[{"id":1589,"date":"2026-04-22T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/?p=1589"},"modified":"2026-04-21T17:28:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T17:28:39","slug":"father-son-engineering-duo-invents-electricity-generating-shoe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/2026\/04\/22\/father-son-engineering-duo-invents-electricity-generating-shoe\/","title":{"rendered":"Father-son engineering duo invents electricity-generating shoe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Alongside professor Karla Mossi, Ph.D., and VCU TechTransfer and Ventures, Advaith and Jayasimha Atulasimha have taken steps to bring the location-tracking footwear to market.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Madeline Reinsel<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advaith Atulasimha was on a hike with his family a few years ago when he started to worry about getting lost. No one in the group had cell phone reception, and though they turned around before dark, he wondered what could have happened if they hadn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re lost in the middle of the forest, where there\u2019s no cell phone tower, you\u2019re kind of off the grid,\u201d said Advaith, now an eighth-grade student at Moody Middle School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that worry gave Advaith \u2013 who was only 10 years old at the time \u2013 an idea: What if he had a tracker that didn\u2019t need cell service, and that wouldn\u2019t run out of battery?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luckily, he had an important resource to help him do more than just wonder about the question. His father, Jayasimha Atulasimha<\/a>, Ph.D., is a professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering in Virginia Commonwealth University\u2019s College of Engineering<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, the duo has created a prototype of a shoe that generates small amounts of electricity as its wearer walks \u2013 enough to power a small GPS device. The pair sees several uses for the technology beyond tracking down lost hikers: Parents could use the shoes to track their young children, and family members of those with memory loss could keep an eye on their loved ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Atulasimha thought that guiding Advaith through the initial research process could be a good learning experience for his son.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy vision is to play more of a supportive role, so that he gradually steps into a role where he could integrate and lead the project,\u201d he said. \u201cSo that in the future, whether he works further on this project, or takes up another \u2013 because his interests may change \u2013 he has that basic skillset on research and how he would go about doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Jayasimha Atulasimha typically works on quantum computing research, but he has advised his son Advaith on the shoe\u2019s design alongside Karla Mossi, a colleague in the College of Engineering. (VCU College of Engineering)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He also had an idea for how to get started. Atulasimha introduced Advaith to piezoelectric devices, which create electricity when pressed. And though Atulasimha doesn\u2019t normally work with large piezoelectrics \u2013 he primarily studies nano-scale magnets and their uses in computing \u2013 his colleague Karla Mossi<\/a>, Ph.D., is an expert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Atulasimhas and Mossi found that while other researchers had attached piezoelectric devices to shoes in the past, they didn\u2019t generate enough electricity to be useful. But the team didn\u2019t need much electricity \u2013 just enough to power a small GPS device sending out intermittent location updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advaith began to experiment with piezoelectrics with the help of Mossi, a professor and associate chair of mechanical and nuclear engineering at VCU, testing the energy-generating and storing abilities of the devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, Advaith tested several configurations and sizes of the devices to find out how much energy the shoes could produce. But the shoes don\u2019t just need to make energy \u2013 they need to store it as well, in a simple electronics part called a capacitor, which Advaith is learning to solder onto the piezoelectric devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor someone who\u2019s so young, he knows little details \u2013 like is this circuit in series? Is it in parallel?\u201d Mossi said. \u201cI thought it was very good to let him go and let him fly. It is his work, and that\u2019s the impressive part because of his age.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next step is to keep the energy from leaking back out of the capacitor over longer periods of time. Then, the Atulasimhas will add GPS capabilities to the shoes, which should have enough power to send out location information every 15 minutes, alternating between shoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And although Advaith has already won an award at the Virginia Junior Academy of Science\u2019s annual science fair, the pair hopes to take their invention further. Last year, they filed an invention disclosure with the help of VCU TechTransfer and Ventures<\/a> that gave them a year to create a prototype of the device. To increase the shoe\u2019s commercial potential, Advaith is hoping to garner interest for the invention from major footwear companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But whatever happens, the father and son agreed, the project will have been a valuable learning experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWorking with both my dad and Dr. Mossi has been really fun,\u201d Advaith said. \u201cI came into this project knowing what a piezoelectric is, but not knowing the technicalities of filing a disclosure and understanding literature.