Joe Wirgau, Ph.D.

Dr. Joe Wirgau is the founding Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research & Scholarship (OURS) and a Professor of Chemistry at Radford University. He has over two decades of experience innovating to empower students to reach their potential. He led the efforts to create OURS and many successful programs including the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program, the Accelerated Research Opportunities (ARO) Living Learning Community, the Highlander Research Rookies program, and multiple student symposia. He has mentored over 100 student presentations in the areas of coordination chemistry and pedagogy. He is a recipient of the Radford University Foundation Distinguished Service Award and is a member of the American Chemical Society, the Council on Undergraduate Research, Sigma Xi, and Phi Betta Kappa.