Virginia Tech Department of Biological Systems Engineering

Name

Virginia Tech Department of Biological Systems Engineering

Legal name

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Website

https://bse.vt.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education - Biological Systems Engineering

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Process Development & Tech Transfer Services (CDMO) (HLAGABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Process Development & Tech Transfer Services (upstream/downstream) (HLAAAKAF), Automation, Controls & Manufacturing Execution for Bioprocessing (SCADA/DCS/PLC/MES) (HLAAAJAE), Scientific Data Management & Data Platforms (SDMS/Data Lakehouse for R&D) (HLAGAJAC)

Keywords

• Biological systems engineering education
• Agricultural engineering research
• Water resources engineering
• Ecological engineering programs
• Bioprocess engineering research

Headquarters

HQ city

Blacksburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. State/Federal University Funding: As a department of Virginia Tech, a land-grant public university, BSE receives state appropriations and federal formula funding through colleges (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Engineering).
2. Research Grants and Sponsored Projects: Faculty secure competitive research funding from federal agencies including USDA, NSF, NIH, NOAA, USGS, EPA, and ARC. Examples include NSF Convergence at the Interfaces of Policy, Data Science, Environmental Science and Engineering to Combat Antibiotic Resistance ($3M); NIH spatiotemporal analysis of adverse birth outcomes ($426K); USDA REU programs; and multiple USGS, NOAA, and Virginia Environmental Endowment grants.
3. Graduate Assistantships: The department offers graduate assistantships funded through research grants and departmental funds, supporting both M.S./M.E. and Ph.D. students. Over $50K in graduate recruitment funds have been obtained from COE and CALS.
4. Extension and Outreach Services: The Virginia Household Water Quality Program (VAHWQP) and related extension programs provide fee-for-service water quality testing and education to Virginia families on private water supplies, partially funded through Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Virginia Tech's Department of Biological Systems Engineering is an academic unit that delivers ABET-accredited undergraduate and graduate degree programs (BS, MS, ME, PhD) in biological systems engineering. It conducts sponsored research across multiple laboratories and administers an outreach/extension program (Virginia Household Water Quality Program) that serves Virginia residents. The department's core product is higher-education instruction and applied research in biological, agricultural, ecological, water resources, and bioprocess engineering.

Product overview

The Virginia Tech Department of Biological Systems Engineering operates as a comprehensive academic department offering ABET-accredited undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Biological Systems Engineering, alongside extensive research facilities and extension services. The department functions as a unified academic ecosystem with three core pillars: (1) Educational Programs including BS, M.S., M.E., and Ph.D. degrees with concentrations in ecological engineering and bioprocessing; (2) Research Laboratories spanning specialized facilities like the A3 Lab (AI Assurance), ACWA Lab (Cyber-Physical Water Systems), Water Quality Laboratory, Precision Medicine Engineering Lab, Metabolic Engineering Lab, Bioengineering and Biosensor Lab, and numerous other focused research spaces; and (3) Extension Services including the Virginia Household Water Quality Program (VAHWQP), WellCheck, and VT SWAP programs. The department's research infrastructure includes over 20 specialized laboratories and facilities, including shared research spaces, that collectively address challenges in water resources, ecological engineering, sustainable food systems, biotherapeutics, synthetic biology, and public health.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor of Science in Biological Systems Engineering (BS BSE) An ABET-accredited undergraduate engineering degree program that prepares students to apply engineering principles to biological, agricultural, ecological, water resources, and bioprocess systems. Designed for prospective undergraduates seeking an engineering credential grounded in life sciences.
• Master of Science in Biological Systems Engineering (MS BSE)