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And he can take that knowledge \u2013 both of electronics, and of research in general \u2013 into high school next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLike any project, it had lots of setbacks,\u201d Advaith said. \u201cBut I tried to find ways to overcome them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Originally posted on VCU News: https:\/\/news.vcu.edu\/article\/electricity-generating-shoes<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Middle schooler Advaith Atulasimha and his father, a VCU engineering professor, have developed a prototype shoe that generates electricity through walking to power GPS trackers for hikers and children.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2033,"featured_media":1590,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[128,71,1152,1166],"class_list":["post-1589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mne","tag-jayasimha-atulasimha","tag-karla-mossi","tag-smee","tag-vcu-techtransfer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2033"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1589"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1589\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1583,"date":"2026-04-21T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/?p=1583"},"modified":"2026-04-17T16:14:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T16:14:12","slug":"american-nuclear-society-presents-zeyun-wu-ph-d-with-the-untermyer-cisler-reactor-technology-medal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/2026\/04\/21\/american-nuclear-society-presents-zeyun-wu-ph-d-with-the-untermyer-cisler-reactor-technology-medal\/","title":{"rendered":"American Nuclear Society presents Zeyun Wu, Ph.D. with the Untermyer & Cisler Reactor Technology Medal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The honor recognizes Wu\u2019s contributions to the development of advanced nuclear reactor designs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improving the reliability and interpretability of computational models used to analyze nuclear reactors earned Zeyun Wu, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, associate professor in the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, the Untermyer & Cisler Reactor Technology Medal. His research bridges fundamental reactor physics with practical reactor engineering applications<\/a> used in the development of advanced reactor designs. Presented by the American Nuclear Society (ANS), the Untermyer & Cisler award honors individuals who have made outstanding scientific, engineering or management contributions to the advancement of nuclear reactor technology, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am truly honored and grateful to receive this recognition from the American Nuclear Society,\u201d said Wu. \u201cThis award reflects the support of my students, collaborators and the outstanding environment within VCU\u2019s Department of Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering and the College of Engineering. I look forward to continuing to advance reactor technologies that will play a key role in the future of nuclear energy. I am especially grateful for the support of my wife and son. Their encouragement and understanding have been invaluable, and this recognition is as much theirs as it is mine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working at the intersection of several traditionally separate areas, Wu connects high-fidelity physics modeling with system-level behavior, which is increasingly important for next-generation nuclear technologies. He is also involved in developing benchmark problems and community tools that help standardize and validate reactor analysis methods, enabling broader adoption across academia, national laboratories and industry. Wu\u2019s work ranges from computational methods to neutron transport, uncertainty quantification, and reactor safety analysis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This medal recognizes Dr. Wu’s substantial contributions to the field of engineering, particularly in the development of new nuclear reactor technology. It highlights that the nuclear engineering program at VCU is progressively concentrating on advanced reactor designs and computational modeling, thus preparing students for careers in nuclear power engineering,” said Nuclear Program Director Gennady Miloshevsky, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than developing methods in isolation, Wu\u2019s approach directly addresses real-world engineering challenges associated with nuclear data uncertainties, reactor safety margins, and complex multiphysics interactions. His research delivers results that can be trusted and used in decision-making, ensuring modern reactor technologies can be designed and evaluated with greater confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering provides undergraduate<\/a> and graduate<\/a> students with the opportunity to perform real-world research<\/a> as soon as they enroll. Formed from a partnership with Dominion Energy, the department provides a foundation in nuclear energy, allowing students to choose their educational path with advanced coursework in either mechanical or nuclear engineering. Access to industry tools, like the Nuclear Reactor Simulator Laboratory<\/a>, grounds education in practical instruction. Browse videos and recent news from the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering<\/a> to discover how the College of Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University prepares the next generation of scientists and engineers for the challenges of the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The American Nuclear Society awarded Zeyun Wu, Ph.D., the Untermyer & Cisler Medal for his work on advanced reactor computational models. His research enhances the reliability and safety of modern nuclear energy