Two Women Among Three Finalists for Key Post at Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech has announced a field of three finalists for the position of vice president for research and innovation. All three candidates will visit the Virginia Tech campus by the end of the month for a series of interviews and meetings with members of the campus community. Two of the three finalists are women.

Cynthia M Furse is associate vice president for research at the University to Utah. She has served on the faculty at the university since 1994. Dr. Furse has been the director of the Center of Excellence for Smart Sensors and served as chair of the department of electrical and computer engineering. Dr. Furse holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Utah.

Patricia Rankin is associate vice chancellor for research at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She has been a member of the faculty at the university since 1988. During her tenure at the university, Dr. Rankin has served as associate dean for the natural sciences, associate vice chancellor for faculty diversity and development, and interim director of the Office of Contracts and Grants. She holds a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. in physics from Imperial College, London.