Hubbry Logo
Timothy SandsTimothy SandsMain
Open search
Timothy Sands
Community hub
Timothy Sands
logo
8 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Timothy Sands
Timothy Sands
Timothy Sands
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

Timothy D. Sands (born March 26, 1958) is an American materials engineer who is the 16th president of Virginia Tech.[1] Sands previously was the acting president and as the provost of Purdue University.

Key Information

Education

[edit]

Sands earned his B.S. with highest honors in engineering physics in 1980, his M.S. in material science and engineering in 1981, and his Ph.D. in material science and engineering in 1984, all from the University of California, Berkeley.[2]

Current research

[edit]

Sands has published more than 260 papers and has 16 patents in nanotechnology and microelectronics. Sands' current research focus is on 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.[3] Sands is considered a leader in the field of light-emitting diodes (LEDs).[4]

Career

[edit]

Sands began his career with an internship as a researcher at the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), now known as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado where he focused his efforts on renewable energy research. Following his graduation from U.C. Berkeley's doctoral program in Materials Science and Engineering in 1984, Sands continued his career as a member of the technical staff of the New Jersey–based technology firm Bellcore, now known as Telcordia. In 1991, Sands became the director of the Thin Films and Interface Science Research Group, and in 1992 he became the director of the Nonvolatile Memory Research Group.[5]

UC Berkeley

[edit]

Sands left industry in 1993 to return to academia as a professor in the Materials Science and Engineering department at his alma mater, U.C. Berkeley. In 1997, Sands became the Chair of the Applied Science and Technology Graduate Group at U.C. Berkeley.

Purdue University

[edit]

In 2002, Sands left U.C. Berkeley for Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana to join the engineering faculty as the Basil S. Turner Professor of Engineering.

In 2006, Sands was tapped to lead the Birck Nanotechnology Center, the centerpiece of Purdue University's Discovery Park, as Director.[5]

In 2010, Sands was appointed by Purdue University's Board of Trustees as Purdue's Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost.[5]

In June 2012, Sands was appointed acting president of the Purdue University system following the retirement of its 11th president, France A. Córdova, until president-elect and then Indiana governor Mitch Daniels stepped down at the end of his gubernatorial term.[6] As acting President, Sands presided over Purdue's West Lafayette and regional campuses. In January 2013, Sands returned to his role as Provost where he was responsible for all of Purdue's schools and colleges across campuses.

Virginia Tech

[edit]

On December 6, 2013, Sands was announced as Virginia Tech's 16th president effective June 1, 2014.

Honors and awards

[edit]

In 2009 and 2010, Sands was honored as a fellow of both the Materials Research Society (MRS) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), respectively.[5] In 2013, Sands was honored as a charter fellow in the 101-member inaugural class of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).[7] Sands is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa society and Tau Beta Pi.[5]

Family

[edit]

Sands is married to Laura Sands, Ph.D., a faculty member in the Center for Gerontology and Professor of Human Development at Virginia Tech, as well as editor-in-chief of the open-access journal Innovation in Aging. The Sands' have four children, all of whom are Purdue graduates.[4][8] Timothy Sands grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and was valedictorian at his high school.

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Timothy Sands

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Timothy D. Sands is an American materials scientist and academic administrator serving as the 16th president of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) since June 2014. A professor in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, Sands is renowned for his research in nanotechnology, microelectronics, and optoelectronics, with a focus on nanocomposite materials for applications in solid-state lighting, thermoelectric energy conversion, and refrigeration. He earned his B.S. in Engineering Physics (with highest honors) in 1980, M.S. in Materials Science in 1981, and Ph.D. in Materials Science in 1984, all from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to his presidency at , Sands held significant leadership roles at , including Executive for Academic Affairs and Provost from 2010 to 2014, Acting President from 2012 to 2013, and Mary Jo and Robert L. Kirk Director of the Birck Center from 2006 to 2010. He also served as a of and at UC Berkeley from 1993 to 2002, where he advanced research in heterostructure materials and device physics. Throughout his career, Sands has authored or co-authored over 250 refereed journal articles and holds 21 patents, contributing to innovations in permeable base transistors and plasmonic materials. As president, Sands has overseen substantial growth at , including a 5,000-student increase in enrollment and a 40% rise in expenditures since fiscal year 2021. He chairs the Virginia Space Grant and the Universities Research Association Board, and in August 2024, he became chair of the Board of Directors, while also serving on the Board and the Atlantic Coast Conference Board. Sands' contributions to science and education have earned him prestigious honors, such as the Edward Alexander Bouchet Legacy Award, the National Consortium Leadership Award, IEEE Fellowship in 2010, Materials Research Society Fellowship in 2009, and Charter Fellowship in the National Academy of Inventors in 2012.

