Timothy D. Sands is the 16th president of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, joining the university in June of 2014. A scientist, educator and inventor, he has dedicated much of his career to advancing the impact of research and innovation in public education. As president, he engaged the university community in a visionary plan to advance Virginia Tech’s role as a global land grant institution, confronting the Commonwealth’s, the country’s and the world’s most challenging problems.