2025 Highlights | Focus on Research
December 2025
Dear colleagues,
This November marked my fifth year at Virginia Tech, and it has been a privilege to serve alongside a remarkable community of faculty, staff, and students. I remain deeply grateful for and inspired by the resilience, generosity, and shared purpose that define the Hokie Nation and sustain Virginia Tech’s research and innovation enterprise.
Because of this collective commitment, more than 70 faculty members were honored at the Celebrating Scholarly Excellence event for their scholarly and creative achievements this year. And, last month with Times Higher Education we hosted the Innovation and Impact Summit where our faculty showcased their work, demonstrating how Virginia Tech’s scholarship translates into real-world impacts through global partnerships. The university also earned international recognition through the APLU International Impact Award for advancing global teaching and learning, a powerful affirmation of the reach and responsibility of the university’s mission. Virginia Tech continues to advance its mission and the research enterprise remains on track.
I continue to be grateful to be a part of the Virginia Tech community, working together to address emerging challenges that seek to improve the human condition and create a better world for all.
Happy holidays and warm regards,
Dan Sui
Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation
Top Virginia Tech Research Stories for 2025
A look back at the most-read research stories of the year.
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Top Tier News Hits featuring Virginia Tech Research Experts
Virginia Tech researchers share their expertise with the public through engagement with local, regional, national, and global media.
From Jan. - Nov. 2025, the university garnered 5,356 metropolitan, top-tier national, and international references, reaching millions of people across the globe. Below is a sample of the top tier media hits for this time period.
CNN - Inside Virginia Tech's Helmet Lab
- Steve Rowson, Helmet Lab and Biomedical Engineering
USA Today - Ukraine drone attack shows familiar-looking drones can be terrifying weapons
– John Coggins, Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership
Good Morning America - A closer look at ultra-processed foods
– Alex DiFeliciantonio, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
NBC News - Cascadia subduction zone earthquake could be even worse than feared
– Tina Dura, Fralin Life Sciences Institute and College of Natural Resources and Environment
New York Post - These 28 major American cities are sinking, terrifying study reveals
– Manoochehr Shirzaei, College of Science
Forbes - CEO Salaries Are Converging. Why That May Be A Problem
– Felipe Cabezón, Pamplin College of Business
NBC News - Humanity's 'first true urban pest' has been biting for 60,000 years, study shows
– Warren Booth, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
The Atlantic - What It Really Means to ‘Give Infectious Disease a Break’
– Lisa M. Lee, Research and Innovation and College of Vet-Med
Washington Post - Virginia scientists work to save salamander decimated by Hurricane Helene
– Bill Hopkins, Fralin Life Sciences and College of Natural Resources and Environment
Notable Accolades from the Year Past
Virginia Tech faculty are being selected as fellows and members of prestigious societies.
"Curious Conversations" Podcast
In 2025, Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” featured more than 30 researchers sharing their expertise.
Check out highlights from each on YouTube.
Early Career Awards
Virginia Tech early career faculty are winning competitively funded research awards.
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Moving on Up
Virginia Tech research excellence makes an impact.
Making an Impact - Locally, Regionally, and Globally
Virginia Tech’s impact as a global land grant university is evident through its efforts to advance sustainability throughout its community, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and around the world.
Impact and Recognition
Virginia Tech faculty are winning competitively funded research awards and being selected as fellows and members of prestigious societies. They are highly cited by their peers, educating the brightest minds, and collaborating across disciplines, industry, and government to make the world a better place for all.
Virginia Tech’s FOCUS ON RESEARCH newsletter explores how student and faculty researchers are addressing emerging challenges that seek to improve the human condition and create a better world for all.