Dr. Julia Ross
Current Position
Dean of Engineering, Virginia Tech
Academic Advisory Board, Plaksha University
Education
Rice University (Ph.D. Chemical Engineering)
Purdue University (B.S. Chemical Engineering)
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Bio
Julia M. Ross, the Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Dean of Engineering and a chemical engineer, has appointments in the departments of chemical engineering and engineering education.
Ross is an active partner in the conversation on how the college can scale up experiential learning and make an impact on the tech-talent pipeline - both for academia and industry.
Ross is a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering. In 2013, she received the American Council on Education fellowship, the nation's premier higher-education leadership development program preparing senior leaders to serve American colleges and universities.
Previously, Ross served as dean of engineering and information technology at University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Research Interests:
Ross' research interests involve fluid mechanics, especially how it relates to infection formation in the cardiovascular system. She’s studied the adhesion of bacteria to protein surfaces, biomaterials, and human blood cells, which is a process that is typically one of the first steps of an infection. Most recently, she’s been interested in biofilm formation, which is what often leads to chronic infection. Using an experimental technique known as protein micropatterning, Ross studies potential development of infection-resistant implants or tissue-engineered constructs.