Jake Socha

Jake Socha is the Samuel Herrick Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech, part of the College of Engineering. His research focuses on biomechanics, particularly animal locomotion and fluid dynamics in biological systems. He leads the Socha Lab, exploring topics like flying snake aerodynamics, insect respiratory systems, and click beetle jumping mechanisms. Socha has received numerous awards, including the NSF CAREER Award and Virginia Tech’s Outstanding New Assistant Professor honor.

Education:

• Ph.D., University of Chicago (2002)
• B.S. in Physics and Biology, Duke University (1994)

Research Interests:

• Biomechanics of flying snakes, skittering frogs, and insects
• Fluid dynamics in biological systems
• Nature-inspired engineering and soft robotics

Awards & Recognition:

• Samuel Herrick Professorship (2021)
• 2014 NSF CAREER Award
• Over $8.9M in research funding

Advising & Grants: Advised 8 PhD and 6 master’s students, with 5 current PhD advisees. His work has been featured in Science, Nature, and media outlets worldwide.

Labs/Teams: Director of the BIOTRANS (Biological Transport) Lab at Virginia Tech, collaborating on interdisciplinary projects.