Research Highlights

January 2012

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 1

College/School, FY 2011 Amount

Arts and Sciences 88,731,573

Dentistry 11,369,684

Medicine 382,470,079

Nursing 5,646,774

Pharmacy 25,237,597

Public Health 91,331,595

Social Work 9,977,619

Other 20,692,915

Pan-University Centers/Institutes 152,567,276

Total $788,025,112

Where research funding goes

THE STORY OF RESEARCH AT CAROLINAResearch funding at Carolina

At $788 million, Carolina’s research funding for fiscal year 2011 was double that of fiscal year 2000 and more than triple that of 1996.

Carolina: A national leader in research Carolina’s research enterprise has doubled in the last decade, reaching nearly $800 million in extramural support last year. In a 2010 report titled The Top American Re-search Universities, Carolina ranked 6th among public universities and 30th among the world’s top 200 universities in 2010-2011, according to the London-based Times Higher Education magazine. The report, produced by the Center for Measuring Uni-versity Performance, assessed areas such as research, private support, faculty strength, and advanced training.

Based on the most recent available data, Carolina ranks:• 6th among public research universities in the nation (Top American Research

Universities, 2010)• 30th among the world’s top 200 universities (Times Higher Education, 2010)• 19th in overall R&D expenditures (National Science Foundation, 2009)• 9th among all universities in HHS expenditures, including National Institutes

of Health (National Science Foundation, 2009) Academic peersThe research institutions listed below are Carolina’s closest peers. Duke University, the only private school listed here, is both a competitor and a collaborator, and shares many of Carolina’s attributes. Frequently, these institutions compete with Carolina for research funding, faculty, and graduate students.

•DukeUniversity •UniversityofMichigan•OhioStateUniversity •UniversityofTexas•UniversityofCalifornia-Berkeley •UniversityofVirginia•UniversityofCalifornia,LosAngeles •UniversityofWashington•UniversityofFlorida •UniversityofWisconsin•UniversityofIllinoisUrbana-Champaign

Research funding and the Carolina budgetIn 2000, research funding surpassed state appropriations as a share of Carolina’s bud-get and has since continued to grow. Total research funding, from both governmental and non-governmental sources, comprised more than 30% of Carolina’s revenue last year.

GovernmentContracts & Grants

StateAppropriations& Aid

Tuition & Fees

Private Gifts & Grants

Research funding and the Carolina budget

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2

Top sources of federal funds at Carolina

Carolina compared to the UNC system

CollaborationCarolina is known for its ability to foster collaboration among disciplines and insti-tutions.Onemeasureofthisissharingresearchgrants.Infiscalyear2011,Carolina’sOfficeofSponsoredResearchreportedthattheuniversityreceived873sub-awardsfromotheracademicinstitutionsandothercollaboratorstotalingnearly$70millionand granted more than 1,000 sub-awards totaling more than $125 million. The vital role of F&A fundsFacilities-and-administrativefunds,alsoknownasF&Afunds,enableCarolinatosupport and grow its research enterprise. To maintain a leadership and competitive advantage,CarolinawillneedtoretainthefulluseofitsF&Afunds.

F&A-fundedemployeesoftenprovideservicesrequiredbystateorfederallawandregulations.ThetotalcampusF&Aexpenditurefortheadministrativeactivitiesnec-essary for research compliance is at least $13 million a year. F&A-funded stafffunds monitor the use of human subjects or laboratory animals in research, satisfy-ing federal mandates. These employees also administer research contracts and grants, fulfillreportingrequirements,overseesafetyandsecurityforresearchlabs,adminis-ter clinical trials, report and license inventions, create start-up companies, and help manageofficesandlabs.Withouttheseemployees,theuniversitycouldnotmeetitslegal obligations.

UsingF&A funds,Carolina launchesnew companies that create jobs for the state.More than 50 new companies based on Carolina inventions have been launched, sev-eral of which are developing new treatments for disease. Liquidia, for example, has received more than $50 million in venture funding and is developing highly precise particle-based vaccines and therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of human disease.F&Afundsalsosupportresearchonproblemsfacingthestateand itsbusi-nesses, including marine trades, business clusters, workforce housing and steps to pre-vent predatory lending.