technologies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1829,"featured_media":1584,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[165,6,748],"tags":[857,129,1152,102],"class_list":["post-1583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty-awards","category-mne","category-nuclear","tag-american-nuclear-society","tag-gennady-miloshevsky","tag-smee","tag-zeyun-wu"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1829"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1583\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1585,"date":"2026-04-20T15:30:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T15:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/?p=1585"},"modified":"2026-04-20T15:30:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T15:30:32","slug":"american-institute-for-medical-and-biological-engineering-inducts-two-vcu-engineers-to-its-college-of-fellows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/2026\/04\/20\/american-institute-for-medical-and-biological-engineering-inducts-two-vcu-engineers-to-its-college-of-fellows\/","title":{"rendered":"American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering inducts two VCU engineers to its College of Fellows"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From left: Arvind Agarwal, Ph.D., and John Speich, Ph.D.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arvind Agarwal, Ph.D., and John Speich, Ph.D., were honored for research ranging from biomaterials to bladder biomechanics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For their contributions to medicine, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) inducted Arvind Agarwal, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering, and John Speich, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, professor in the Department of Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering, to its College of Fellows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am proud of the innovative work of Drs. Agarwal and Speich, and consider us at VCU Engineering very fortunate to have them as colleagues, educators and mentors,\u201d said Azim Eskandarian, D.Sc.<\/strong><\/a>, the Alice T. and William H. Goodwin Jr. Dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) College of Engineering. \u201cSolving the challenging problems of modern engineering requires expertise from many disciplines, and this kind of collaborative work is something we consider essential at the College of Engineering.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agarwal pioneered new regenerative medicine technologies through the development of plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite\u2013carbon nanotube coatings. These coatings, tailored for orthopedic implants, improve osseointegration and mechanical durability. He was also a key investigator in the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Cellular Metamaterials (Cell Met)<\/a>. Agarwal led the Integrated Engineering Goal 3, focusing on the development, establishment and application of advanced cutting-edge tools and methods to test and validate engineered cardiac tissues against established gold standards and broader scientific literature. This collaborative work resulted in critical metrics used for process standardization.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am deeply honored and humbled to be elected as a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering,\u201d Agarwal said. \u201cMy journey began in materials science and engineering, particularly in coatings, and gradually evolved toward understanding the mechanical behavior of biomaterials. This transition has allowed me to explore a broad spectrum, from nanocomposite orthopedic coatings to softer, complex systems such as scaffolds, cells and biological tissues. It is especially meaningful to see this interdisciplinary path recognized by AIMBE, and I remain committed to advancing materials-driven solutions that impact human health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speich made significant contributions in the field of bladder biomechanics and urodynamics that are important steps forward in the understanding and diagnosis of overactive bladder (OAB). His collaboration with Paul Ratz, Ph.D., from the VCU School of Medicine was the first to show that the preload and active length-tension relationships in detrusor (bladder) smooth muscle are acutely regulated, leading to an editorial in the Journal of Applied Physiology noting the research\u2019s significance. Speich\u2019s recent NIH-funded work with the Dorothy A. Pauley Department of Urology and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology involves using near infrared spectroscopy to quantify neuroexcitation and hemodynamics during bladder filling<\/a>, with a goal of non-invasively identifying phenotypes based on the source of OAB as the brain, bladder or both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am truly honored to be elected as an AIMBE Fellow. My accomplishments with the VCU MechanoUrology Lab would not have been possible without Dr. Paul Ratz, who introduced me to bladder research, along with the other leaders of our team, Dr. Adam Klausner and Dr. Linda Burkett, our many collaborators at VCU and around the world, and the dozens of talented trainees that have contributed to our research over the past two decades,\u201d Speich said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Election to the AIMBE College of Fellows is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to medical and biological engineers, comprising the top two percent of engineers in these fields. College membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to engineering and medicine research, practice or education. Inductees also lead the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of medical and biological engineering or developing\/implementing innovative approaches to bioengineering education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering provides undergraduate<\/a> and graduate<\/a> students with the opportunity to perform real-world research<\/a> as