Early Life and Education

Early Life

Timothy Sands was born in and grew up in the region of the , particularly in . He was raised in a middle-class family environment, with his parents remaining in the same family home and his younger brother and sister living nearby in the Bay Area. As a youngster, Sands showed an early fascination with both and , identifying as a budding naturalist who spent much of his free time outdoors exploring the region's natural surroundings. This childhood immersion in the innovative Bay Area, combined with the energy crises of the , helped cultivate his enduring interest in science and engineering, particularly in areas like alternative energy technologies. Sands pursued higher education at the University of California, Berkeley.

Education

Timothy Sands earned his bachelor's degree with highest honors in from the , in 1980. He continued his studies at Berkeley, obtaining a in in 1981. His master's thesis, titled "The Effects of Oxygen on the Microstructure of Cu₂₋ₓS Thin Films," examined the influence of oxygen on thin-film microstructures relevant to photovoltaic materials. Sands completed his Ph.D. in from UC Berkeley in 1984. His doctoral dissertation, "Formation and Degradation of Cu₂₋ₓS/CdS Single-Crystal Heterojunctions: A Transmission Electron Microscope Study," focused on the structural properties and degradation mechanisms of heterojunctions in thin-film solar cells using advanced microscopy techniques. This work emphasized the materials properties critical to performance and stability. During his time at Berkeley, Sands gained practical research experience through a summer as a researcher at the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI, now the National Renewable Energy Laboratory) in , in 1980. This early exposure to research complemented his academic training and laid the foundation for his subsequent roles in and .

Professional Career

Early Industry Positions

Following his Ph.D. in 1984, Timothy Sands joined Bell Communications Research Inc. (Bellcore), later known as Telcordia Technologies, in , as a member of the technical staff, where he worked from 1984 to 1993. During this period, Sands contributed to advancements in development, including early research on optoelectronic devices essential for applications. In 1991, Sands was promoted to director of the Thin Films and Interface Science Research Group at Bellcore, a position he held through 1992, overseeing projects focused on materials for . He then served as director of the Research Group from 1992 to 1993, managing teams that advanced technologies for and processing in communication systems. These leadership roles honed his expertise in industrial R&D, bridging his academic background to subsequent faculty positions in higher education.

UC Berkeley

In 1993, Timothy Sands joined the as a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, marking his transition from industry research to academia. This appointment allowed him to build on his prior expertise in heterostructure materials while contributing to the department's academic programs. From 1997 to 1999, Sands served as chair of the executive committee for the and Technology Graduate Group at Berkeley, where he played a key role in and faculty recruitment to strengthen interdisciplinary training in applied sciences. During his tenure as professor through 2002, he mentored a substantial number of graduate students, advising 12 Ph.D. candidates and 12 M.S. students to completion, fostering the next generation of materials scientists. Additionally, Sands established and directed the Integrated Materials Laboratory in 2002, which supported advanced research initiatives aligned with emerging fields in and .

Purdue University

In 2002, Timothy Sands joined Purdue University as the Basil S. Turner Distinguished Professor of Engineering, holding joint appointments in the School of Materials Engineering and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. This role marked his transition from academia at UC Berkeley to a prominent position at Purdue, where he focused on materials science and nanotechnology. From 2006 to 2010, Sands served as the Mary Jo and Robert L. Kirk Director of the Birck Nanotechnology Center within Purdue's Discovery Park, overseeing operations of this state-of-the-art facility dedicated to interdisciplinary research. Under his leadership, the center expanded its capabilities to support collaborative projects across , , and other disciplines, fostering innovations in and materials. His tenure helped solidify the Birck Center as a cornerstone of Purdue's research ecosystem. In April 2010, Sands was appointed executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, a position in which he oversaw Purdue's university-wide academic programs, including , faculty affairs, and student success initiatives across all campuses. He led efforts to enhance retention and graduation rates, introduced year-round facility utilization, and developed comprehensive assessments of degree programs. From July 16, 2012, to January 14, 2013, Sands additionally acted as interim president, managing transitional leadership during the search for a permanent successor and ensuring continuity in university operations.

