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.

  • Climate game-changers

    For thousands of years, the northern Andes Mountains have acted as a carbon sink, preserving organic matter as thick soil. As the planet warms, what will happen to all that carbon? This past summer, Carolina undergraduates traveled to Ecuador to take a closer look.

  • Discoveries and solutions

    Cures and treatments for disease. New technologies. New industries for North Carolina and the world. We’re tackling tough challenges with multidisciplinary teams of top scientists and students whose diverse perspectives deliver creative, unprecedented solutions.

  • Cuba’s USB-driven music scene

    A doctoral candidate in the College of Arts & Sciences' music department, Mike Levine studies the Cuban music scene and how artists distribute their music through something called “the sneakernet,” Cuba’s grassroots alternative to the internet.

Around Campus

  • News

    • Events

      • Campus Health Services320 Emergency Room DriveChapel HillNC27599 |

        Learn more about waiving or enrolling in the UNC System Student Health Insurance Plan - Student Blue

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        Genome Sciences Auditorium250 Bell Tower DriveChapel HillNorth Carolina27514 |

        Join Kirk Bloodsworth as he kicks off the "Race, Innocence and End of the Death Penalty Speaker Series," organized by Frank Baumgartner, Richard J. Richardson Distinguished Professor of Political Science.

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        123 W. Franklin Street, Carolina Square, Room 2002123 W. Franklin StChapel HillNC27516-2506 |

        On February 21, 2020, Alison Buttenheim will present “Nudging or Fudging? Realizing the potential for behavioral economics to improve population health” as part of the Carolina Population Center’s 2019-2020 Interdisciplinary Research Seminar Series.