Julia Ross is the Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Dean of Engineering at Virginia Tech and serves as special advisor to President Timothy Sands. She previously served on the faculty at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, holding positions as dean of engineering and IT, chair of the Department of Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering, and special assistant to the provost for inter-institutional research initiatives. Ross' research focuses on fluid mechanics in cardiovascular infection formation.

She has received over $14 million in extramural funding, is a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and has earned the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the American Society for Engineering Education Sharon Keillor Award, and the University System of Maryland Regents’ Award for Collaboration in Public Service. She was named the Outstanding Woman Leader in Virginia Higher Education in 2022.