David B. Knight

David B. Knight is a Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech's College of Engineering, where he concurrently serves as Chief of Strategy for the College and Special Assistant to the Provost. His leadership extends to co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Engineering Education, positioning him at the forefront of scholarly discourse in the field.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Higher Education, Pennsylvania State University, 2012
• M.S. in Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, 2009
• B.S. in Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, 2006

Dr. Knight's research operates at macro-scale systems level, leveraging large institutional and national datasets to investigate policy-organizational intersections in engineering education. His work strategically targets equity and inclusion, transfer student pathway optimization, graduate career preparation, and global engineering competency development. The Virginia Tech Data Enlightened Educational Practice (DEEP) Lab, which he founded, implements data-driven approaches to enhance educational efficiency and inclusiveness through rigorous systems analysis.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals intensifying focus on systemic barriers in engineering education, particularly credit mobility challenges for transfer students, differential mentorship for academic/industry career paths, and global skill development through international experiences. His research increasingly employs mixed-methods analytics to translate large-scale data into actionable educational reforms.

Scientific Awards: None explicitly referenced in source materials.

As director of the DEEP Lab, Dr. Knight leads NSF-funded initiatives including IUSE grants for student-centered teaching, HBCU-UP partnerships for research entrepreneurship, and S-STEM projects supporting low-income engineering students. His ROPES Hub research briefs provide evidence-based strategies for transfer student success, while his editorial leadership shapes the Journal of Engineering Education's strategic direction. Though specific advisees aren't listed, his lab and grant projects inherently involve graduate student mentorship in engineering education research methodology.