Research that Matters
Research that matters.
Strengthening the economy, improving the workforce, and enhancing everyday life. Research makes life better.
From the medicine we take, food we eat, and roads we travel to the phones in our pockets, pets cured of cancer, and national security we enjoy, every experiment, analysis, and breakthrough is working together to make our world better, safer, and more enjoyable.
At Virginia Tech and higher education institutions around the world, we are able to conduct this research because of federal, state, local, nonprofit, private, and industry funding.
Learn how Virginia Tech research is driving health, technology, security, and more toward a stronger commonwealth and country.
Research for a Better Future
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Health: Revolutionizing Prevention, Treatment, and Care
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Mining engineering professor's research aims to help dust-exposed workers breathe easier , articleEmily Sarver and her team are using state-of-the-art electron microscopy tools to detect and analyze mineral particles in lung tissue. Their goal: keeping people safe from respirable dust–based illnesses like silicosis.
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Dog recovers from leptospirosis after lifesaving treatment at Veterinary Teaching Hospital , articleThe energetic 10-year-old dog faced a life-threatening battle with leptospirosis that underscored the importance of evolving vaccine protocols.
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‘The right place’: Sisters with rare disorder find help , articleSisters with a very rare genetic mutation that affects brain development are benefitting from a form of intensive therapy being studied at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Neuromotor Research Clinic.
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Building a COMPASS to navigate future pandemics , articleAn $18 million grant announced by the National Science Foundation (NSF) will bring together five universities and more than 20 researchers, academics, and public health experts to establish the Virginia Tech-led Center for Community Empowering Pandemic Prediction and Prevention from Atoms to Societies (COMPASS).
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Graduate student’s research goal: Improve outcomes for brain cancer patients , articleA Jeanine L. Matte Fellowship will help advance Samantha Howerton’s doctoral research into personalized therapies for glioblastoma.
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Technology: Advancements for Improved Livelihoods
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New research exposes harmful digital ad practices , articleMuhammad Ali Gulzar’s research team wasn’t looking for a quirk in digital advertising systems that exploits screen reading technologies and could lead to accessibility violations for web developers. But the discovery could improve the lives of more than 2 billion people worldwide and help website developers make their content more accessible.
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Small plants, big impact: Researchers transform produce farming with controlled environment agriculture , articleThe Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center, Virginia Tech's collaborative project based at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, is enhancing food efficiency by using advanced techniques to grow flavorful, nutrient-rich crops in indoor environments.
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From classroom to clean room: Alliance builds Virginia's semiconductor workforce , articleEstablished in 2023, the Virginia Alliance for Semiconductor Technology has made progress to reskill and upskill adult learners in different aspects of the semiconductor industry.
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Digital twins and virtual reality transform utility workforce training , articleVirginia Tech researchers are leading the way for the future of workforce development by combining virtual reality with digital twin technology to create safe, immersive, and effective training.
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Researchers address health care provider burnout through digital twin systems , articleBy modeling real-time data from health care environments, the research team aims to track stress indicators and support more sustainable care practices.
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Researchers use autonomous technologies to make mines safer , articleDrones have become an essential part of surface mine operations to boost safety and efficiency. Virginia Tech researcher Richard Bishop sees a day when that will be true for underground operations, too, and that could have broad impacts on safety and economic growth.
Security: Safeguarding the Homefront
National Defense
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Virginia Tech researchers continue to innovate underwater robotics missions with support from the Office of Naval Research , articleFor more than two decades, Virginia Tech’s Center for Marine Autonomy and Robotics has been developing robots that can find what lies beneath the sea surface with the support of the Office of Naval Research.
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Collaboration advances practical neuroscience to make soldiers safer , articleThe collaboration between neuroscience students and the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets addresses impacts of military stressors on cognitive function and training.
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Tech and tactics unite to outsmart stealthy submarines , articleFunded by a grant from the Office of Naval Research, a collaboration between Virginia Tech and the United States Naval Academy aims to ensure the Navy can make the best use of its resources to track enemy submarines in vast ocean areas while staying ahead of emerging threats.
Transportation and Infrastructure
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Major U.S. cities are sinking , articleAn analysis of 28 major U.S. cities revealed that all 28 are sinking, potentially affecting 34 million people, according to Virginia Tech research published in Nature Cities.
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Virginia Tech Transportation Institute creates the future of transportation safety , articleOver the past 35 years, naturalistic driving study data has been collected from nearly 7,000 vehicles, including cars, tractor-trailers, bicycles, and e-scooters. The research ultimately has been used to improve the transportation system for everyone who uses the roads while also helping secure funding from over 100 sponsors and propelling VTTI to its current status as a top transportation research institute.
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Protecting ecosystems , articleUsing science and teamwork as his powers, Jacob Barney, professor of invasive plant ecology, has spent 14 years at Virginia Tech working to map out invasions and develop strategies to combat invasive plants and restore balance to ecosystems.
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New partnership uses AI to bolster efficiency, cybersecurity for water treatment , articleFeras Batarseh and his team of researchers from the AI & Cyber for Water & Ag lab recently began working with AlexRenew, a water treatment plant in Alexandria, using artificial intelligence to provide wider visibility of data, better efficiency, and stronger resilience against cyberattacks.
Cyberspace and the Digital Frontier
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Virginia Tech National Security Institute spearheads project to strengthen wireless security , articleResearchers are collaborating with Northrop Grumman engineers to tackle some of the intelligence community’s most pressing challenges in data security.
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Don’t leave all your airport security to TSA, cybersecurity expert says , articleVirginia Tech cybersecurity expert Matt Hicks gives tips on avoiding fraudsters that troll free airport Wi-Fi signals for traveler credit card numbers and banking passwords.
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'Curious Conversations' podcast: Christine Julien talks about Internet of Things safety during the holiday season , articleJulien talks about the Internet of Things, exploring its definition, potential vulnerabilities, and the implications of using smart devices, especially for children.
