Research and Innovation Administration

Dan Sui, Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation

Dan Sui leads the Office of Research and Innovation, which encompasses over 500 employees across research administration that includes seven institutes and supports strategic research investments and all university researchers. As chief research and innovation officer, Sui is responsible for supporting and growing Virginia Tech’s research portfolio.

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Randy Heflin

Senior Associate Vice President for Research and Innovation

Randy Heflin serves as the senior associate vice president for research and innovation and assists the senior vice president in both strategic and operational issues for Virginia Tech's research and innovation enterprise. His responsibilities include coordinating research development, planning for facilities and infrastructure, and cost-sharing for center-scale proposals. He is a professor of physics in the College of Science and an affiliate professor of materials science and engineering.

Laurel Miner

Assistant Vice President for Research and Innovation and Chief of Staff

Kim Borkowski

Executive Assistant

Divisions and Business Units

Lisa M. Lee

Associate Vice President,
Scholarly Integrity and Research Compliance

Lisa M. Lee serves as associate vice president for research and innovation, leading the division of Scholarly Integrity and Research Compliance at Virginia Tech. She also holds a faculty appointment in the department of population health sciences. For over 25 years, Lee has worked in public health and ethics at the local, state, federal, and international levels, including serving as the former executive director of President Obama’s Bioethics Commission and 14 years at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Jon Porter

Associate Vice President,
Strategic Research Alliances

Trudy Riley

Associate Vice President,
Sponsored Programs

Trudy M. Riley serves as associate vice president for research and innovation, leading the Office of Sponsored Programs at Virginia Tech. For over 20 years, Riley has been actively involved in developing the profession of research administration by serving on the Board for the Research Administrators Certification Council and chair of the Financial Management Working Group for the Society of Research Administrators International.

Brandy Salmon

Associate Vice President,
Innovation and Partnerships

With over 20 years of experience at the intersection of research and business, Salmon came to Virginia Tech as executive director for LINK, supporting a wide range of industry engagements. In her current position, Salmon continues in her leadership role at LINK while also guiding the university’s newest enterprise, LAUNCH, the Center for New Ventures.

David Schabdach

Associate Vice President,
Animal Resources and Care
Attending Veterinarian

Dave Schabdach serves as associate vice president for research and innovation, leading the Animal Resources and Care Division. He is also the attending veterinarian for Virginia Tech. Schabdach holds a faculty appointment in the department of biomedical sciences and pathobiology. He has worked as a small animal practitioner and held veterinary leadership positions in industry and higher education, including his previous position at the University of Pittsburgh where he served as the senior executive director of the Division of Laboratory Animal Resources and attending veterinarian.