Dr. Timothy D. Sands became President of Virginia Tech in 2014. Previously, he was the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Acting President, and the Basil S. Turner Professor of Engineering in the Schools of Materials Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University. Dr. Sands received a B.S. in Engineering Physics and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of California, Berkeley. In 2012, Dr. Sands was named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. He is a Fellow of IEEE and the Materials Research Society. Dr. Sands' research efforts are directed toward the development of novel nanocomposite materials for environmentally friendly and cost-effective solid-state lighting, direct conversion of heat to electrical power, and thermoelectric refrigeration.