributions to advancing the understanding of evolution. He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed publications, nine books and edited volumes, and his work has been cited more than 26,000 times. His achievements and discoveries about the history of the Earth have been extraordinary. As a result, many of his publications have appeared in premier scientific journals, including six in Science, ten in Nature, and twelve in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
He has given more than 150 invited, keynote, or plenary talks. He has obtained 13 competitive grants from the National Science Foundation and six grants from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He has also effectively served the scientific community as a leader, including innumerable roles on commissions, panels, editorial boards, symposia chairs, and editorial positions.
Additionally, Xiao has made significant contributions to the education of Virginia Tech students. He has passionately advised seven master’s theses and 15 doctoral dissertations. He has taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses ranging across the geosciences curriculum. He places strong emphasis on student learning and a systems-based approach to understanding Earth’s life and history.
Xiao has also contributed to the College of Science by serving as a supportive mentor for numerous faculty members. He has selflessly and cheerfully contributed to the administration and strategic development of the department, college, and university via service on countless committees and as an inexhaustible advocate. He exhibits the utmost positivity and gracious character, contributing to the community and providing transformational guidance to the benefit of the university.
Xiao earned a bachelor’s degree from Peking University and both an M.A. and a Ph.D. from Harvard University.
