Virginia Tech Welcomes 15 New Faculty Members in Fall 2025

Virginia Tech's College of Engineering has attracted a diverse group of 15 new tenured and tenure-track faculty members, as well as several instructors and postdoctoral fellows, to drive innovation in various fields. These scholars bring expertise in autonomous robots, railroad engineering, artificial intelligence, and more. They will strengthen research and teaching, driving the mission to prepare students for a rapidly changing world.

Key Takeaways:

• 15 new tenured and tenure-track faculty members have joined the College of Engineering, including experts in autonomous robots, railroad engineering, artificial intelligence, and more.
• The new faculty members come from various institutions, including the University of Florida, Texas A&M, and MIT.
• Their research areas cover infrastructure materials, pavement engineering, railroad engineering, and transportation geotechnics, among others.
• Specific new faculty members include Samantha Kenyon, Anubhav Sarmah, Deb Mishra, Ali Vakilian, Jun Wang, and Edward Berger.
• Additional new faculty members include Naomi Becker, Emir Bozkurt, Kelsey Coleman, and many others.
• The new faculty are expected to drive innovation, strengthen research, and prepare students for a rapidly changing world.

Statistics:

• 15 new tenured and tenure-track faculty members joined the College of Engineering in fall 2025.
• The new faculty members have expertise in various fields, including autonomous robots, railroad engineering, and artificial intelligence.
• 10 of the new faculty members are assistant professors, while 4 are associate professors, and 1 is a professor and department head.
• The new faculty members come from 15 different institutions.
• The College of Engineering has welcomed a total of 23 new faculty members, including instructors and postdoctoral fellows, in fall 2025.

Sources:

• "College of Engineering welcomes 15 new faculty in 2025." Virginia Tech News. September 2025.
• Personal statements from the new faculty members, as published in the Virginia Tech News.