Faculty Research
Hellbender baby release. Photo by Max Esterhuizen for Virginia Tech
We’re bringing all our knowledge and skills 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. Along the way, they are also training the next generation of leaders and policymakers who will carry on this legacy.
Jennifer Russell is blazing a new path that will merge research about natural resources and materials science with an innovative perspective incorporating environmental resources considerations with social and economic benefits.
She co-authored a U.N. report about realigning the manufacturing industry to decrease waste and stimulate economic growth and received a National Science Foundation grant to tackle the challenge of recycling polyurethane foams by applying life-cycle thinking.
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 and area of the natural environment, from the atmosphere to what’s on the ground, in the soil, and in the water.
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The future of polymers: biodegradable solutions to a global challenge , videoPolymers have transformed modern life, but many are made from petrochemicals and can break down into harmful microplastics. Researchers are developing sustainable alternatives using natural materials like carbohydrates and lignin and creating biodegradable plastics and renewable adhesives that can replace conventional products. By studying how microplastics are generated, improving medical packaging, and even learning from biodegradable materials found in nature, scientists are working to reduce plastic pollution and build a cleaner, more sustainable future.
Date: Sep 24, 2026 - -
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Of mice and men: Examining how hantavirus leaps from rodent to human , articleVirginia Tech researchers secured a $400,000 NSF grant to investigate why a dangerous rodent-borne virus rarely causes severe human illness in Virginia.
Date: Sep 24, 2026 - -
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Rethinking the future of medical packaging , videoKambiz Sadeghi, an Assistant Professor in Sustainable Biomaterials, and his team focus on improving the safety, sustainability, and effectiveness of medical packaging materials. The researchers hope to make healthcare packaging safer for patients while providing knowledge and feedback that helps designers develop more efficient packaging solutions.
Date: Sep 21, 2026 - -
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How urgently do AI-exposed jobs need retraining? , articleTo better capture the complex and uneven effects of AI on the U.S. labor market, this study introduces the Reskilling Urgency Index, a comprehensive framework that extends existing measures of AI exposure by incorporating critical labor-market factors such as skill non-transferability and job non-specialization.
Date: Sep 17, 2026 - -
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The sky is the limit in water quality prediction , articleTapping into a 13-year partnership, Virginia Tech's Center for Ecosystem Forecasting will work closely with the Western Virginia Water Authority on a new research project to integrate satellite data to help water managers ensure safe drinking water in the Roanoke region.
Date: Sep 15, 2026 - -
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Federal fire science hub moves to Virginia Tech with new funding , articleVirginia Tech has secured a federal Joint Fire Science Program grant to host the Consortium of Appalachian Fire Managers and Scientists, advancing regional wildland fire outreach and monitoring.
Date: Sep 15, 2026 -
Stay connected to research that shapes our natural world
Get updates from the College of Natural Resources and Environment through our quarterly research newsletter to explore how Virginia Tech researchers are advancing solutions for a more sustainable future. Drawing on expertise in forest ecology, water resources, wildlife conservation, sustainable materials, geospatial science, and environmental education, our work connects people, data, and ecosystems — strengthening resilient communities across Virginia and beyond.
Our faculty are world-renowned experts in their fields
They are scholars, researchers, innovators, and change agents. They are leaders who take on the problems of the world and look for solutions, and then teach those who will follow them to ensure that their work will continue.
They are the world’s experts and they are right here at Virginia Tech.
Luis Escobar wants to answer the unsolved questions of how, when, and where cross-species virus transmission might next occur in wildlife. He’s traveled to Columbia with student researchers to understand how vampire bats can help predict and prevent the next pandemic.
Escobar has received a National Institute of Health award to study the spread of rabies to humans, as well as National Science Foundation funding to research the transmission of hantavirus as a means to determine how climate change may influence virus spillover.