In addition to the costs of compliance, Carolina must invest to grow and compete in the international marketplace for knowledge and technology. For example, Carolina usesaportionofitsF&Afundstoprovide:• Start-up funds. New faculty members use start-up funds to relocate, set up

laboratories, buy computers, obtain research animals and supplies, and conduct preliminary studies. In the sciences, the total cost of a start-up package can reach$500,000.Withoutthisinvestment,Carolinacannotattracttopfaculty.

• Matching funds.Asmallinvestmentinseedfundingcanleadtoabiggrantor launch new research. In recent years, Carolina used matching funds to help chemist Tom Meyer craft a successful proposal for the Department of Energy’s Energy Frontier Research Center competition and secure a grant from the Na-tional Science Foundation for a specialized confocal microscope that will ad-vance plant science. But compared to its peers, Carolina has a very small pool of seed funding. Increasing that pool is a priority.

• Infrastructure. Modern research requires modern tools and facilities. The cost of laboratory space ismore than double that of offices or classrooms. Sinceresearch depends on high-end computing, Carolina must also invest heavily in infrastructure and support for information technology.

The federal government provides more than 70 percent of Carolina’s external funding.

Funding sources

RESEARCH ENDEAVORS AT CAROLINA

Carolina accounts for about 60 percent of total research awards for the UNC system.

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SELECTED RESEARCH STRENGTHS

NeurosciencesCarolina’s Neuroscience Center, directed by Bill Snider, applies the powerful tools of genetics and interdisciplinary collaboration. The center has recruited scientists fromawide varietyoffieldswhoare learningmore abouthow thebrainworks,how it develops, and how its complex biology sometimes goes awry in neurological disorders and disease.

Genetics and genome sciencesCarolina has made a 10-year, $245 million commitment to develop strength in the fundamental sciences of life. Already, studies usingmousemodels and advancedcomputational and analytical techniques are revealing basic knowledge that will have direct relevance to scientists’ understanding of human biology and disease.

Health-care innovationsCarolina has broad strengths in medicine, pharmacy, and pharmacology, and is a leading force for better health care. Here are just a few examples:• Nanomedicine. Carolina faculty members are engaged in a campuswide ini-

tiative to use nanotechnology to improve human health. In 2010, Carolina was awarded a second multimillion-dollar grant from the Carolina Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence to bring Carolina physical scientists and cancer biologists together to implement nanotechnology approaches in cancer research, diagnosis, and treatment. Faculty members at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery are creating nano-scale pharmaceutical innovations for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes.

• Infectious diseases. Carolina is an international leader in infectious disease research and was ranked #10 in 2011 by U.S. News and World Report forHIV/AIDSre-search.CarolinaresearchersarefightingmalariaandHIVtransmissioninMalawi,targeting the resurgence of syphilis in China and Madagascar, and leading an in-ternationalconsortiumtodevelopanewtreatment forAfricansleepingsickness.Carolina’sCenterforInfectiousDiseaseprovidestreatmentforpatientswithHIVand other infectious diseases in N.C. hospitals and county health departments.

• Drug discovery.Researchersinpharmacyandpharmacologyarefindingnewcompounds and new drug-delivery systems. For example, pharmacy professor Kuo-Hsiung Lee has developed a drug now in clinical trials that could revolu-tionizeAIDStreatment.ThedrugisbasedonthediscoverythatacompoundinaTaiwaneseherbandinthebarkofbirchtreesinNorthAmericahasgreatpotentialinsuppressingHIV/AIDS.

