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Research that Matters

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Research that matters.

From the medicine we take and the food we eat to the roads we travel, the phones in our pockets, lifesaving treatments for our pets, and the security of our nation, research touches nearly every aspect of our lives. At Virginia Tech, every experiment, analysis, and breakthrough helps make our world healthier, safer, and stronger.

The impact is measurable in communities across Virginia and around the world. Virginia Tech research strengthens the economy, improves the workforce, and enhances everyday life. Funding this work is essential to advancing health, technology, security, and other innovations that benefit our communities, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the nation.

Learn how an investment in Virginia Tech research is an investment in making life better.

Virginia Tech's research is possible because of its world class faculty, organizations and expertise. The data speaks for itself.

Research for a Better Future

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Health: Revolutionizing Prevention, Treatment, and Care

Dick's Sporting Goods, Helmet Lab partner for a winning combination

In collaboration with Dick’s Sporting Goods, the lab’s peer-reviewed and published STAR helmet rating system is now available in all the store's retail locations.

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Football helmet packaging featuring a player dressed in uniform wearing a black helmet.
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    FutureHAUS bathroom cartridge at Homecoming 2026. Photo by Evan Musgrave, Virginia Tech.
    A better way to build a home? Start in the bathroom , article

    Virginia Tech’s FutureHAUS project isn't just a student-faculty academic exercise; it is a direct shot across the bow for the traditional construction industry. While the world has automated the production of everything from smartphones to sedans, residential housing is still largely built stick-by-stick, outside, subject to weather delays, labor shortages, and rising material costs. What if more of the work could happen in a factory instead, with precision-engineered components assembled on-site in a fraction of the time? That’s the idea behind FutureHAUS, Virginia Tech’s research initiative exploring how homes can be designed, manufactured, and assembled differently. Earlier FutureHAUS work, including the team’s project in Dubai, demonstrated the potential of modular construction, with a prototype assembled on-site in just two days. Now, Virginia Tech is taking the next step with FutureHAUS Charlotte, its entry in the inaugural Housing Innovation Challenge. We sat down with co-director Bobby Vance for this Q&A.

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    Joseph Wu delivers his Presidential Address at the American Heart Association's 2023 Scientific Sessions.
    Scientist rethinks how new medicines are developed , article

    Stanford cardiologist Joseph Wu, a member of the National Academy of Medicine, will explore how human cells will transform drug development during the Nov. 5 Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture in Roanoke.

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    Joanne Tuohy and Alayna Hay working in a laboratory.
    Q&A: Using sound to fight cancer in dogs and people , article

    Joanne Tuohy leads studies of histotripsy, a noninvasive treatment that uses focused ultrasound to destroy tumors.

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    Purcell Lab light microscopy photo of brain organoid
    Iron deficiency may explain psychiatric outcomes of a rare genetic condition , article

    A rare gene deletion can lead to schizophrenia, autism, or mild developmental delays. Ryan Purcell of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute will use a new grant from the National Institutes of Health to explore whether iron deficiency might be making the difference.

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    A surgical team performs an operation
    A new approach to kidney matching could save lives , article

    According to Virginia Tech-led research using machine learning and sophisticated computer simulations, a redesign of the U.S. transplant system could lead to 900 more kidney transplants each year.

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    Alex DiFeliceantonio, a Fralin Biomedical Research Institute neuroscientist who studies how the brain and metabolism influence behavior, asks a question during the Precision Therapeutics for Schizophrenia Symposium in Roanoke.
    Building a more precise approach to psychiatric treatment , article

    More than 100 scientists, clinicians, and other participants, including 17 industry representatives, explored how new treatments may give people with schizophrenia more effective care.

Protection from brain injury

Since launching nearly 15 years ago, Virginia Tech helmet ratings have helped protect millions of athletes and transformed the helmet industry. Today, the team publishes ratings for helmets used in 11 sports. Most recently, the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab in Blacksburg updated its equestrian helmet ratings for fast-paced events and expanded into rating safety helmets beyond sports.

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Two researchers working within the Helmet Lab, the researcher on left is operating a ratchet handle while the researcher on the right steadies the frame of an experiment.

Technology: Advancements for Improved Livelihoods

Harnessing ancient art to help people eat

Over 2 million adults living in the United States rely on a caregiver’s assistance to eat daily meals. Virginia Tech researchers are combining robotics, computer science, and an ancient Japanese art form to better employ robots to assist.

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Maya Keely operates a robot equipped with Kiri-Spoon. Photo by Luke Hayes for Virginia Tech.

Security: Safeguarding the Homefront

New research center aims to elevate nation’s drone defense

Backed by a $5 million award from the U.S. Department of Defense, Virginia Tech’s Counter UAS Research and Testing Center will establish a one-of-a-kind ecosystem for drone research.

Read More About the Research
A drone flying in the sky, positioned in the upper right of the image.