Virginia Tech

Timothy D. Sands was appointed as the 16th president of , effective June 1, 2014, while continuing to hold a professorship in the College of Engineering. His formal installation ceremony occurred on October 17, 2014, marking the beginning of a tenure focused on strategic growth and institutional advancement. Under Sands' leadership, has seen significant expansion in undergraduate enrollment, increasing by approximately 7,000 students to nearly 31,000 as of fall 2025, alongside a doubling of applications from around 23,000 in 2014 to over 47,000 by 2023. expenditures have grown to nearly $600 million annually by fiscal year 2022, with extramural funding experiencing a 40 percent increase to about $450 million since fiscal year 2021. Key developments include the Creativity and Innovation District, launched in 2016 to foster interdisciplinary at the edge of and downtown Blacksburg, and the Global Business and Analytics Complex, a $175 million project to enhance data analytics and ; the Data and Decision Sciences Building opened in August 2023, and the New Business Building is under construction with completion expected in 2027. The university's fundraising efforts have advanced substantially, achieving $1.872 billion in new gifts and commitments toward the Boundless Impact campaign goals as of 2024, two years ahead of schedule. In August 2024, Sands was elected chair of the , representing the Atlantic Coast Conference through August 2026, to oversee governance and policy for intercollegiate athletics.

Research and Contributions

Research Interests

Timothy Sands' research primarily centers on nanotechnology and microelectronics, with a strong emphasis on advancing materials science to enable innovative optoelectronic devices. His work has explored the fabrication and integration of nanostructures for light-emitting diodes (LEDs), including the development of (In,Ga)N-based nanostructures that promise enhanced efficiency in next-generation lighting technologies. These efforts address key challenges in heterogeneous integration, such as creating dislocation-free LEDs through nanoscale engineering of metal/semiconductor interfaces. Additionally, Sands has contributed to optoelectronics by pioneering methods for growing high-quality GaN-based LEDs on silicon substrates, which reduces costs and improves compatibility with existing semiconductor manufacturing processes. A significant focus of Sands' investigations involves materials tailored for and energy-efficient applications. He has directed efforts toward designing novel nanocomposites that enhance efficiency and light extraction in LEDs, promoting environmentally sustainable alternatives to traditional incandescent and fluorescent sources. These materials aim to achieve higher while minimizing and environmental impact, aligning with broader goals of cost-effective, eco-friendly illumination systems. Sands' interdisciplinary approach integrates these nanocomposites into practical devices, bridging materials synthesis with device performance optimization. Sands has also delved into for and cooling technologies, leveraging to improve device efficiency. His research on nanocomposite thermoelectrics, including epitaxial ScN films, seeks to enhance the (ZT) for applications in converting to electricity and solid-state . By engineering nanostructures to suppress thermal conductivity while maintaining electrical performance, these materials support solutions such as on-chip cooling for and power generation from low-grade heat sources. This work evolved from his early industry experience in , expanding into multifunctional materials for energy management. Through these pursuits, Sands' research fosters interdisciplinary projects that combine with applications, such as hybrid systems for efficient lighting and thermal management in electronics. His contributions emphasize scalable, high-impact innovations that integrate and thermoelectrics to address global challenges in energy efficiency and resource conservation.

Publications and Patents

Timothy Sands has authored more than 250 refereed papers and in the fields of , , and . His scholarly output includes more than 250 peer-reviewed journal articles, with a focus on for applications. These publications have accumulated more than 20,000 citations, reflecting an of 73 and significant influence in the field. Seminal works highlight Sands' contributions to and nanoscale devices, such as "Damage-free separation of GaN thin films from sapphire substrates" (1998), which addresses techniques for LED production and holds 550 citations. Publications on plasmonic materials, including "Titanium nitride as a plasmonic material for visible and near-infrared wavelengths" (2012), underscore applications in . Sands is the holder of 21 patents in electronic and optoelectronic materials and devices. These include innovations in nanocomposite materials for , such as nanowire composite LEDs (U.S. No. 7,569,847), and thermoelectric devices, exemplified by methods for fabricating thermoelectric segments (U.S. No. 8,754,321). Additional patents cover metal/ contacts and heteroepitaxy for energy conversion applications. During his tenure as director of Purdue University's Birck Nanotechnology Center from 2004 to 2010, Sands led collaborative efforts resulting in numerous publications on nanoscale , including studies on TiN/GaN multilayers and devices.

Honors and Awards

Fellowships and Societies

Timothy Sands has been recognized for his contributions to and engineering through several prestigious fellowships and society memberships. During his undergraduate years at the , he was inducted into the honor societies and , acknowledging his academic excellence in the liberal arts and engineering, respectively. In 2009, Sands was elected a Fellow of the Materials Research Society (MRS) for his scientific achievements in microelectronics and nanotechnology. The following year, in 2010, he received the IEEE Fellowship from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for contributions to metal/semiconductor interfaces and heterogeneous integration, highlighting his advancements in microelectronics. These fellowships underscore his impact on interdisciplinary research at the intersection of materials and electrical engineering throughout his career. Sands was named a Charter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) in 2012, one of the inaugural class of 101 members, in recognition of his inventive contributions and their broader societal impact.