soon as they enroll. From applying material science to additive manufacturing techniques to optimizing coolant systems for nuclear reactors and more, students gain understanding of many important engineering topics. Browse videos and recent news from the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering<\/a> to discover how the College of Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University prepares the next generation of scientists and engineers for the challenges of the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VCU engineers Arvind Agarwal, Ph.D. and John Speich, Ph.D. have been inducted into the AIMBE College of Fellows for their groundbreaking research in biomaterials and bladder biomechanics, honoring their contributions to medical innovation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1829,"featured_media":1587,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[165,6],"tags":[1217,1218,1193,25,1151,27],"class_list":["post-1585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty-awards","category-mne","tag-aimbe","tag-american-institute-for-medical-and-biological-engineering","tag-arvind-agarwal","tag-azim-eskandarian","tag-hm","tag-john-speich"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1829"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1585"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1585\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1581,"date":"2026-04-20T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/?p=1581"},"modified":"2026-04-17T15:21:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T15:21:11","slug":"class-of-2026-kel-raphael-finds-harmony-at-both-piano-and-computer-keyboards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/2026\/04\/20\/class-of-2026-kel-raphael-finds-harmony-at-both-piano-and-computer-keyboards\/","title":{"rendered":"Class of 2026: Kel Raphael finds harmony at both piano and computer keyboards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The senior has excelled in pursuit of degrees in the School of the Arts and the College of Engineering.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By William Lineberry<\/a>
Honors College<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether it\u2019s code or a chord, the feeling of satisfaction is what drives Kel Raphael.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The senior in Virginia Commonwealth University\u2019s Honors College<\/a> will graduate this spring with two degrees: a bachelor of fine arts from the School of the Arts<\/a> with a concentration in piano performance, and a bachelor of science in computer programming from the College of Engineering<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To Raphael, piano and computer science overlap in a compelling way: the deep feeling of accomplishment when things go right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe moment I can play through a piece of music and make it sound exactly how I want it to sound \u2013 or when I eventually figure out a problem with, say, a piece of code after some head bashing, but I eventually get it to work,\u201d they said of the parallel. \u201cThat moment always feels really good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raphael has kept both sides of their interests balanced and thriving without sacrificing one for the other. It was a challenge, but meeting it kept them fulfilled through their undergraduate career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve played piano my whole life, so I wanted to continue to pursue that \u2013 but not as a full-time job,\u201d Raphael said. \u201cSo that, along with also having a real interest in computer science coming from high school, is why I chose to pursue it as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Kel Raphael said piano and computer science provide them with similar feelings of satisfaction. (Dean Hoffmeyer, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

They praise VCU for both providing the avenues to support their passions and providing insight into what powers personal growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lot of what I credit to VCU for helping me with has to do with the actual process of learning how to learn,\u201d Raphael said. \u201cWith music, if you have a piece, there are ways to practice it and figure out how to improve your playing \u2013 or if you\u2019re not sure what you want to do with the piece, you can experiment and figure it out. In computer science, you will encounter a problem and not know what to do, so you have to look it up and figure out the problem until you understand what you want, more or less. And that\u2019s a challenge, but it\u2019s a very important [skill].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following graduation, Raphael will not be done with VCU yet. They will have one more year to finish their accelerated master\u2019s in computer science through the College of Engineering. The program allows students to begin coursework for the graduate degree while finishing their undergraduate credits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After completing their master\u2019s, Raphael hopes to remain rooted in their passions: with the occasional gig playing piano \u2013 whether at church or elsewhere \u2013 and a stable job helping people through computer science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI mostly just want to have a good life and generally improve things for other people,\u201d Raphael said, \u201cwhile also being a good person myself and just, you know, live my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Originally posted on VCU News: https:\/\/news.vcu.edu\/article\/class-of-2026-kel-raphael-finds-harmony-at-both-piano-and-computer-keyboards<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The senior has excelled in pursuit of degrees in the School of the Arts and the College of Engineering.