Research

Research at UNC-Chapel Hill, a billion-dollar venture, has quadrupled over the past 15 years, firmly establishing Carolina as one of America’s top-ranked research universities.

Student works with chemicals.

Collaborative approach, world-renowned research

Cures and treatments for disease. New technologies. New industries for North Carolina and the world.  At Carolina, we tackle tough challenges with multidisciplinary teams of top scientists and students whose diverse perspectives deliver creative, unprecedented solutions. As one of America’s top research universities, we conduct roughly $1 billion in research annually. We provide dedicated service to our sponsors and unprecedented opportunities for graduate students, postdocs and undergraduates.

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Facts & Figures

  • 11thlargest U.S. research university (research volume & annual expenditures)
  • 5thin the U.S. for federal research among public and private universities
  • $1.10 billionin annual research activity
  • 62%of all UNC system research performed by UNC-Chapel Hill
  • For every $1of state funding, research centers & institutes attract $8 from external sources

Serving North Carolina,
Changing the World

Carolina is a world-class research university where great ideas and creativity flow, innovations are put to the test, and discoveries are made.

  • Advancing cancer research

    Carolina is home to one of the leading cancer research and treatment centers in the nation, bringing together exceptional physicians and scientists from across campus to advance the prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer.

  • An origin story

    Most theoretical physicists don’t see their predictions confirmed in their lifetimes, as it can take centuries to discover the physical phenomena that marks them true. But that hasn’t been the case for Laura Mersini-Houghton, who’s seen six of her predictions about the origins of the universe verified in the last decade.

  • Taking the classroom to the mountains

    Eight Carolina students spent the fall semester conducting field research at one of the most biodiverse areas in North Carolina.

Around Campus

  • News

    • Events

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        Memorial Hall | Free

        Theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate Kip Thorne delivers the 2019 Frey Lecture, "My Romance with the Warped Side of the Universe."

      • William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education100 Friday Center DriveChapel HillNC27517 |

        The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will host its sixth annual UNC Clean Tech Summit on Thursday, February 28, 2019 – Friday, March 1, 2019 at UNC’s Friday Center. The event will highlight the latest innovations, trends and challenges in the clean technology industry and how North Carolina is playing a key role in leading the way to a global clean energy economy. The Summit is co-hosted by the UNC Institute for the Environment and the Center for Sustainable Enterprise at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

      • | Free

        UNC-Chapel Hill undergraduate students who will have completed 45 or more credit hours by May 2019 and are in good academic standing are eligible to apply to the UNC School of Media and Journalism's undergraduate MEJO major for Fall 2019 enrollment.