Quantifiable outcome

• Graduate enrollment grew from under 40 to nearly 70 students under the Graduate Program Director
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability14 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• AlexRenewcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024AlexRenew (Alexandria Renew Enterprises) partnered with Virginia Tech's A3 Lab ACWA Lab on research to strengthen water treatment plants against cyberattacks using AI. This collaboration was featured in Virginia Tech news and Government Market News as a leading example of AI-driven water infrastructure protection.
• DC WatercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2022DC Water partnered with the A3 Lab for AI research collaboration on water infrastructure. The Virginia Tech news video highlights the partnership focusing on intelligent water systems and cyberbiosecurity for water distribution networks.
• Ag-ISAC (Agriculture — Information Sharing and Analysis Center)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022A3 Lab is a founding member and partner of the Ag-ISAC, an organization dedicated to sharing cybersecurity threat intelligence and best practices for the agricultural sector. This partnership positions the lab as a national leader in cyberbiosecurity for food and agriculture systems.
• The American Chestnut FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe StREAM Lab, led by W. Cully Hession, collaborates with The American Chestnut Foundation on using drone-based laser scanning and machine learning to support American chestnut hybridization for ecological restoration, including studies at Lesesne State Forest and other Virginia locations.
• USGS (U.S. Geological Survey)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSGS co-funds research with BSE faculty (Krometis, Hession) on PFAS contamination in private water supplies ($250,000 grant, 2022-2024) and stream restoration projects, contributing to federal water quality monitoring objectives.
• Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project (SERCAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSERCAP collaborates with the Virginia Household Water Quality Program (VAHWQP) to connect Virginia families with chronic water quality problems to technical assistance, grants, and low-interest loans for improving on-site water and wastewater systems.
• City of Roanoke, VAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe StREAM Lab collaborated with the City of Roanoke on a case study for prioritizing stream restoration efforts in the city, demonstrating applied watershed research in an urban context.
• Water Environment & Technology (WE&T) MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerACWA Lab was featured in WE&T Magazine (Water Environment Federation) as a leading example of AI-driven cyber-physical testbeds for intelligent water systems, increasing visibility among water industry professionals.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Purdue Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering: ABET-accredited ABE program at a land-grant institution with overlapping research in bioprocess engineering, environmental and water resources engineering, and biological systems.
• Penn State Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering: Peer academic department offering ABET-accredited programs in agricultural and biological engineering with overlapping research in bioprocessing, water resources, and ecological engineering. Direct curricular and research parallel to VT BSE.
• Texas A&M Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering: Large land-grant BAE department with research in bioprocess engineering, water resources, ecological engineering, and food engineering — parallel academic and extension mission.
• Michigan State Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering: Land-grant BAE department with comparable ABET-accredited programs and shared research domains in bioprocess engineering, water quality, and ecological engineering.
• Iowa State Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering: Top-ranked ABE department with ABET-accredited programs and research strengths in water quality, bioprocessing, and biosystems — closely comparable scope, faculty scale, and federal-grant capture to VT BSE.
• UC Davis Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering: Land-grant university BAE department with shared scope in bioprocessing, ecological engineering, water resources, and precision agriculture; closely matched ABET program and extension footprint.
• Ohio State Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering: ABET-accredited FABE department with parallel scope in bioprocess engineering, water quality, ecological engineering, and bioenergy research at a land-grant university.
• Cornell Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering: Combines biological and environmental engineering within both engineering and agriculture colleges at a land-grant university, with parallel research in bioprocess engineering, environmental biotechnology, and water resources.
• University of Wisconsin–Madison Biological Systems Engineering: Direct peer department by name and scope, offering ABET-accredited biological systems engineering programs with research in bioprocessing, ecosystems, and agricultural engineering.
• University of Illinois Agricultural and Biological Engineering: ABET-accredited department at a land-grant university with strong bioprocessing, bioenvironmental engineering, and water quality research programs comparable in scope to VT BSE.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bse_vt
• Facebookfacebook.com/vtbse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/virginia-tech-department-of-biological-systems-engineering
• Instagraminstagram.com/vt_bse

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Virginia Tech Department of Biological Systems Engineering