As part of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research’s continued commitment to building an exceptional intellectual community and advancing innovation and scientific excellence, the Catalyst Faculty Cluster Program aims to advance impactful interdisciplinary research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill through the recruitment and retention of scholars within strategic research clusters.

Cluster hiring provides the opportunity to attract exceptional early-career faculty whose scholarship will have transformational impact across our research enterprise and institutional environment. The Catalyst Faculty Cluster Program provides funding and a streamlined process for recruitment, retention, and career progression strategies developing Carolina’s most promising new faculty in thematic clusters aligned with the OVCR’s Strategic Research Roadmap and the priorities of our schools and University.

Program Overview

The OVCR provides support for the initial two-year funding program and partners with the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, which provides the follow-on three-year funding to support a total package of five years of salary support. Newly hired Catalyst Faculty will be part of an OVCR-sponsored two-year faculty professional development program that will provide tailored onboarding, professional training and development, mentoring, networking experiences, and research development opportunities to foster collaboration, ensure retention, successful career progression and promotion within discipline, and promote individual and cohort success. This program will be complementary to the expectations and workload of the appointing departments and will serve to support and retain new hires.

Cluster proposals may request support for five tenure-track early career faculty positions at the assistant professor rank in any of UNC-CH’s faculty appointing units, with priority given to proposals that include different schools, colleges, and engage pan-campus research centers or institutes and/or foster creative cross-disciplinary collaborations. Joint appointments are welcomed but not required. A final cluster of three faculty members will be selected from the proposed five faculty slots to ensure that top candidates will be hired.

Proposed positions should have a strong fit within their appointing department(s) and create intersections and synergies across disciplines (i.e., they must have interdisciplinary strengths that exceed the sum of their parts). The proposed collaboration will create opportunities for research growth and innovation. Joint hires are encouraged.

Inclusion of one (or more) of the pan-campus research centers/institutes (e.g., Biomedical Research Imaging Center, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Institute for Global Health and Infectious Disease, Carolina Population Center, or research-relevant units like Carolina Performing Arts) is also welcomed but not required.

Each proposal should include a proposed hiring and mentoring committees comprised of faculty from the engaged departments and units, with at least two additional proposed mentors with content expertise from outside of the appointing departments. The VCR and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost will select the ultimate hiring/mentoring committee based on the proposed committee and/or additional members.

Learn more about the program and proposal requirements.

2025 Research Cluster Theme: Brain, Behavior, and Wellbeing

For the 2024-2025 recruitment cycle the OVCR invited cluster hire proposals on the theme of brain, behavior, and well-being, especially those that emphasize potential for transformational impact or to improve the human condition. The selected cluster focused on substance use disorder and addiction research. Learn more about the 2025 cluster.

Future Cluster Themes

The program will run biannually. The 2027 program will be announced by summer 2026. To suggest a theme for future years, please email [email protected].