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2033,"featured_media":1582,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,13,1127],"tags":[1150],"class_list":["post-1581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cs","category-students","category-ugrad","tag-aasc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2033"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1581\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1579,"date":"2026-04-15T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/?p=1579"},"modified":"2026-04-14T15:30:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T15:30:44","slug":"class-of-2026-joseph-lin-brings-computing-power-to-cancer-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/2026\/04\/15\/class-of-2026-joseph-lin-brings-computing-power-to-cancer-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Class of 2026: Joseph Lin brings computing power to cancer research"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Joseph Lin, a computer science major, said his experience at VCU has taught him \u201cto be rooted in curiosity and to learn by asking more questions.\u201d (Dean Hoffmeyer, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The College of Engineering student joined a School of Pharmacy faculty expert in taking AI from \u2018Bench to Bedside.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Drew Thompson<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joseph Lin has taken Virginia Commonwealth University\u2019s \u201cUncommon\u201d brand and sensibility to heart. The computer science major in the College of Engineering<\/a> graduates this spring after steering his academic pursuits in an unexpected direction \u2013 clear across campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This past fall, Lin was the first (and only) student to join Dayanjan Shanaka Wijesinghe<\/a>, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Pharmacy<\/a>, in a project titled \u201cAI in Pharmaceutical Sciences: Bench to Bedside.\u201d<\/a> The initiative, which uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to find innovative solutions to pharmaceutical challenges, is on VCU\u2019s roster of Vertically Integrated Project<\/a>s, which offer students hands-on experience with long-term, faculty-led multidisciplinary projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prospect of working one on one with a faculty expert was daunting, but Lin said his passion for AI\u2019s intersection with medicine made Wijesinghe an ideal mentor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we got into this project, [Wijesinghe] gave me a lot of space to be curious, and he had this philosophy to approach learning that\u2019s unbounded,\u201d Lin said. \u201cHis mentorship allowed me to just get interested and dive deep into more of the research aspect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That research involved prompting AI as a collaborator in pharmaceutical science. Wijesinghe works in the Department of Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science<\/a>, and Lin explored AI\u2019s capabilities in distilling the search results of treatment-resistant mutations in cancer cells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lin first designed 150 possible resistance mutations based on chemistry, and he then narrowed the list to 25 with the assistance of AI. The methods have the potential to save months of trial and error when applied to real practices: The research, which is accessible and reproducible, could help labs with limited resources adopt and build on the results to make treatment more efficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the \u201cBench to Bedside\u201d VIP, Lin relished the chance to dive headfirst into a field he previously knew nothing about \u2013 a willingness that his mentor praised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a very quiet guy who sits down and asks questions, subsequent questions and slowly figures out the answer and starts implementing it,\u201d Wijesinghe said. \u201cIt\u2019s his ability to follow his inherent curiosity and seek answers using the help of AI that distinguished him a lot from other students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lin\u2019s path to VCU has its own uncommon elements. The native of Ashburn in Northern Virginia is the youngest of four brothers in a family with varied talents. Two of his older brothers are architects, one brother is a lawyer, and his father was a farmer in Taiwan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lin noted that his father was particularly interested in science, and the time Lin spent learning to garden with his dad influenced his path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think naturally that shaped how I am and how I got interested in biology to begin with, and how I got interested with AI,\u201d Lin said. \u201cIt\u2019s like this balance of pragmatism and creativity that you have to balance to ask questions and to be meaningfully curious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VCU also shaped his approach to his VIP work. Lin said the diverse experience of an urban campus, and its many creative and spirited people, have inspired his pursuits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing around those people has really helped shape how I think and how I approach things,\u201d Lin said. \u201cI think it\u2019s taught me to be rooted in curiosity and to learn by asking more questions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Originally posted on VCU News: https:\/\/news.vcu.edu\/article\/class-of-2026-joseph-lin-brings-computing-power-to-cancer-research<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The College of Engineering student joined a School of Pharmacy faculty expert in taking AI from \u2018Bench to Bedside.