Public healthCarolina’s Gillings School of Global Public Health is 1st among public universities, according to U.S. News and World Report 2011. This school is a major force in en-suring the safety and health of citizens. Its research strengths include biostatistics, environmental sciences and engineering, epidemiology, health behavior and health education, health policy, maternal and child health, and nutrition. The school is also findingwaystohelpthenationprepareforandrecoverfrombioterroristattacksandnatural disasters such as hurricanes.• The Nutrition Research Institute at the N.C. Research Campus in Kannapolis isdevotedtodiscoveringwhypeoplediffergreatlyinmetabolismandnutrientrequirements. The institute uses genomic and metabolomic biotechnology to develop innovative approaches to understanding the role of diet and activity in normal brain development, in the prevention of cancer, and in the prevention and treatment of obesity and eating disorders.

Carolina’s Chapel Hill Analytical and Nanofabrication Laboratory in the Institute for Advanced Materials, Na-noscience and Technology gives researchers and artists access to some of the most powerful imaging tools and equipment available.

The journal Science named Myron Cohen’s HIV preven-tion research the 2011 Breakthrough of the Year. The study showed that early treatment with antiretroviral drugs—that is, drugs that attack retroviruses such as HIV—can effectively prevent the transmission of the virus.

Undergraduates work with marine scientist Tony Ro-driguez to set up a Lidar laser imaging unit to map the beach. By comparing their images to post-storm images, they will determine damage and changes to the North Carolina coastline.

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Lab-on-a-chip technology pioneered by Michael Ramsey’s lab could revolutionize the way liquid samples are analyzed.

The FPG Child Development Institute is reinventing school entry for young children. First School, based on decades of research in early childhood development, begins at age 3 and extends through second grade.

Using SOAR and PROMPT telescopes, astronomer Daniel Reichart and four of his students discovered this stel-lar explosion, the most distant and oldest event in the universe. Carolina undergraduate Josh Haislip was listed as first author on the research publication about the discovery.

Education Researchers at Carolina strive to understand the factors that enable learning and overcome barriers to education. Here are just a few examples:• Rural education. The School of Education used a federal grant to establish the

National Research Center on Rural Education Support, which merges a focus onteacherqualitywiththeuseoftechnologyinruralschools.Otherinitiativestargeting rural areas include a $3.4 million grant to support rural K-1 teachers working with struggling readers and targeted intervention programs for at-risk populations.

• Child development. Scientists at the FPG Child Development Institute study issues facing young children and their families. FPG’s measures of child-care environments have become the most widely used in the world. FPG researchers are investigating autism spectrum disorders and Fragile X syndrome, the most common known cause of mental retardation.

Astrophysics and astronomyCarolina faculty and students study the skies from several new vantage points. Caro-linaisapartnerinSOAR,afour-metertelescopeatopCerroPachoninnorthernChile,andPROMPT,anarrayofsix16-inchrobotictelescopesatopCerroTololo.Carolina also has a 3 percent share in the largest telescope in the southern hemi-sphere,SALT(SouthernAfricanLargeTelescope),about300milesnorthofCapeTown.SOAR,PROMPT,andSALTcanbeoperatedremotelybyCarolinafacultyand students and are used as teaching aids and in public outreach initiatives.

New materials and processesIn2011Carolinawasranked7th in research by Small Times, a business trade maga-zine, among the top U.S. universities for its work in nanotechnology and microtech-nology research. Chemists, physicists, and computer scientists are developing new materials and processes that will drive innovation and economic growth. Examples:• Fuel cells and tiny particles. Joe DeSimone, Chancellor’s Eminent Professor of

Chemistry, creates new materials for use in the membranes of fuel cells. DeSim-one’s group also created the world’s tiniest manufactured particles for delivering drugs or genetic material.

• Lab on a chip. Michael Ramsey, Minnie N. Goldby Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, conducts pioneering research in miniaturizing and automating lab processes. His work has applications for everything from drug discovery to environmental monitoring. Ramsey helped create the concept of a “lab on a chip,” which allows lab tests to be performed in miniature on tiny silicon, glass, or plastic chips.

• Nanotechnology. Richard Superfine, Bowman andGordonGray Professor,condensed matter physics, biophysics and microscopy, is advancing the science of the very small in big ways. Nanotechnology has great potential to improve applications as diverse as x-ray machines, computer screens, and drug delivery.

