Department Head/Professor CY - Food Science & Technology
Company: Virginia Tech
Location: Blacksburg
Posted on: December 2, 2025
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Job Description:
The Virginia Tech Department of Food Science and Technology
(FST) seeks an accomplished, energetic and visionary leader for the
position of Department Head. Responsibilities of the Department
Head include leadership of all departmental programs and
administrative responsibility for strategic planning, fiscal
management, and human resources including: recruitment; development
and advancement; and retention of faculty, staff, and students. The
Department Head will advocate for FST within and outside the
university, and actively secure resources to strengthen its
mission. The best-fit individual will foster excellence in
teaching, research, and extension and encourage a positive,
collegial climate and participatory decision-making process within
the department. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated success
and distinction in one or more of the disciplines in food science
either in academic, government/regulatory or industry
organizations. The ideal candidate will also have a
transformational leadership style, utilizing engagement and open
communication to facilitate positive change and impact. FST’s next
leader is expected to build upon the existing momentum within the
food sciences for departmental growth and unification, student
training, procuring extramural funding and strengthening research,
teaching, extension, outreach, and alumni engagement. This position
reports directly to the Dean and is administratively and
faculty-reviewed every five years. The Department of Food Science &
Technology (FST) is one of the core units in the College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). FST is dedicated to the
tripartite land grant mission of teaching, research and extension
and is the home department of 28 faculty members in the tenure
track, collegiate, professor of practice, extension specialist, and
administrative ranks and 7 staff. FST offers an undergraduate B.S.
degree in Food Science & Technology, a thesis-based M.S. in Life
Science in Food Science & Technology and a Ph.D. in Food Science &
Technology. Additionally, we participate in the CALS Online Masters
in Agriculture and Life Sciences (OMALS). Presently, the FST
Department has 125 undergraduate and ~40 graduate students. The
Department manages a base budget (state and federal capacity) of
over $2.9M and a growing research portfolio of projects totaling
nearly $2.6M annually. FST’s comprehensive Extension programs, led
by 10 faculty, support safe, high quality food production from
field to table in Virginia and beyond. Required Qualifications
Doctorate in food science and technology or related field; Record
of academic and/or professional achievement commensurate with a
tenured appointment at the rank of professor; Evidence of visionary
leadership and strategic planning in academic, industry,
regulatory, or government organizations; Demonstrated understanding
of and commitment to the three missions of a land grant university:
excellence in teaching, research, and extension/outreach;
Demonstrated experience in the leadership of people, projects, and
consensus building; Effectiveness in personnel management,
interpersonal and stakeholder communication, and financial and
physical resources; Excellent organizational and communication
skills; A commitment to Virginia Techs Principles of Community.
Preferred Qualifications Experience at or with land-grant
university activities and goals; Experience with the unique
administrative structures, student demographics, and accreditation
standards of US higher education institutions; Demonstrated ability
to secure extramural funding, including through institutional
advancement and development. Overtime Status Exempt: Not eligible
for overtime Appointment Type Regular Salary Information
Commensurate with Experience Hours per week 40 Additional
Information The successful candidate will be required to have a
criminal conviction check. About Virginia Tech Dedicated to its
motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the
boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary
approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A
comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of
life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an
inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and
creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse
enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and
professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of
medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and
Honors College. The university has a significant presence across
Virginia, including Blacksburg, the greater Washington, D.C. area,
the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke, sites in
Newport News and Richmond, and numerous Extension offices and
research institutes. A leading global research institution,
Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.
Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional
development opportunities and university shared governance. These
valuable contributions to university shared governance provide
important representation and perspective, along with opportunities
for unique and impactful professional development. Virginia Tech
does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on
the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy),
gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information,
ethnicity or national origin, political affiliation, race,
religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or otherwise
discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about,
discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of
other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by
law.
Keywords: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg , Department Head/Professor CY - Food Science & Technology, Science, Research & Development , Blacksburg, Virginia