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2033,"featured_media":1580,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,13,1127],"tags":[1150,758],"class_list":["post-1579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cs","category-students","category-ugrad","tag-aasc","tag-vertically-integrated-projects"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2033"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1579"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1579\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1576,"date":"2026-04-13T14:47:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T14:47:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/?p=1576"},"modified":"2026-04-13T14:47:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T14:47:41","slug":"software-engineering-center-at-vcu-aims-to-train-engineers-that-build-robust-long-lived-applications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/2026\/04\/13\/software-engineering-center-at-vcu-aims-to-train-engineers-that-build-robust-long-lived-applications\/","title":{"rendered":"Software Engineering Center at VCU aims to train engineers that build robust, long-lived applications"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With more than $3.5 million in NSF support, the center is developing software and AI solutions for critical industries, like healthcare<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Developing software efficiently is an important part of software engineering, but it is only one part of the broader lifecycle. Ongoing maintenance and support can account for 65% to 85% of an application’s total cost, according to a 2024 analysis by the International Software Benchmarking Standards Group. The Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) College of Engineering recently launched the Software Engineering Center to teach the next generation of software engineers the best way to build software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur vision is to establish the VCU College of Engineering as a global hub for software engineering research, where new ideas, technologies and talent come together to redefine how complex software systems are built and trusted,\u201d said Rodrigo Sp\u00ednola, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science. \u201cFrom foundational advances in software engineering to immersive solutions for healthcare, the center will drive innovations that shape the future of digital society.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Members of the newly formed Software Engineering Center at VCU celebrate during the April kick-off event.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Supported by more than $3.5 million in National Science Foundation (NSF) funding, the Software Engineering Center at VCU reflects the growth of research and collaboration at the College of Engineering. Undergraduate and Ph.D. students at the center are forming strong interdisciplinary collaborations with groups like the VCU Department of Neurology, where researchers are developing both software and AI solutions for use in healthcare. International collaborations with the University of Salerno in Italy and Singapore Management University expand these partnerships to the global research community. The Software Engineering Center at VCU is currently preparing to host the International Conference on Software Analysis, Evolution and Reengineering (SANER 2027<\/strong><\/a>), bringing leading researchers from around the world to Richmond and establishing VCU as a hub for software engineering research, education and innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA Software Engineering Center is especially relevant today in the age of AI because software engineering is about much more than coding. It is about design, testing, validation and the disciplined development of real-world systems that people can trust. As AI helps us create software at a very rapid pace, these software engineering capabilities will become even more important,\u201d said Kostadin Damevski, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, professor in the Department of Computer Science. \u201cA center like this provides the engineering expertise, methods and infrastructure needed to turn fragile project code into trustworthy, maintainable and high-impact software that supports research, education and real-world deployment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional partnerships with organizations like the Korea Creative Content Agency and Commonwealth Cyber Initiative allow the Software Engineering Center at VCU to advance research and education aimed at improving how complex software systems are designed, developed and maintained. It focuses on areas such as software evolution, technical debt, fairness in software systems, empirical software engineering and the engineering of AI-enabled systems, particularly in domains like healthcare. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and hands-on student involvement, the Software Engineering Center develops methods and technologies that make software systems more reliable, ethical and sustainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View more photos from the event here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The Department of Computer Science provides undergraduate<\/a> and graduate<\/a> students with the opportunity to perform real-world research<\/a> as soon as they enroll. From designing algorithms to solving complex computing problems to working with cutting-edge AI technology, students gain understanding of many important computing topics. Browse videos and recent news from the Department of Computer Science<\/a> to discover how the College of Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University prepares the next generation of scientists and engineers for the challenges of the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VCU\u2019s new Software Engineering Center, backed by $3.5 million from the NSF, focuses on building robust, long-lived AI and software solutions for critical industries like healthcare through global research