Professor Andrew McCoy, Preston and Catherine White Fellow, has been named head of the Department of Building Construction in the Myers-Lawson School of Construction at Virginia Tech.

McCoy, also the school’s associate director and director of the Virginia Center for Housing Research in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, brings more than 20 years of experience as an academic and practitioner in construction, architecture, and engineering to the role.

“I am excited for this new position and all of the opportunity ahead for construction education and research at Virginia Tech,” McCoy said. “The department and school are filled with great faculty, bright and motivated students, engaged alumni, and a highly supportive industry. I look forward to working with all of them as we grow to meet rising demand for building construction graduates and support Virginia Tech’s global leadership in intelligent infrastructure for human-centered communities.”  

A Virginia Tech faculty member since 2008, McCoy teaches undergraduate and graduate courses that explore concepts, theories, and applications of innovation in construction.

As director of the Virginia Center for Housing Research, the official housing research center for the Commonwealth of Virginia, he leads comprehensive, data-driven projects that help national, state, and local policymakers, nonprofits, and businesses solve critical housing challenges.

McCoy’s main area of research focuses on how innovation progresses through the residential construction industry and how it can make homes more affordable and sustainable. He has secured over $6 million as principal investigator on federal and state research grants focused on housing affordability, green building technologies, and construction safety, among other issues.

An author of more than 100 publications, McCoy is also editor-in-chief for the Associated Schools of Construction’s International Journal of Construction Education and Research and associate editor of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Journal of Architectural Engineering Special Edition on Residential Building Construction. He is co-editor of a series of books from Momentum Press exploring innovation and commercialization in residential construction and safety.

McCoy’s work has earned accolades from students as well as academic and industry peers. Engineering News-Record named him one of the mid-Atlantic’s “Top 20 Under 40” in 2014, and the Virginia Housing Coalition presented him with a Game Changer Award in 2015 for his work on energy-efficient design and construction.

He was also part of the faculty-student team that won first place in the international 2010 Solar Decathlon for Lumenhaus, along with a European Premier Prize and the first-ever national American Institute of Architects Honor Award for a university.

He won the Exemplary Faculty Award from students in the Department of Building Construction three years in a row, and also has garnered awards from the Division of Student Affairs and the College of Architecture and Urban Studies for teaching and outreach.

Outside of academia, McCoy has more than 12 years of industry experience in architecture, engineering, and construction, including eight years of fieldwork and four years managing a firm that maintained a Class A Virginia contractor license.

He earned bachelor’s degrees in architecture and architectural history from the University of Virginia and an M.S. in building construction and Ph.D. in environmental design and planning from Virginia Tech.

McCoy replaces Professor Yvan Beliveau, who is returning to full-time faculty after service in leadership since 1996.

“It’s an honor to follow Yvan Beliveau, who has led the Department of Building Construction through an era of unprecedented growth, partnership, and innovation,” McCoy said. “I look forward to building upon his legacy and working with our students, alumni, faculty, staff, and industry partners to make Virginia Tech a global leader in smart, sustainable construction.”

“Andrew’s commitment to supporting our students, alumni, and industry is second to none,” said Brian M. Kleiner, director of the Myers-Lawson School of Construction and Ralph H. Bogle Jr. Professor in Industrial and Systems Engineering. “I have no doubt that he’ll continue to push building construction at Virginia Tech to new levels of industry partnership, leadership, and innovation, and I very much look forward to working with him in his new role.”

Housed within the Myers-Lawson School of Construction, the Department of Building Construction prepares graduates to be leaders in tackling the evolving needs of the construction industry. Home to 380 students and 11 faculty members, the department offers degrees from bachelor’s to Ph.D., and an educational approach that integrates academics, research, industry experience, and partnership, along with the ability for students to specialize within their construction management education. Visit www.bc.vt.edu to learn more.

The Myers-Lawson School of Construction is a joint venture between the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and the College of Engineering. Visit www.mlsoc.vt.edu for more information.

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