Kang Xia named associate director of Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station
Xia will help oversee 11 Agriculture Research and Extension Centers and other research programs at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Kang Xia, professor in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, has been named associate director of the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station after serving as interim associate director.
Since 2012, Xia, also the director of the Center for Advanced Innovation in Agriculture, has been a faculty member in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, where she has developed an internationally recognized environmental chemistry program.
“The foundation of my research program has been about understanding the negative human impacts on water and soil quality as well as formulating strategies to remediate these impacts,” Xia said.
Her scholarly work includes authoring or co-authoring 80 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and more than 30 invited speaking engagements. In addition, Xia has been successful in securing grant funding totaling more than $12 million. Her contributions were recognized in 2019, when she received the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' Research Excellence Award.
As associate director for the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station, Xia will help manage Virginia Tech’s 11 Agriculture Research and Extension Centers across the commonwealth and other research programs in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
The Virginia Agriculture Experiment Station’s mission is to perform basic and applied research on agricultural, environmental, natural, and community resource issues related to the future needs of Virginia, the region, the nation, and the world.
The Virginia Agriculture Experiment Station includes more than 350 scientists from three colleges at Virginia Tech: the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Scientists and engineers associated with the station collaborate with partners worldwide to bring innovation and secure agriculture, food, and health through research.
Agricultural Research and Extension Centers deliver research and Virginia Cooperative Extension programs, serve as field-research sites and field laboratories, and are program sites for producers, school groups, and the commonwealth's citizens.
“I see this as an opportunity for me to serve our community,” Xia said. “My graduate students and collaborators have contributed greatly to my academic career and I believe my past experience as a faculty member has provided me with a deep understanding of our faculty's aspirations, the challenges they are facing, and their support needs. I am excited to be in a new role that enables me to serve this great community.”
