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Special Coverage of COVID-19
COVID-19 Information for Researchers
Multiple images of researchers working in the field. The first image shows two student researchers, looking at a laptop by a stream in their high boots and weighters. The second image is a close up shot of a student researcher looking at creatures in glass containers. The third image shows two professors, wearing safety glasses, about to pour liquid nitrogen. The fourth image shows a researcher in the lab. The fifth image shows a group of researchers looking at foliage in plastic bags. The sixth image shows two researchers taking images for the library archive, one is standing on a stool while the other holds books open.

Research Centers & Institutes

Solving the most challenging problems of the day requires innovation and collaboration. Research centers and institutes at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provide the infrastructure and support services necessary to help scholars and scientists produce their best work.

When they join a center or institute, faculty members typically retain their appointments in discipline-based departments, continuing to teach students and mentor graduate students. By carrying new knowledge back to their home departments, these faculty members help keep their disciplines on the cutting edge.

Research centers and institutes also help the state’s economy. Their ability to address real-world problems in a comprehensive manner attracts external funding and helps North Carolina compete for economic-development opportunities. a thriving research center or institute is a powerful force for new ideas and beneficial change.

News

  • The Galapagos Islands

    Ambitious Citizen Science Project Documents Life in Galápagos

    The Galápagos Science Center, a joint initiative between UNC and the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, will help run an innovative new project called Barcode Galápagos as a way to survey wildlife and plants using “genetic fingerprinting.”

  • young woman lying in the grass on a sunny day

    Vitamin D May Lower Risk of Contracting COVID-19

    Vitamin D deficiency impedes good immune function and has been shown to contribute to the seasonal increase of viral respiratory infections, possibly including COVID-19, according to a new review article by UNC Nutrition Research Institute researcher Martin Kohlmeier.

  • michael_piehler

    Michael Piehler named chief sustainability officer

    Michael Piehler, a coastal ecosystem ecologist at the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences has been named chief sustainability officer for the University Sustainability Council.

  • public transportation

    How the Pandemic is Impacting N.C. Travel

    Led by the UNC Highway Safety Research Center, this project brings together a team of multidisciplinary research partners from across the UNC System to research the interrelationships of public health policies, mobility changes, and the transmission of COVID-19 to inform … Continued

  • iguana

    Stimulating Galapagos Community and Economy with Science

    With the help of donations from GiveUNC, UNC Center for Galapagos Studies begins a new collaborative effort to start a community outreach program that will provide economic stimulus to the Galapagos by funding ventures of San Cristobal residents in areas … Continued

  • a woman wearing a mask in her car with the food she picked up from the food hub

    HPDP Helps Create Food Hub During Pandemic

    The UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention helped create a one-stop food hub in Siler City with free meals for low-income customers and meals for purchase from local restaurants and farmers struggling to remain solvent during the pandemic.

  • packaged food on shelves at a grocery store

    Reformulating Unhealthy Foods

    UNC researchers found that within just one year of a 2016 Chilean law requiring front-of-package warning labels on unhealthy foods, important decreases were made in the levels of sugar and sodium, showing that these kinds of regulations can lead to … Continued

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    Algal Blooms Pose Possible Respiratory Threat

    Toxic blue-green algae has long proven to be harmful to the environment, human and animal health. While many studies examine the effects of ingestion or skin contact, PhD student Haley Plaas looks at a different angle: aerosol.

  • a toothbrush with toothpaste on it

    Oral Hygiene Reduces Pneumonia in Nursing Homes

    The UNC Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research discovered that a new nursing home staff training program focused on mouth care like teeth brushing and flossing significantly reduced pneumonia cases by 31 percent.

  • a person uses an autoclave in a hospital

    Fighting a Pandemic with Electric Power

    Most diagnostic tests, treatments, and sanitation procedures for active COVID-19 infection currently require electricity — and outages for even a few minutes can be life-threatening. UNC Carolina Population Center predoctoral trainee Cyrus Sinai recently co-authored a paper on this topic.

Earlier News Stories