Julia Myers Ross
Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Dean, College of Engineering
Virginia Tech
BSChE 1990
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better … it's not."Dr. Suess
For her instrumental role in supporting the intersection of health sciences and engineering at Virginia Tech, scaling up experiential learning by offering immersive experiences with active participation in study abroad, internships, co-ops and cutting edge technologies, like block chain, that has substantial impact on the tech-talent pipeline for both academia and industry.
Beyond her superb achievements and capabilities as an engineering researcher and educator, Julia Ross brings a commitment to inclusion to her role as the Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Dean of Engineering at Virginia Tech (VT).
VT's College of Engineering is the eighth-largest producer of women engineers in the nation according to the American Society for Engineering Education.
In 2018, Ross created the Pathways for Future Engineers program with a $5 million gift from the May Foundation and VT alumnus, Joe T. May. The multiyear program is dedicated to enrolling and graduating more first-generation VT students. In addition, in 2019, which was the inaugural year for the college's Diversity Recognition Program, the college was among the first in the country to earn a bronze award and only one of 29 institutions that received exemplar status from the American Society for Engineering Education.
Her emphasis on student inclusion and diversity is in keeping with Ross's own belief about her proudest achievements. "For me, it's all about the people,"" she says. "I've had the privilege to teach and advise many undergraduate and graduate students and to mentor many faculty and department heads. I'm most proud when I learn about their achievements and to know I've made a difference in their lives."
Ross's advocacy for VT's new undergraduate biomedical engineering program is among her many efforts to foster education and research at the intersection of health sciences and engineering. As the fourth program of its kind in Virginia, the first cohort of 40 students started in the fall of 2019.
Ross is now in her second term on the executive committee of the Global Engineering Deans Council on Education and Fellowship, working with deans from around the world to advance engineering education, research and service globally. She is a fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, and in 2013, she received the American Council on Education fellowship. The fellowship is the nation's premier higher education leadership development program preparing senior leaders to serve American colleges and universities.
For her career contributions, Purdue University's Davidson School of Chemical Engineering presented her with the Outstanding Chemical Engineer Award in 2015.
Ross says Purdue provided her with a sound foundation. "Purdue prepared me to be independent and to think for myself," she says. "That has served me very well in graduate school and in every position I've held." Her advice for today's undergraduates: "It's OK if something is hard. It's normal. It's to be expected. Very few students — or faculty — go through engineering without running into something difficult."
Career Highlights
| 2017-present | Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Dean, College of Engineering, Virginia Tech |
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| 2014-2017 | Dean, College of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) |
| 2012-2014 | Special Assistant to the Provost, Inter-Institutional Research Initiatives, UMBC |
| 2006-2013 | Chair, Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering, UMBC |
| 2007-2017 | Professor, Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering, UMBC |
| 2002-2003 | Visiting Associate Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University |
| 2001-2017 | Adjunct Faculty Member, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore |
| 2001-2007 | Associate Professor, Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, UMBC |
| 1995-2001 | Assistant Professor, Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, UMBC |
Education
| 1990 | BS Chemical Engineering, Purdue University |
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| 1995 | PhD Chemical Engineering, Rice University |