Five Virginia Tech faculty members have been elected to the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (VASEM) and recognized at the 2025 VASEM Annual Summit held at the Virginia Tech Institute for Advanced Computing, in Alexandria on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.
The academy was established in 2013 to inform and educate Virginia’s executive branch agencies, as well as its residents, on issues related to policy, the economy, and quality of life, according to its website. The organization also promotes research, the application of knowledge, and engagement of future generations.
The 2025 Virginia Tech class
Cayelan Carey, Patricia Caldwell Faculty Fellow, professor of biological sciences, College of Science
Carey is a prominent freshwater ecosystem scientist and data-driven ecologist whose work unifies long-term field monitoring, real-time sensor tools, ecosystem modelling, and ecological forecasting to address water quality challenges. She collaborates extensively with the Western Virginia Water Authority to apply forecasting models to drinking water reservoirs near Roanoke and water organizations around the world to help drinking water management.
She co-directs the Virginia Tech Center for Ecosystem Forecasting, which aims to scale water-quality forecasting systems nationally and internationally.
Highlights include:
- Principal investigator or co-principal investigator on $19.3 million in external funding to support freshwater research
- Received several international awards, including the Yentsch-Schindler Award from the Association of the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography; the Kilham Memorial Award from the International Society of Limnology; and the Fulbright Future Fellowship to Australia
- Published more than 150 peer-reviewed articles and delivered over 80 invited keynotes and seminars, 33 of them international
- Founder of Macrosystems EDDIE, an National Science Foundation-funded undergraduate environmental data science training program that boosts student proficiency in ecosystem modeling and systems thinking
More about Carey:
William “Bill” A. Hopkins, professor of wildlife conservation, College of Natural Resources and Environment
Hopkins is an internationally leading researcher on the effects of anthropogenic disturbances such as climate change, pollution, and habitat loss on biodiversity. He is the founding director of both the Global Change Center at Virginia Tech and its campuswide interdisciplinary Ph.D. program as well as the associate executive director of the Fralin Life Sciences Institute.
Highlights include:
- Principal investigator or co-principal investigator on more than $22 million in external research funding
- Received the Alumni Award for Research Excellence and the Outstanding Graduate Student Mentor Award at Virginia Tech, and the Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
- Provides guidance to state and federal agencies, industry, and other stakeholders on threats to biodiversity as well as major environmental disasters including the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the Kingston, Tennessee, fly ash spill
- Served on seven committees of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, two of which he chaired, addressing issues related to freshwater resources, mining, management of industrial waste, research data quality in federal agencies, and large-scale ecological restoration
More about Hopkins:
Liwu Li, College of Science Faculty Fellow, professor of inflammation biology and immunology at biological sciences
Li is a world-renowned expert in inflammation biology, particularly in innate immune memory dynamics and its impact on human health and disease. His research group has led a paradigm shift by introducing the concept that the innate immune system can “remember” the intensity and duration of danger or damage signals. These memory states — ranging from low-grade inflammation to innate immune cell exhaustion — play crucial roles in the development of diseases such as atherosclerosis, sepsis, cancer, and age-related conditions.
Highlights include:
- Elected distinguished fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Fellow of the American Heart Association
- Served as a member of expert review panels for the U.S. National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association; co-organized major national and international scientific meetings around inflammation research and therapeutics; edited journal articles in leukocyte biology and inflammation research
- Published more than 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts through mentoring 16 Ph.D. students and 8 post-doctoral scientists over the last two decades
More about Li:
Hesham Rakha, Samuel Reynolds Pritchard Professor of Engineering, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
Rakha’s research focuses on optimizing large-scale transportation systems, improving energy efficiency, and advancing connected and automated vehicle technologies through modeling, artificial intelligence, and simulation tools. Rakha is a global leader in transportation system modeling, energy modeling creating widely used fuel consumption models, and transportation safety modeling.
Highlights include:
- Development of the INTEGRATION traffic simulation software, which has been used in major projects such as the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, 2008 Beijing Olympics, and energy-efficient traffic planning applications in Los Angeles
- Principal investigator on over 125 projects totaling nearly $53 million in external funding. He has authored over 500 peer-reviewed publications, published 20 book chapters, 273 refereed journal publications, 293 refereed conference publications, and over 70 reports for various organizations. His work is highly cited with over 24,600 citations as reported by Google Scholar
- Mentored 41 Ph.D. students, 48 masters students, and 23 postdoctoral associates over his career
- Received eight conference best paper awards, two most cited article awards from the International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology, led a team that won the IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems 2020 UAS4T Competition, received the organization’s Outstanding Research Award in 2021, and other rewards and recognitions at Virginia Tech
More about Rakha:
Julie Ross, Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Dean of Engineering, College of Engineering
Ross has gained widespread recognition not only for growing the reach and impact of the College of Engineering’s programs and research, but also for championing a bold vision for the future of the college and university. In addition to her role as dean, she serves as special advisor to President Tim Sands and leads the effort to chart the vision and plan for Virginia Tech’s presence in the greater Washington, D.C., area.
Highlights include:
- Received $14.14 million in external funding with $11.17 million as principal investigator
- Elected fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering
- Received the American Council on Education fellowship
- Named Outstanding Woman Leader in Virginia Higher Education at the American Council on Education Virginia Network Annual State Conference in 2022
- Served on the National Science Foundation’s Advisory Committee for the Directorate for Engineering, the NASA Advisory Council STEM Engagement Committee, and the Global Engineering Dean’s Council
- Helped secure the largest-ever gift of $35 million to Virginia Tech
More about Ross:
