Endowed Professorships

Lifesaving discoveries start here.

As one of the nation’s fastest-growing research enterprises, the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC is a destination for world-class scientists. Here we focus on diseases that are the leading causes of death and suffering in the United States, including brain disease, heart disease, and cancer.

In just 10 years, the research institute has experienced unprecedented growth: doubling its enterprise and lab facilities in Roanoke, while also securing laboratory space on the Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus in Washington, D.C., to expand Virginia Tech’s Cancer Research Alliance and study pediatric brain and spinal cord cancers.

As the institute enters its second decade and is poised for accelerated growth, now is the time to invest in the next wave of accomplished, bright, and driven scientists.

To bolster its extraordinary success, the institute offers its faculty the cutting-edge equipment, facilities, freedom, and administrative support they need to run productive labs. The university’s investment in research has paid off, resulting in impactful, self-sustaining laboratories. To date, our faculty have been awarded more than 30 percent of the competitive National Institutes of Health grants they have applied for, far surpassing the national average.

In order to recruit the world’s most sought after problem-solvers in heart, brain, and cancer research, we must offer candidates competitive compensation and opportunities to interact with brilliant colleagues. Endowed professorships are a powerful tool for recruitment and retention, because they recognize and reward exceptional faculty members.

With a named gift, you can endow a permanent legacy in support of educational excellence and life-saving biomedical research. 

Your generous contribution to the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute will enable us to attract nationally prominent scientists like Anthony-Samuel LaMantia (above) to join Virginia Tech. 

Acclaimed for revealing how genetic mutations result in complex developmental disorders in children, LaMantia was drawn to the institute’s collaborative research environment.

“The group of colleagues at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute will give our work greater depth, because in addition to neural development, we also study cardiovascular development,” LaMantia said. “With access to the medical school, clinicians, and patient populations, we’ll have more insight into how our work is relevant to clinical practice.” 

By pledging an endowment today, you can help the university build on its international reputation as a hub for research and innovation.

With your help, we can accelerate the pace of discovery. Transform Virginia Tech’s legacy in biomedical research and health sciences. 

In the spirit of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), help us create a healthier future for all.