Dr. Timothy D. Sands
President, Virginia Tech
Timothy D. Sands is the 16th president of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. A scientist, educator, and inventor, he has dedicated much of his career to advancing the impact of research and innovation in public education. As president, he engaged the university community in a visionary plan called “Beyond Boundaries” to advance Virginia Tech’s role as a global land-grant institution. His foundational projects include: leveraging signature strengths to attract talent and generate cross-disciplinary creative energy, reimagining the Blacksburg campus to provide robust and adaptable infrastructure, expanding the Virginia Tech Carilion Academic Health Center to drive economic opportunity and NIH-funded research, and launching a 1-million-square-foot foot Innovation Campus in Northern Virginia with leading programs in computer science, software engineering, machine learning and artificial intelligence. He earned a bachelor's degree with highest honors in engineering physics and a master's degree and doctorate in materials science from the University of California, Berkeley.