Social sciencesCarolina is known for its strength in the social sciences. For example:• SociologistsplayaleadingroleintheNationalLongitudinalStudyofAdoles-

cent Health, which explores the causes of health-related behaviors of adoles-cents and their outcomes in young adulthood.

• Population studies. Carolina is a national leader in the studies of human popu-lations around the world. Much of this work is coordinated by the Carolina Population Center, which supports research on issues such as fertility, mortality, migration,marriage,andhealth,andhoweachisaffectedbysocial,economic,and cultural forces.

SELECTED RESEARCH STRENGTHS

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 5

UNC School, FY 2011 Granted ReceivedAppalachian State 82,173 138,843

East Carolina 718,159 193,366

NC A&T 116,382 0

NC Central 72,372 178,718

NC State 3,569,642 2,315,174

UNC-Charlotte 765,781 0

UNC-Greensboro 349,971 3,807,406

UNC-Wilmington 114,194 169,000

UNC-Pembroke 71,885 0

Total $5,914,578 $7,551,912

Carolina’s collaborative research with other UNC schools

Computer scienceCarolina’s computer science department—one of the oldest in the country—is re-nowned for its simulation, virtual environments, and cyber-security research. Caro-lina faculty are working to solve real-world challenges, including military training for modern urban warfare, improved medical treatments through the use of medical imagecomputingandrobotics,andnetworksecurityforfinancialinstitutions.

Researchers at RENCI, a multi-institutional high-performance computing and technology center headquartered at Carolina, create visualizations that provide new knowledge about large data sets ranging from storm surge models, to urban growth patterns, to a better understanding of how pollutants disperse in the atmosphere and gene therapies are used to treat muscular dystrophy. RENCI has a statewide presence with facilities at North Carolina State University, East Carolina University, UNC-Asheville,UNC-Charlotte,andDukeUniversity.

Arts and humanitiesOverthepastfiveyears,Carolinahasreceivednearly$1.24millioninNationalEn-dowment for the Humanities research support across multiple disciplines including romance languages, classics, history, and English and comparative literature. Two recentexamplesincludetheAncientWorldMappingCenter,amultilingualonlineworkspace for updating and expanding information about ancient geography, and Main Street Carolina, a free, open-source, web-based tool that enables entities across North Carolina to preserve and share the history of downtowns over the past cen-tury.

Marine sciencesCarolina marine scientists have discovered hundreds of new species and genera of marinefungi,andevendiscoveredthefirstmembersofanentirelyneworder—Ko-ralionastetales. Carolina faculty members’ research protects coastal marine resources from North Carolina to China, and their work shapes the policies of government, businesses, and marine industries.

Computer scientists at Carolina create models to show how wind patterns in cities disperse odors and toxins from accidents or terrorist attacks. Above: The geometry of Manhattan’s buildings create complex wind patterns.

Carolina’s library system is consistently ranked among the top 20 nationally, and is one of the leading research libraries in the South. Above: Conservator Jan Paris pieces together a 1795 letter from the library’s special collections.

SELECTED RESEARCH STRENGTHS

Pianist Mayron Tsong performed selections of her first album at Carnegie Hall. Her research on Haydn sonatas will be included in her second album.

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INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Economic impactExpenditures resulting from research funding at Carolina cycle through the state and local economies, transforming federal funds into revenue for North Carolina residentsandbusinesses.UsingU.S.governmentmultipliers,Carolina’s$788mil-lion in research funding generated at least $945 million in economic impact and more than 13,000 jobs.

Centers and institutes Research centers and institutes contribute to the intellectual climate at Carolina. They also boost the state’s economy by attracting external funding and by helping North Carolina communities and businesses compete for economic development opportunities.In2010,centersandinstitutesreportingtotheViceChancellorforResearchhadcombinedstatesupportof$7,082,438,andbroughtin$145,018,222in external grants and contracts—approximately $20 of research funding for each $1 of state support. The impact of Carolina’s research centers and institutes extends across thestateandbeyond—including3,879activeresearchandserviceprojectsand 1,120 jobs in North Carolina alone.

