People
Acknowledging there will be major environmental and societal crises in the years ahead, Virginia Tech is home to the Fralin Life Sciences Institute dedicated to the discovery and innovation of the planet’s sustainability and tackling environmental and life science challenges.
Interim Executive Director
X.J. Meng, MD, MS, PhD
Interim Executive Director
Professor of Internal Medicine, VTC School of Medicine
University Distinguished Professor of Molecular Virology, VMCVM
X.J. Meng joined the Fralin Life Sciences Institute as the Interim Executive Director in 2021, and he and the leadership team are shaping the vision and strategic foci of the Fralin Life Sciences Institute. As an investment research institute, the Fralin Life Sciences Institute is an arm of the Office of the Vice President of Research and Innovation, and strategically supports the environmental and life sciences research enterprise with state of the art research facilities, core services, thematically-focused research centers, and resources devoted to research development such as proposal development, facility management, and programmatic support.
Leadership Team
Bill Hopkins
Bill Hopkins
Associate Executive Director
hopkinsw@vt.edu
Kiyah Duffey
Kiyah Duffey
Director, Strategic Initiatives
kduffey7@vt.edu
Kirk Felton
Director, Operations
ckfelton@vt.edu
Erin Cassidy
Director, Talent Management
ecassidy@vt.edu
Janet Webster
Director, Administration
jbwebste@vt.edu
Research Center Directors
Director of Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens
Kylene Kehn-Hall
Associate Director
Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens
kkehnhall@vt.edu
Robert Weiss
Director
Center for Coastal Studies
weiszr@vt.edu
Bill Hopkins
Bill Hopkins
Director
Global Change Center
hopkinsw@vt.edu
Principal Scientists
Brenda Winkel
Principal Scientist, Steger Hall
winkel@vt.edu
Dennis Dean
Principal Scientist, Fralin Hall
deandr@vt.edu
Bill Hopkins
Eva Schmelz
Principal Scientist, Integrated Life Sciences Building
eschmelz@vt.edu
Birgit Scharf
Principal Scientist, Life Sciences 1
bscharf@vt.edu
Boris A. Vinatzer
Principal Scientist, Latham Hall
vinatzer@vt.edu
Administrative
Linda Casey Caudill
Managing Director, GlycoMIP
lcaudill@vt.edu
Jessica Zielske
Coordinator, Global Change Center
jcoker@vt.edu
Sharon Stacy
Sharon Stacy
Coordinator, Center for Coastal Studies
sharonstacy@vt.edu
Sarah Gouger
Coordinator, Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens (CeZAP)
sgouger@vt.edu
Crystal Founds
Coordinator, Translational Plant Sciences Center
crystalf@vt.edu
Education & Outreach
Kristy M. Collins
Director, Education & Outreach
kdivitto@vt.edu
Kristi DeCourcy
Director, Biotech-in-a-Box
Senior Research Associate
decourcy@vt.edu