collaborations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1829,"featured_media":1577,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,165,15],"tags":[1150,123,1121,1216],"class_list":["post-1576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cs","category-faculty-awards","category-grants","tag-aasc","tag-kostadin-damevski","tag-rodrigo-spinola","tag-software-engineering-center"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1829"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1576"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1576\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1573,"date":"2026-04-03T16:27:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T16:27:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/?p=1573"},"modified":"2026-04-03T16:27:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T16:27:08","slug":"first-robotics-day-at-the-vcu-college-of-engineering-champions-stem-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/2026\/04\/03\/first-robotics-day-at-the-vcu-college-of-engineering-champions-stem-education\/","title":{"rendered":"FIRST Robotics Day at the VCU College of Engineering champions STEM education"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Students, educators, legislators and industry leaders gather to highlight robotics education in the Commonwealth of Virginia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Day on March 31 highlights Virginia Commonwealth University\u2019s (VCU) 26-year commitment to advancing STEM education. Hosted by the VCU College of Engineering and FIRST Chesapeake, state legislators, corporate leaders, educators and student robotics teams celebrated FIRST Robotics Day with an event at VCU\u2019s Engineering Research Building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFifteen years ago, my son was the captain of a FIRST robotics team. I know firsthand the transformative impact events like this have on a young person\u2019s educational career,\u201d said Azim Eskandarian, D.Sc.<\/strong><\/a>, the Alice T. and William H. Goodwin Jr. Dean of the VCU College of Engineering. \u201cLike FIRST, VCU Engineering focuses on learning through hands-on opportunities and supports these teaching methods with degrees that address the needs of industry, like our new robotics minor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his remarks, Eskandarian highlighted the VCU College of Engineering\u2019s commitment to experiential learning through several new initiatives in robotics and autonomous systems engineering, including the college\u2019s Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Research Team<\/a> and summer industry internships. Students can earn up to six credits, or the equivalent of two technical elective course credits, toward their degree through the summer program, which includes a structured evaluation process developed in collaboration with industry partners. Two endowed scholarships, the Karl Linn Scholarship and the FIRST Robotics Scholarship, also allow some FIRST Robotics participants to continue their education at the VCU College of Engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Legacy of Partnership<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Since the launch of the NASA\/VCU FIRST Robotics Competition, VCU has played a pivotal role in bringing <\/em>FIRST Robotics to Virginia. The program was created through a partnership between then-VCU President Eugene Trani, Motorola, NASA Langley and FIRST.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ghazala Hashmi, the lieutenant governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, emphasized the importance of STEM education for Virginia’s future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile we may be acknowledging the innovation and the technology and the creativity of robotics, what we are here to celebrate really are the people, all these wonderful students who are working so hard and all of their teachers and their mentors. We’re also celebrating the power of education and innovation,\u201d said Hashmi. \u201cThe work that each of you are doing today, as you focus on learning to think critically, to adapt, to solve complex challenges, are all the vital skills that are so essential to prepare you to lead us too, and some of the careers for which you are now preparing for we haven’t even imagined it to being yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Virginia FIRST Robotics Day was first designated in 2024 through legislation proposed by students from the FIRST Robotics Competition team 422 at the Maggie Walker Governor’s School. The resolution recognizes robotics as “one of the most effective, compelling and engaging means for teaching and reinforcing fundamental science, technology, engineering and mathematics concepts.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Bright Future for Robotics<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Projected to grow at nearly 20% over the next few years, the robotics industry is set to reach $27 billion worldwide, according to a Virginia General Assembly resolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFIRST Chesapeake is incredible. The more I learned about it, the more I realized this isn’t just about robotics. This is about building skills, building confidence and building pathways,\u201d said Eric Lin, director of the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity. \u201cYou’re taking imagination and turning it into innovation. That’s powerful because programs like FIRST aren’t just extracurricular activities; they’re real-world learning environments. You’re learning how to solve problems, how to work in teams, how to fail, adapt and try again. Those are the exact same skills used by engineering firms, startups, government agencies and small businesses across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 1000 Virginia FIRST robotics teams are providing hands-on education for students. This includes \u200a286 FIRST Tech Challenge teams<\/a>, \u200a120 FIRST Robotics Competition teams<\/a>, \u200a494 FIRST LEGO League teams<\/a> and \u200a171 FIRST LEGO League Explore teams. Meeting across the commonwealth in \u200aschool classrooms, maker spaces, libraries and anywhere innovation happens, groups