Innovation and entrepreneurshipCarolina is the nation’s top university for fostering entrepreneurship across campus, ac-cording to The Princeton Review and Forbes.com. Carolina’s culture of innovation was acceleratedbytheCarolinaEntrepreneurialInitiative(CEI),afive-yearinitiativefundedinpartbytheEwingMarionKauffmanFoundationtodevelopandlaunchentrepreneur-ship programs for faculty and students. Many CEI projects continue to thrive, including newentrepreneurshipcertificatesandminors,businessaccelerators,andentrepreneurialsupportforuniversityspin-offs.In2010theuniversitylaunchedtheInnovate@CarolinaCampaign to implement the next generation of cross-campus entrepreneurship initia-tives, ranging from scholarships and endowed professorships to seed funding for the most promisinginnovationsatCarolina.OthereffortsincludeCarolinaKickStart(aprogramto help Carolina faculty commercialize their technology), the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at Kenan-Flagler Business School, and the Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network.

Technology developmentTheOfficeofTechnologyDevelopmentworkswithfacultyinventorstodevelopandlicense promising intellectual property and to form companies that have strong po-tential in the marketplace. More than 50 companies based on Carolina inventions have been launched. Carolina’s patents, reports of inventions, technologies licensed, and revenue continue to increase each year. Highlights from 2010 include:• 125 invention disclosuresfiled• 125 patent applicationsfiled• 27 new U.S. patents issued to the university in the past year, bringing its num-

ber of U.S. and foreign patents to more than 1,000• 41 inventions licensed• $2.6 million in license income

In 2010, the university launched the Carolina Express License Agreement(CELA),anewlicensingprocessforcommercializinguniversityresearch.CELAsetsstandardterms and fees that require minimal payment and obligations by Carolina start-ups, and allows them to function independently of the university when seeking approvals for sub-license agreements. By streamlining negotiations during the start-up phase, CELAwillmakeCarolinastart-upsevenmoreattractivetoinvestorsandpartners.

Oncologist Norman Sharpless founded G-Zero to capi-talize on discoveries made and patented by his lab at Carolina.

Clinical Sensors was founded by chemist Mark Schoen-fisch. The company will provide nitric oxide sensors for early detection of sepsis, the leading cause of death in noncardiac intensive-care units.

Using a $3.63 million gift from the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, Carolina and other Triangle universities launched the Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network to help the Research Triangle become headquarters for high-growth companies with the greatest potential to create new jobs.

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RESEARCH AS LEARNING

Darin Waters, a doctoral student in the history depart-ment, debunked a widespread misconception about North Carolina’s Biltmore Estate: George Vanderbilt did not force African Americans from their land in order to build the house. In fact, the partnerships he formed with black leaders helped form Asheville as it’s known today.

Chemist Kevin Weeks and postdoc Joseph Watts made the cover of Nature, one of the most prestigious journals in the world, when they created the first complete map of the HIV genome’s intricate structure.

Research and studentsAtCarolina, research is first and foremost a way of learning. Training graduate students is a primary reason for university research, and undergraduates—includ-ingDianaGergel—learnbyexperiencingfirsthandtheprocessofdiscoveringnewknowledge. Gergelwonacompetitive$5,000JohnW.PopeSummerResearchFellowshiphersophomore year. It funded her work for a summer, during which she worked for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and conducted research at the Library of Con-gressonSouthAfrica’sTruthandReconciliationCommission.Thenextsummer,shewenttoCapeTown,SouthAfrica,tocompleteherresearchonsurvivors’memoriesof apartheid and their experiences with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the topic of her honors thesis. Lastyear,over62percentofgraduatingseniorsconductedoriginalresearchaspartof theircourseworkatCarolina.AndmanystudentssuchasGergelpublishtheirfindingsintop-ratedjournals,andfacultyreportthatpilotprojectsbystudentsoftenlead to external research grants. In 2010, Carolina received a $1.3 million award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to create even more undergraduate re-searchopportunities,specificallyinthefieldofbiomedicalresearch.

