We’re bringing all our knowledge and resources to the table
There are more pressures and demands being placed on our planet’s resources than ever before, and, thus, there is also a greater need to preserve and build capacity for the future. Our faculty are tackling these challenges as they engage in applied and practical research that seeks to help us understand and solve some of our most complex global problems.
To be successful, we must find ways to meet society’s and industry’s ever-expanding need for resources. We must also train the next generation of leaders and policymakers who will carry on this legacy.
We’re taking on the big issues—and we won’t give up
As a society, the environmental challenges we are facing can seem overwhelming. That’s why a sense of optimism is critical and drives our faculty-led research projects. The work that is happening in the college impacts management and policy decisions related to every aspect of the natural environment, from the atmosphere to what’s on the ground to what’s in the soil.
Here are just a few of the critical research areas in which CNRE faculty are working:
- Climate change
- Coastal erosion
- Clean water
- Biofuels and bioplastics
- Biological conservation
- Interaction between humans and natural resources
- Targeted drug delivery methods
- Energy-efficient homes
- Applications of geospatial technology
CNRE has two of the top 10 departments at Virginia Tech in terms of research funding. Research expenditures per tenure-track faculty member across the college are second only to those of the College of Engineering.
Looking for an expert?
If you are looking for a faculty member who is an expert in a particular area of research, visit our online directories. You can search for a faculty expert by department or area of research.
Are you a student who wants to conduct research?
There are many ways to get involved in a research project in the College of Natural Resources and Environment. Consider talking with a faculty member who is working in an area of interest to you, as there may be opportunities to work on faculty-led projects through volunteer or paid positions.
If you want to lead your own research project, you can also seek out a faculty mentor or apply for a research grant through the Conservation Management Institute or other organization.
Faculty research in the news
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Nov 08, 2018
Surface water and flood dynamics increase vulnerability to waterborne disease and climate change
Professor Kathleen Alexander examined whether surface water dynamics were contributing to diarrheal disease outbreaks and how climate change might increase people’s vulnerability to it.
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Oct 26, 2018
NSF awards two grants for polymer research
Professor Kevin Edgar’s research focuses on drug delivery within the body while Assistant Professor Li Shuai’s research examines the utilization of lignin.
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Oct 11, 2018
Virginia Tech researchers receive NSF grant to study parental care in eastern hellbender salamanders
These giant salamanders were once common in streams across the eastern United States, but have experienced drastic population declines in the past 30 years due to habitat loss caused by erosion and pollution and are increasingly threatened by climate change.
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