have gathered every weekend since August 2025 for the current competition cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTwo weeks ago, my mother judged her first FIRST event,\u201d said Alex Bryant, president of FIRST Chesapeake. \u201cEvery team she talked to gave her goosebumps\u2026She walked away asking when the next [event] was and when she could come back, because she had spent her weekend the most thoughtful, grounded, generous young people that she had ever met\u2026Students who were thinking ethically, students who lead with integrity and students who make everyone they interact with optimistic about the future\u2026That’s not extracurricular, that is education. That’s the kind of education that sticks, the kind that transfers. The kind that shapes the character of a person for the rest of their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FIRST Chesapeake<\/a> is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization that operates the FIRST<\/em> Robotics program in DC, Maryland and Virginia. We work as a community to prepare young people for a STEM future and aim to ensure our programs have a lasting, positive impact on participants across all demographic groups.FIRST\u00ae<\/a> is a global robotics community dedicated to preparing young minds for the future, engaging teams of elementary, middle and high school students globally in various robotics challenges. Through its programs, FIRST aims to cultivate STEM skills, innovation, and teamwork among the next generation of innovators and problem solvers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The VCU College of Engineering offers innovative undergraduate<\/a> and graduate<\/a> degree programs tailored to meet the demands of the rapidly evolving engineering field. As part of a premier research university, students are given the opportunity to perform real-world research<\/a> in our state-of-the-art facilities as soon as they enroll. Browse videos and recent news to discover how the College of Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University<\/a> prepares the next generation of scientists and engineers for the challenges of the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The VCU College of Engineering celebrated FIRST Robotics Day on March 31, 2026, highlighting a 26-year commitment to STEM education through hands-on learning, industry partnerships, and new academic initiatives like the robotics minor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1829,"featured_media":1574,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,13],"tags":[1150,25,1167,1135,1215],"class_list":["post-1573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-college","category-students","tag-aasc","tag-azim-eskandarian","tag-first-robotics","tag-robotics","tag-robotics-and-autonomous-systems-research-team"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1829"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1573\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1568,"date":"2026-04-03T08:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T08:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/?p=1568"},"modified":"2026-04-06T18:58:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T18:58:13","slug":"building-a-biotech-hub-part-ii-how-machine-learning-is-redefining-pharmaceutical-manufacturing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/engineering\/2026\/04\/03\/building-a-biotech-hub-part-ii-how-machine-learning-is-redefining-pharmaceutical-manufacturing\/","title":{"rendered":"Building a Biotech Hub, Part II: How Machine Learning is Redefining Pharmaceutical Manufacturing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Charles McGill, Ph.D., is amongst the faculty leading innovation at VCU Engineering, using machine learning to explore a vast universe of chemical possibilities.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charles McGill, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/a>, isn\u2019t just improving pharmaceutical manufacturing\u2014he and other Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) College of Engineering faculty members are upending decades of tradition to find a better way forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically, the development of a new or altered manufacturing process for small molecule pharmaceuticals is so expensive and slow that many companies are afraid to take big swings, sticking instead to known methods in order to avoid unforeseen failures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McGill, an assistant professor in the VCU College of Engineering Department of Chemical & Life Science Engineering, is using machine learning (ML)\u2014a branch of artificial intelligence (AI) that enables computers to learn from data, identify patterns and make decisions or predictions with minimal human intervention\u2014to break this cycle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By acting as a “first-pass evaluation,” McGill\u2019s AI models allow researchers to explore a vast universe of chemical options, from new solvents to optimized temperature settings\u2014all before a single drop of liquid is touched in a lab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I see machine learning as a way to evaluate a wider scope of options,” says McGill, who originally got his start in optical fiber manufacturing before pivoting to computational chemistry and later machine learning chemistry in graduate school. “It gets us to a place where we\u2019re able to free up the development process, creating faster, cheaper and more optimal pipelines.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For pharmaceutical manufacturing companies, a more streamlined development process means organizations can easily pivot, lowering the barrier to entry for new processes and providing teams with significantly more flexibility in their planning and execution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McGill\u2019s work focuses on two critical pillars of small molecule pharmaceuticals:<\/p>\n\n\n\n