Graduate education and researchDevin Barrett, a doctoral student in the Department of Chemistry, is exploring unconventionalwaystoofferhopeandalternativesforpatientswhoneedtissueororgantransplants.Whilemorethan100,000peopleintheU.S.needtheselifesavingsurgeries, most—including 3,000 in North Carolina alone—are forced onto waiting lists. Barrett’s research on tissue engineering and the biodegradable polymers he de-signedfromnaturallyoccurringmoleculesmayleadtoanewwaytocreateartificialorgans and save thousands of lives. At any researchuniversity, graduate students such asBarrett are a criticalpart of theworkforce for research. In2010,1,856Carolina graduate studentswere employed asresearchassistants,workinginlabs,conductingfieldwork,andcollectingdata.Carolina competes with its peers for talented graduate students. To maintain excellence in re-search,theuniversitymustoffercompetitivecompensationforresearchandteachingas-sistants,includingtuitionremissions.AfewfactsaboutgraduateeducationatCarolina:• 8,325graduatestudentsand2,486professionalstudentsenrolledinfall2010.• 89graduateprogramsoffer66doctoraland102master’sdegrees.• Graduateandprofessionalstudentsmakeup37percentofenrolledstudents.• Morethan10percentofthesestudentscomefromunderrepresentedgroups.• 14percentofgraduateandprofessionalstudentsareinternational.

Postdoctoral scholarsPostdoctoral scholars—researchers who have earned doctoral degrees and are en-gaged in temporary mentored research—have a vital role in the research enterprise. JosephWattswasapostdocatCarolinawhenhe,KevinWeeks,andtheircolleaguescreatedthefirstmapoftheHIVgenome’sintricatestructurein2009.Theirworkwill lead to a better understanding of how this virus grows and replicates. Wattsandotherskilledpostdocsextend the value of senior scientists, greatly ex-panding the scope of faculty research programs. There are currently nearly 1,000 postdocs at Carolina, each contributing to the intellectual life of the university by making discoveries, inventing new technologies, and sharing new ideas.

Zena Cardman, an undergraduate biology student, received funding from the UNC Burch Fellows Program and the North Carolina Space Grant to conduct research in British Columbia and the Canadian Arctic, where she also filmed high-definition footage for the PBS television series NOVA.

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FACULTY EXCELLENCE

Geneticist Oliver Smithies, inventor of gel electropho-resis and one of the first scientists to isolate a gene, was awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. At 86, he works in his lab every day and still conducts experiments himself.

National academies and learned societiesCarolina’s faculty members are distinguished by their academic accomplishments. The university ranks 15th among public research institutions in terms of members intheNationalAcademies,includingtheNationalAcademyofSciences(11),theNationalAcademyofEngineering(5),andtheInstituteofMedicine(20).Some34CarolinafacultyaremembersoftheAmericanAcademyofArtsandSciences.

Prestigious external awardsCarolina ranks 9th among U.S. public research institutions in terms of prestigious awards received by faculty in the arts, humanities, sciences, and health. Recent ex-amples include:• Kevin Guskiewicz, Kenan Distinguished Professor and chair of the Depart-mentofExerciseandSportScience,wasawardedaMacArthurFellowshipforhis research on concussions in contact sports and the military. Guskiewicz will use the $500,000, no-strings-attached award to expand on his work to develop injury-prevention strategies and rehabilitation protocols.

• Ben Major, assistant professor of cell and developmental biology, was awarded aNationalInstitutesofHealthDirector’sNewInnovatorAward.The$1.5mil-lion grant will help Major identify the full complement of genes that function-allycontributetospecificcellularanddiseaseprocesses,suchascancer.

• Derek Chiang, assistant professor of genetics at the School of Medicine, re-ceivedaresearchfellowshipforoutstandingearly-careerscientistsfromtheAl-fred P. Sloan Foundation. Chiang is working to understand how mistakes in the DNAandRNAoftumorscanbeanalyzedtodesignbettercancertherapies.

