Faculty Research
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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Apr 02, 2019
Testing the water: Virginia Tech team launches system to predict water conditions
A team at Virginia Tech is making it possible for water utility managers, such as the Western Virginia Water Authority in Roanoke, to predict water quality conditions - 16 days before they occur.
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Mar 26, 2019
Researchers study people who feed birds in their backyards with implications for bird conservation
Researchers analyzed how people who feed birds notice and respond to natural events at their feeders by collaborating with Project FeederWatch, a program managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that engages more than 25,000 people to observe and collect data on their backyard birds.
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Jan 08, 2019
New environmental sensing and monitoring system tested and evaluated at Virginia Tech
The system, which will make it easier for scientists to monitor and collect data across landscapes, is being field tested at a site along Stroubles Creek.
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