Johnathan Bailey

Johnathan Bailey is a BSE junior from Norfolk, Virginia, focusing on biotechnology and minoring in Sustainable Biomaterials and Data & Decisions.   He is passionate about adventure travel and protecting wild places so that they can be enjoyed by future generations.  He chose BSE because it will allow him to pursue this goal indirectly by improving agricultural and industrial practices.

During the summer and fall of 2023, Johnathan was able to pursue his passion for adventure travel via his Virginia Tech education.  First, he went to Nepal with VT’s Service Without Borders club, where they built irrigation canals to support the agricultural economy of a small mountain village.  Then he completed an internship with the Australian government researching ways to better utilize their domestic, plantation-grown timber.  Lastly, he interned with a company in Chile that manages organic waste from agriculture and food production using black soldier fly larvae, which are then sold as sustainable feed to Patagonian salmon farms.  While abroad he had the opportunity to trek to Everst Base Camp, scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef, and take a motorcycle trip to the Atacama Desert and Patagonia. 

At Virginia Tech, Johnathan is an active member of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers and Service Without Borders clubs.  He also does undergraduate research for Dr. Ryan Senger and Dr. Jactone Ogejo.  When he is not studying he is likely either hiking, cycling, or watching sports.  After graduation, he hopes to either pursue a master’s degree in biochemical engineering or start a company similar to the one he worked for in Chile.