• Wei You, assistant professor of chemistry, received the Faculty Early Career DevelopmentAwardfromtheNationalScienceFoundation,oneofNSF’smostprestigious awards. The funds will support You’s research in developing solar cellswithhighenergy-conversionefficiencyandlowproductioncosts.

Advisors to federal agenciesMany Carolina faculty members serve on federal advisory committees that help shape the programs and policies of the federal government. These committee members pro-vide expertise and professional skills that parallel the program responsibilities of their sponsoring agencies. These faculty are the public’s voice in the federal government’s decision-makingprocess.TheOfficeofFederalAffairsmaintainsanonlinedatabaseoffacultyservingonthesepanelsandboards:http://cfx3.research.unc.edu/facr/.

Competing for talentExcellent faculty are the university’s greatest asset, and without them, the quality of teachingatCarolinawill suffer.Facultyresearchimprovestheeducationalexperi-ence for students and brings outside revenue to the campus. Despite the economic downturn, Carolina competed strongly with outside employers for talented faculty membersin2009.Outof78externaloffers—almost50percentmorethaninanaverageyear—Carolinaretained24faculty,didnotcontest19offers,didnothavefundingtocompeteforseven,andlost28.Carolina’sretentionsuccessratewas46percent.During2004-2008,theuniversity’saverageretentionratewas65percent.

Inscientificresearch,start-uppackagesareamajorinvestmentinfacultyexcellence.Inchemistry,forexample,astart-uppackagemayaverage$770,000.Buttheaver-age grant carried by faculty in chemistry is $444,000, and researchers secure many grants during their careers. Carolina faculty members not only provide a return on investment—they conduct research that powers economic growth and improves the health and welfare of North Carolina citizens.

Chemist Joseph DeSimone was awarded the 2008 Lemel-son-MIT prize for his long list of innovations, including a polymer-based stent, a better way to make Teflon, and PRINT technology, which creates nanoparticles that carry medicine to specific parts of the body.

Kevin Guskiewicz, one of the country’s leading experts on concussions, was named a 2011 MacArthur Fellow, an award given to talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality, creativity, and the potential to make important future contributions. Fellows each receive $500,000 in “no strings attached” support over the next five years.

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The Cancer Research Fund Carolina ranks in the top 15 nationally for cancer-research funding and is home to the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center—one of 39 National Cancer Institute-designatedComprehensiveCancerCenters.In2007theNorthCarolinaGeneralAssemblyestablishedtheUniversityCancerResearchFundtoadvanceun-derstanding of the causes and course of cancer, to devise new treatment methods and to improve cancer care, screening and prevention. The fund directed $25 million to Carolinain2007-08,$40millionin2008-09and$50millionannuallystartingin2009-10.ThefundhasenabledCarolinatohire67newfacultymembersandretain14 others. Support for cancer research coincided with the 2009 opening of the $180 million North Carolina Cancer Hospital, clinical home of the Lineberger Cancer Center and the state’s only public cancer hospital.

Solar Energy Research Center Carolina’sSolarEnergyResearchCenterwasawardedafive-year,$17.5millionEn-ergy Frontiers Research Center (EFRC) grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The Solar Fuels and Next Generation Photovoltaics EFRC at Carolina will focus on innovative interdisciplinary research, including the synthesis of new molecular cata-lysts and light absorbers and integration into nanoscale architectures for improved generationof fuels andelectricity from sunlight.Thecenter isoneof46EFRCsnationwide to accelerate breakthroughs for advanced energy technology develop-ment and will involve more than 20 faculty, 30 postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, and collaborations with scientists from multiple universities.

