Vice President for Research To Assume New Role

Professor of Biomedical Engineering Fred Epstein will serve as interim vice president for research until a search for a successor is completed. The University intends to launch a search this fall.

In Ramasubramanian’s new role, he will provide counsel to University leadership on major trends and developments that may affect current or future research. He will engage with selected initiatives on local, state, national and international levels in helping advance UVA’s research interests and foster collaborations in the research domain.

Ramasubramanian came to the University in August 2017. Previously, he served as a program director for the Engineering Research Centers at the National Science Foundation and held an endowed professorship in mechanical engineering at Clemson University. He also chaired Clemson’s mechanical engineering department and held a joint faculty appointment as a professor of bioengineering.

Ramasubramanian received his doctorate in mechanical engineering from Syracuse University and is an elected Fellow of the American Institute for Biological and Medical Engineering, American Society of Mechanical Engineering, and the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry. He is also a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.

As vice president for research at UVA, Ramasubramanian partnered with schools and University leaders to advance UVA’s research enterprise, guided by the goals of The 2030 Plan to enable discoveries that enrich and improve lives. Since his arrival, Ramasubramanian has focused on elevating research at UVA “from prominence to preeminence.”

Throughout his tenure, the University’s sponsored research funding grew in five years from $353 million to $450 million last year. In partnership with the deans, Ramasubramanian focused on expanding large-scale research awards. Preliminary reports show that the University achieved an 18% growth in sponsored research funding during fiscal year 2023, putting the year-end total at a record high $531 million and surpassing the $500 million annual goal set upon his arrival.

Ramasubramanian credited his staff, the deans and the faculty, noting that their dedication and efforts were instrumental in achieving this record. Sponsored research funding increased annually throughout his tenure, apart from a slight dip in fiscal year 2021 reflecting the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the pandemic forced faculty, students, and staff to work and learn remotely, Ramasubramanian and his team partnered with the Office of the Provost to develop guidelines for a gradual and phased resumption of research activities. When students returned to Grounds in 2020, his team quickly developed and implemented a saliva testing program that, at its peak, conducted over 4,000 tests daily.

“In addition to being an exceptional researcher, Ram is a true team player,” UVA President Jim Ryan said. “During his time as vice president for research, he led his team in helping the University respond to unprecedented challenges, and I am deeply grateful. I am pleased that Ram will continue to help us work toward our strategic goals as a special advisor to the president for research.”

Ramasubramanian spearheaded the 3Cavaliers program that provided seed funding to unite three faculty members representing at least two disciplines around a new research idea. From 2018 until 2020, the program engaged nearly 300 faculty members in interdisciplinary research initiatives.

“One of the most gratifying things about my work here at UVA has been the enthusiasm of the research community to work together across traditional disciplinary boundaries,” Ramasubramanian said. “I look forward to continuing to support these efforts in my new role.”

Since 2021, Ramasubramanian and his team have partnered with colleagues in the Provost’s Office on the Grand Challenges Research Investments. In June, the University announced investments of $100 million to help reduce cancer in rural communities, improve youth mental health and keep artificial intelligence algorithms fair and democratic online, and he helped launch the Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology. These recent commitments follow earlier investments related to democracy, neuroscience research of Alzheimer's and autism, and climate change solutions.

In addition, Ramasubramanian oversees research infrastructure units, including Environmental Health and Safety, the Office of Sponsored Programs, Research Compliance, the Licensing and Ventures Group and the Center for Comparative Medicine. He has guided UVA through an evolving regulatory landscape, managing the challenges of research security and foreign influence along with data and cyber security.

Ramasubramanian and Provost Ian Baucom co-sponsored a pan-University Strategic Research Infrastructure Initiative that brought together faculty and staff to explore how to improve and increase research across Grounds for the next decade and beyond by making strategic investments in infrastructure. The SRII steering committee developed a prioritized list of investments as well as aspirations that will be dependent on securing outside funding. The goals are to attract more research funding from external sources, to enable discovery by supporting researchers and providing them with necessary resources and tools to do their work, and to translate ideas into treatments, technologies, policies and practice.

“Ram has been a great partner in laying the groundwork for substantial growth of the University’s research enterprise,” Baucom said. “His work will position the University to be an international leader in important fields of research. Discoveries made here will make a difference in the lives of citizens throughout the commonwealth and around the world. I am pleased that Ram will continue to lend his expertise to our research efforts and look forward to working closely with Fred to take research at UVA to the next level.”

Epstein is the Mac Wade Professor of Biomedical Engineering and a professor of radiology and medical imaging. He also serves as UVA Engineering’s associate dean for research and previously served for 11 years as chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Epstein is an expert in developing and applying magnetic resonance imaging technology to assess and study heart disease. For his contributions to research and service, Epstein is an elected fellow of three major societies: the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, the American Institute for Biological and Medical Engineering, and the American Heart Association. In 2021, he was named a Distinguished Investigator of the Academy for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research.

“This is an exciting time to be involved in research at UVA, and I am eager to get started on the work ahead,” Epstein said.