James F. Groves
About
James Groves is a leading university educator in the field of sustainable development. In the classroom he engages with students across disciplines and educates them about sustainable energy systems. His overarching goal is to help "people and planet" avoid the worst impacts of humanity's ever increasing hunger for "more power"! Recent instructional efforts in this arena include Introduction to Sustainable Energy Systems and The Global Context of Clean Energy Materials. Nationally, Dr. Groves is a significant contributor to the Engineering for One Planet initiative.
James Groves' scholarly interests include a focus upon the impacts of climate change upon the mid-Atlantic region. He is currently developing an engineering ethics case study related to his local climate change research. He is also keenly interested in the people and planet impacts of using engineered materials for sustainable energy solutions. As society transitions to clean energy, will its thirst for the needed materials lead to new, devastating human and environmental impacts?
While working on his Ph.D. in materials science and engineering, he co-invented directed vapor deposition technology and subsequently co-founded Directed Vapor Technologies International. His work with directed vapor deposition led to the granting of four U.S. patents and two additional international patents.
Dr. Groves has been active in the field of design thinking. He has contributed to a national effort to develop a simple, structured framework for design thinking and project management. In several courses he has taught students how that framework can be used to guide the design of a wide array of products and project solutions (link). In the design arena, he helps students to consider how alignment of personal values and project goals can increase their motivation for making the world a better place. He especially enjoys working with students who seek to focus their design thinking on sustainable energy challenges.
For more than a decade, Dr. Groves administered distance learning in UVA’s engineering school, serving two years as Associate Dean for Online Innovation. Those administrative efforts have translated into broad university adoption of a set of technology solutions that he conceived of and designed. Dr. Groves was founder of Engineers PRODUCED in Virginia, an initiative which explored the use of state-of-the-art online communication and collaboration solutions for the delivery of undergraduate education to underserved communities. The PRODUCED program demonstrated a strong ability to attract non-traditional, first generation, and low and moderate income students. The program also demonstrated how engineering corporations and higher education could work together for collaborative preparation of students for the workforce without the need for student loan debt, educating and ultimately employing students in their home communities.
Education
Ph.D. Materials Science and Engineering, Univ. of Virginia, 1998
M.S. Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Univ. of Virginia, 1992
B.S.E. cum laude, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, Political Science, Duke Univ., 1990
Mechatronics certificate, Cornell University, 2024
My focus is upon undergraduate education, teaching about sustainable energy, the materials of sustainable energy systems, the design of sustainable systems solutions, and the ethics of a transition to more sustainable solutions. I emphasize the close coupling between humanity's use of energy and its impact upon people and the planet.