North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute (NC TraCS)In2008,CarolinawonaClinicalandTranslationalScienceAwardof$4.3millionperyearforfiveyears.Carolina’snewNCTraCSisoneof55medicalresearchinsti-tutions that work together as a national consortium to improve the way biomedical research is conducted across the country. The consortium improves health outcomes by reducing the time it takes for laboratory discoveries to become treatments for patients,engagescommunitiesinclinicalresearchefforts,andtrainsthenextgenera-tion of clinical and translational researchers. Carolina KickStart, housed within NC TraCS, accelerates university start-ups through education, mentoring, funding, and incubatingCarolinaspin-offcompanies.

UNC Water InstituteIn 2010, the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health launched the UNC WaterInstitute,aninterdisciplinaryefforttosolvethemostcriticalglobalissuesinwater health and development. The institute will focus on tackling problems that impede effective actionon importantwater andhealth issues, teaching,outreachand training programs to solve water problems, and providing balanced, objective information on the interface between water, health, and development.

National Children’s StudyThe Carolina Population Center is coordinating a team of researchers from Carolina, Duke University and the Battelle Memorial Institute to implement the National Children’s Study (NCS) in multiple counties in North Carolina, including Durham and Duplin counties. The NCS is the largest long-term study of how the environ-mentandgenesaffectchildren’shealtheverdoneintheUnitedStates.Theresearch-ers hope to better understand how children’s genes and their environments work togethertoaffecttheirhealthanddevelopment.

NEW INITIATIVES

A $17.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy in 2009 is helping Carolina’s Solar Energy Research Center to combat the world’s dependence on fossil fuels through artificial photosynthesis and next-generation organic and hybrid photovoltaics. Above: MegaWatt Solar is a UNC spin-off company.

Carolina was one of six universities, and the only one in the South, to embark on the National Children’s Study, a comprehensive study of the environment’s effects on children. The NIH-funded project is led by faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences, the Gillings School of Global Public Health, and the Carolina Population Center.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION

The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research supports research at Carolina. For more information, please contact: Barbara Entwisle ViceChancellorforResearchentwisle@unc.edu919-962-1319

Robin CyrisAssociateViceChancellorforResearchandDirectoroftheOfficeofSponsored Research.robin_cyr@unc.edu919-843-7780

Andy Johns,AssociateViceChancellorforResearch,overseestheOfficeofInforma-tionSystemsandManagementandtheOfficeofClinicalTrials.andy_johns@unc.edu919-962-8253

Robert Lowman isAssociateViceChancellorforResearch.Heoverseestheareasof research policy and planning, training, infrastructure, regulatory compliance (in-cluding laboratory animals and research integrity) and intramural small grants.lowman@unc.edu919-962-7757

Karen Regan,AssociateViceChancellorforResearch,overseestheOfficesofRe-searchCommunications,ResearchDevelopment,PostdoctoralAffairs,andFederalAffairs.karenregan@unc.edu919-962-5916

Visit the research-support offices online:ViceChancellor’sOffice:http://research.unc.edu/red/DivisionofLaboratoryAnimalMedicine:http://research.unc.edu/offices/laborato-ry-animal-medicine/OfficeofFederalAffairs:http://research.unc.edu/federal/InstitutionalAnimalCareandUseCommittee:http://research.unc.edu/iacuc/OfficeofClinicalTrials:http://research.unc.edu/oct/OfficeofHumanResearchEthics:http://research.unc.edu/ohre/OfficeofResearchCommunications:http://research.unc.edu/orc/OfficeofPostdoctoralAffairs:http://postdocs.unc.edu/OfficeofResearchDevelopment:http://research.unc.edu/ord/ GrantSourceLibrary:http://research.unc.edu/grantsource/OfficeofSponsoredResearch:http://research.unc.edu/osr/OfficeofTechnologyDevelopment:http://research.unc.edu/otd/

Prepared by the Office of Research Communications, January 2012

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It looks like a solar eclipse in outer space, complete with stars and celestial dust in the background. But this is actually a polymer shell filled with gas—a microbubble. Scientists can inject microbubbles into an organism to amplify ultrasounds on organs and other tissue. Darkfield microscopy image. Natalia Lebedeva is a research associate and Aleksandr Zhushma is a doctoral student, both in the Department of Chemistry.