Awards and Recognitions

Timothy Sands received the Robert Lansing Hardy Gold Medal from The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society in 1988 for outstanding contributions to research during his early career. In recognition of his innovations in and heterogeneous integration, he was awarded Purdue University's Seed for Success Award in 2005. At , Sands earned further university-specific honors for his academic leadership and research impact, including appointment to the Basil S. Turner Distinguished Professorship in Engineering. For his service and contributions to higher education at , he received the Virginia Latino Higher Education Network's Leadership Impact Award. Sands was honored with the Edward A. Bouchet Legacy Award in by the Bouchet Society for his invaluable contributions to access and opportunity in the academy. For his broader leadership in , Sands was selected as chair of the Board of Directors in August 2024, a position he will hold until August 2026, representing the Atlantic Coast Conference. Additional recognitions include the National GEM Consortium's Academic Leadership Award.

Personal Life

Spouse

Timothy Sands is married to Dr. Laura Prouty Sands. Dr. Laura Prouty Sands is a of human development and at , where she serves in the Department of Human Development and directs the Center for . Her research focuses on aging, cognitive functioning in older adults, and health disparities in later life, with notable contributions including serving as of the Innovation in Aging journal from 2016 to 2020 and as an Editorial Board Member since 2021. Since Sands assumed the presidency of in 2014, he and Dr. Sands have both been employed at the institution, with Dr. Sands actively involved in campus activities.

Children

Timothy Sands is the father of four children, all of whom graduated from . In keeping with privacy considerations, no public information is available on their current professions.

References

  1. https://www.president.vt.edu/index/biography.html
  2. https://engineering.purdue.edu/MSE/people/pyDownloadVita?id=file33792
  3. https://www.archive.vtmag.vt.edu/spring14/training-ground.html
  4. https://ece.vt.edu/content/dam/ece_vt_edu/research/annual-report/pdf/2014_AR.pdf
  5. https://news.vt.edu/articles/2013/12/120613-president-timothysands.html
  6. https://www.purdue.edu/provost/former-provosts/
  7. https://www.purdue.edu/uns/html3month/2006/061101SandsBirck.html
  8. https://engineering.purdue.edu/MSE/news/2013/tim-sands-named-acting-president
  9. https://news.vt.edu/articles/2014/10/101014-president-installation.html
  10. https://www.vt.edu/about/facts-about-virginia-tech.html
  11. https://news.vt.edu/articles/2023/01/ua-2023Applications.html
  12. https://news.vt.edu/articles/2023/04/next_tech.html
  13. https://news.vt.edu/articles/2025/02/president-sotu-wrap-2025.html
  14. https://news.vt.edu/articles/2016/09/da-cid.html
  15. https://pamplin.vt.edu/gbac.html
  16. https://news.vt.edu/articles/2024/08/fy24results.html
  17. https://news.vt.edu/articles/2024/08/president-sands-ncaa.html
  18. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Timothy-Sands-2
  19. https://www.photonics.com/Articles/LEDs-Created-on-Silicon/a34542
  20. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/nl0510762
  21. https://inventions.prf.org/person.html?PersonID=5135
  22. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA606254.pdf
  23. https://engineering.purdue.edu/jump/1c89af1
  24. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=kGZ59awAAAAJ&hl=en
  25. https://research.com/u/timothy-d-sands
  26. https://patents.justia.com/inventor/timothy-david-sands
  27. https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/nanopub/
  28. https://ece.vt.edu/people/profile/sands.html
  29. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/top-scientists-and-innovators-honored-by-national-academy-of-inventors-185872762.html
  30. https://secretary.howard.edu/sites/secretary.howard.edu/files/2021-04/Annual_Report_2016-2017.pdf
  31. https://liberalarts.vt.edu/content/dam/liberalarts_vt_edu/departments-and-schools/human-development/cv/Sands_Laura_HumanDevelopment_CV.pdf
  32. https://www.wsls.com/health/2017/01/14/virginia-techs-first-lady-laura-sands-becomes-editor-in-chief-of-gerontology-journal/
  33. https://news.vt.edu/articles/2014/08/082514-dsa-sandsandstudents.html
  34. https://www.archive.vtmag.vt.edu/winter14/sands-named-16th-president.html
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.