$19.4 million grant to increase cyber workforce development at Virginia Tech

U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced Thursday that Virginia Tech will receive $19,420,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to help increase cyber workforce development and encourage scientific partnerships to deliver innovation in the field.

The NSF grant will create an interdisciplinary team of software scientists who will help develop software frameworks, interact with community code developers, collaborate with partners in cyber-infrastructure, form mutually productive coalitions with industry, government labs, and international efforts, and ultimately serve as future experts and leaders in cyber-technology.

“Investment in a capable and diverse cyber workforce is critical to how we respond to the opportunities and challenges provided by emerging technologies,” said Sen. Warner, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and co-founder of the recently created bipartisan Senate Cybersecurity Caucus. “This award will help Virginia Tech—one of the top research institutions in the country—to attract the best and brightest young minds into careers in computational molecular science and cyber technology, and allow Virginia to continue to establish a leadership role in the cyber field.”

The total grant amount will be provided in increments by NSF through 2021, with $5,880,491 awarded immediately. More information about the grant can be found here.

This team of experts at Virginia Tech will form a Molecular Sciences Software Institute (MolSSI), which will become a focus of scientific research, education, and collaboration for the worldwide community of computational molecular scientists seeking to incorporate its scientific findings into usable software for the wider community. Ultimately, the Institute will enable computational scientists to more easily navigate future disruptive transitions in computing technology, and most importantly, tackle problems of a larger magnitude and complexity.

This will accelerate the translation of basic science into new technologies essential to the vitality of the economy and environment, and allow the United States to compete globally with Europe, Japan, and other countries that are making aggressive investments in advanced cyber-infrastructure.