Two UVA Engineering Faculty Members Elected to VASEM
Two University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science faculty members have been elected as members to the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine (VASEM). Chair of the Charles L. Brown Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Scott Acton and professor of practice for the Department of Chemical Engineering Michael L. King will be inducted to VASEM during the academy’s annual summit in October.
This year, the summit will focus on investments to advance innovation, access affordability and trust around health care.
New UVA Engineering faculty elected to VASEM include:
Scott Acton
Professor Scott Acton is the chair of the Charles L. Brown Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, American Telephone and Telegraph Company Professor of Engineering and a professor of biomedical engineering by courtesy. Acton’s lab, Virginia Image and Video Analysis (VIVA), specializes in biological image analysis problems and researches machine learning for image and video analysis, from AI-driven education tools to tracking, segmentation, and enhancement. Acton has more than 325 publications in the image and video analysis area and has recently served as the Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Image Processing and General Co-Chair of the IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging.
Michael L. King
Professor in Practice for the Department of Chemical Engineering Michael L. King brings 32 years of industrial experience with Merck & Co., including responsibilities in both the research and manufacturing areas related to the commercialization of pharmaceuticals and vaccines, to the classroom. He came to the University of Virginia in 2007 as the Brenton S. Halsey Distinguished Visiting Professor and continued as a lecturer to help develop UVA Engineer’s business minor before being appointed as a professor of practice in 2013. King serves on the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI)’s Portfolio Strategy Management Board and is the Vice Chair of CEPI’s Scientific Advisory Committee. He also was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in 2026 for his leadership in the commercialization, manufacturing and supply of vaccines and pharmaceuticals, including working with the Gates Foundation and COVAX (2020-2023) to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries.