Accomplishments, scholarship, and impact honored at research celebration

A year’s worth of innovation and impact was honored during Virginia Tech’s second annual Research Excellence Awards on Oct. 10.

“You were all invited here today because you had exceptional years in your research, scholarship, and creative activities,” said Dan Sui, senior vice president and chief research and innovation officer, during his remarks. “We had a record year in 2023 with proposals and awards. Our faculty are increasingly pursuing larger and more significant awards, and with these exciting projects, you are creating broader impacts, improving people’s quality of life, and indeed making the world a better place for all.”

More than 70 faculty members were recognized during the event, including 20 who have earned either highly prestigious or prestigious awards. Others honored have earned maximum awards ranging from $3 million to $9 million, pursued proposals ranging from $8 million to $85 million, or have excelled in cultivating exceptionally creative work.

“We are committed to helping and supporting you to achieve those goals, and from time to time, we also pause to recognize and celebrate your milestones and accomplishments,” Sui said.

Other invited attendees included researchers who had won top-50 proposals or top 50-awards as well as other many award winners and deans and department heads.

The celebration came on the heels of the recent 2024 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, which illuminated research quality and industry impact as key components of Virginia Tech’s standing. Virginia Tech also tied for 17th among public Carnegie Class-Very High Research land-grant universities, which is one of the university’s key performance indicators in its pursuit of becoming a top 100 global university.

“The work you’re doing is being recognized beyond the university and indeed beyond the nation and it makes a difference,” said Cyril Clarke, executive vice president and provost. “It makes a difference because those accomplishments are built on impactful scholarship across the disciplinary domain.”

The following individual were honored:

Prestigious and highly prestigious awards

• American Society of Agronomy Fellow: A. Ozzie Abaye, professor of plant and evironmental sciences
• National Academy of Science Member: Robert Bodnar, University Distinguished Professor, C.C. Garvin Professor of Geochemistry
• National Academy of Engineering Member: Linsey Marr, Charles P. Lunsford Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• American Feed Industry Association Poultry Nutrition Research Award: Michael Persia, professor of poultry nutrition and management
• American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow: Mohammad Saghai-Maroof, professor of plant and evironmental sciences
  
• National Academy of Science Member: Shuhai Xiao, professor of geobiology

2022 Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers

• Georgia Hodes, assistant pofessor of neuroscience
• Wenjing Lou, W.C. English Endowed Professor of Computer Science
• Lina Quan, assistant professor of chemistry
• Walid Saad, professor of electrical and computer engineering
• Viswanath Venkatesh, Verizon Professor of Business Information Technology
• Phil Xiang, department head of hospitality and tourism management

2023 Alumni Award for Research Excellence

• Mehdi Ahmadian, J. Bernard Jones Professor of Mechanical Engineering
• Ralph Buehler, associate professor of Urban Affairs and Planning

Major sponsored awards

• A. Lynn Abbott, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Martha Ann Bell, University Distinguished Professor, Professor of Psychology, affiliate professor of human development and family science
• Warren Bickel, Virginia Tech Carilion Behavioral Health Research Professor and Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
• Pearl Chiu, professor of psychology, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
• Brenda Davy, professor of human nutrition, foods, and exercise
• Jon Hankey, Senior Transportation Fellow at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
• Brittany Howell, assistant professor of human development and family science and Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
• Joseph Hoyt, assistant professor of biological sciences
• Anthony LaMantia, professor, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
• Tae-Ho Lee, assistant professor of psychology
• Song Li, associate professor of plant and environmental sciences
• Andrew Miller, senior research associate at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
• Michael Mollenhauer, division director of technology implementation at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
• Katrina Powell, professor of rhetoric and writing
• Ryan Stewart, associate professor of plant and environmental sciences
• Stephanie Travis, director of senior military college, Intelligent Systems Division
• Mike Willis, associate professor of cryospheric science, geodesy, and remote sensing
• Gregory Young, associate professor of aerospace engineering
• Guoqiang Yu, professor of electrical and computer engineering

Major sponsored proposal

• Masoud Agah, Virginia Microelectronics Consortium Professor
• Myra Blanco, chief growth officer at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
• Cayelan Carey, professor of biological sciences
• Kathy Hosig, director, Center for Public Health Practice and Research
• Daniel Jakubisin, research assistant professor, Virginia Tech National Security Institute
• Benjamin Jantzen, associate professor of philosophy
• Liwu Li, professor of biological sciences
• Lingjia Liu, professor of electrical and computer engineering
• Ali Mehrizi-Sani, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering
• Michael Mollenhauer, division director of technology implementation at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
• Read Montague, Virginia Tech Carilion Vernon Mountcastle Research Professor, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
• Jeffrey Reed, Willis G. Worcester Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Rick Rudd, professor of agricultural, leadership, and community education
• Karen Sanders, associate vice provost for college access
• Elena Serrano, professor of human nutrition, foods, and exercise
• David Simpson, professor of practice of business information technology
• Larry Vaughan, director for program development, Center for International Research, Education, and Development
• Dwight Viehland, Jack E. Cowling Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
• Yang "Cindy" Yi, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering
• Bo Zhang, associate professor of plant and environmental sciences

Diverse portfolios

• Rolando Burgos, professor of electrical and computer engineering
• Laura Freeman, deputy director, Virginia Tech National Security Institute
• Scott Klopfer, director of the Conservation Management Institute
• Todd Lowe, professor of aerospace engineering
• Miguel Perez, associate professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics

Exceptional Creativity Awards

• Stefan Al, associate professor of architecture
• Dwight Bigler, associate professor and director of choral activities
• Yevgeny Dokshansky, assistant professor of clarinet
• James Jewitt, associate professor of art history
• Travis Webster, assistant professor of rhetoric and writing

Impactful Innovation Awards

• Lifetime Achievement Innovation Award: X.J. Meng, University Distinguished Professor of Molecular Virology, professor of internal medicine
• Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors: Roe-Hoan Yoon, University Distinguished Professor, Nicholas T. Camicia Professor of Mining and Materials Engineering
• Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors: Robert Gourdie, Professor and Commonwealth Fund Eminent Scholar, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC

Written by: Travis Williams