Hey undergrads, stop by the student union to get involved in Carolina’s research community! The fair will feature over 25 research labs and projects, and UNC-Chapel Hill has a type of research that will pique your interest.
Visit the Carolina Union Great Hall to get an up-close look at what some of our researchers do and see how you can get involved.
Join us for an afternoon of demonstrations, interactive experiments, and a look behind the scenes at how discoveries are made in the lab and beyond.
This is an in-person, CLE Credit event.
Fair Participants:
Office for Undergraduate Research
At the Office for Undergraduate Research (OUR), we believe that students who engage in research during their college careers are better prepared to collaborate with others to improve our world and to become tomorrow’s leaders. We help undergraduates get connected to the larger Carolina research community, find research funding, and share their research with others.
Office of Research Communications
The Office of Research Communications conveys the value of research conducted at Carolina to the university community, the citizens of North Carolina, and interested and invested parties across the nation and world. The office provides communication services to the Office of Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR) and its administrative units, supports the communication efforts of the OVCR’s centers and institutes, maintains resources for the Carolina research community on the UNC Research website, and publishes the award-winning UNC Research Stories magazine.
Psychology of Sport Injury Lab
The Psychology of Sport Injury Lab engages in patient-centered and clinician-focused research to improve return to sport, reduce secondary injuries, and improve overall quality of life before and after sport-related injury.
Experimental Engineering Lab
The Experimental Engineering Lab gives undergraduate students opportunities to participate in research that crosses traditional departmental boundaries and connects computing, engineering, fabrication, immersive technology, and scientific inquiry. Projects range from student-generated ideas to collaborations with faculty across campus. The lab also brings this work into credit-bearing courses in which students learn specialized technical skills, conduct mentored research, and lead research teams.
Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences Department
The Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences Department offers an immersive exploration of our planet’s interconnected systems, equipping students to tackle urgent global challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss. Our students explore, understand, and protect our natural world with hands-on learning and cutting-edge research.
Institute of Marine Sciences
UNC-CH’s Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS) was launched in 1947 in Morehead City, NC, with a purpose to provide “service to the State through basic and applied research”. In 2021 IMS became part of the new department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences (EMES), providing opportunities to expand IMS’s academic and research roles within the UNC-CH community.
Today, IMS remains UNC-CH’s vanguard for meeting environmental challenges facing our coast. Fitting the academic reputation of UNC-CH, IMS is also a physical and conceptual center of gravity for engagement with coastal communities in eastern NC.
Freeman Lab
The Freeman Lab is an interdisciplinary team seeking to develop novel designer materials using self-assembling biological components. Principal Investigator Dr. Ronit Freeman takes an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach to science discovery and innovation, as reflected in the diverse backgrounds of our team members and collaborators.
Drawing from experience in chemistry, nanotechnology, materials science, engineering, biology, and medicine, we manipulate DNA and peptides to exert fine structural control from the nanoscale to the macroscale and produce hierarchical self-assembled architectures with diverse functionalities. The resulting materials can reconfigure across length scales and are able to uniquely interface with proteins and cells, with exciting applications in regenerative medicine, targeted drug delivery, biomolecular sensors, and point-of-care diagnostics.
Bioelectronics, Automation & Intelligence Lab (BAI lab)
The Bai lab focuses on both fundamental and applied study of soft materials, nanomaterials, and integrated systems, including assembly and manufacturing approaches to enable hybrid integration of multimaterials towards high-performance electronic and photonic systems, the development of new technology that can intelligently immerse electronics and photonics into biological systems, and the creation of new tools and devices to address unmet clinical needs and improve human healthcare and sustainability.
BeAM (Be a Maker) Makerspace Network
BeAM@CAROLINA is a network of makerspaces where you can join the UNC maker community in the design and making of physical objects for education, research, entrepreneurship and recreation.
You can participate in open studios, training sessions, workshops, host classes and group activities in spaces equipped with emerging technologies like 3D printing as well as wood and metalworking shops.
We aim to make everyone feel empowered to reach their full making potential – if you’re interested in making, you belong at BeAM.
Behavior and Biodiversity Lab
The Behavior and Biodiversity Lab seeks to understand the role of behavior in the origins, maintenance, and distribution of diversity. Our work is particularly focused on the evolution of mate choice and its role in the formation and maintenance of species boundaries.
We study mate choice, because mate choice is one of the most critical behaviors affecting lifetime fitness. As such, it is both under strong selection and is a potent selective force. Mate choice is therefore ideally suited for studying the evolution of behavior and its evolutionary and ecological consequences.
Physical Mathematics Lab
At the Physical Mathematics Lab, we have assembled a multidisciplinary research group that in-tegrates theory and simulation with in-house experiments to uncover new physical phenomena and rationalize them me-chanistically. We believe that creative ideas and genuine understanding emerge from the dialogue between mathematics and experiment, from the analysis of equations and simulations to direct observation in the laboratory. To that end, we maintain a fully equipped wet lab within the Department of Mathematics, where we design and perform controlled experiments that both inform and challenge our theoretical models.
Quantum Spin-Wave Lab
In the Quantum Spin-Wave Lab, our research topics explore a broad range of magnetism and spintronics phenomena. We examine the properties of quantum-mechanical effects of electron spins such as their novel magnetic textures and spin-orbit effects, rather than conventional electron charge, to seek potential optimization of low-power, high-capability electronics devices. Recent focus has been on spin-orbitronics, magnonics, spintronic-THz sciences, and 2D magnetism.
Students in the lab will become experts in many different nanofabrication techniques, such as lithography, evaporation, and sputtering. We also use various device and material characterization techniques, such as ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy (FMR) and optical spectroscopies.
Graduate Costume Production Program
The purpose of the Master of Fine Arts program in Costume Production is to develop the skills and attitudes needed for a professional or educational career in the costume arts. The program is dedicated to the training of the theatre artist who is responsible for the realization of the designer’s vision.
The MFA in Costume Production is a three-year degree encompassing a broad range of costume courses, but the emphasis of the program is on the knowledge and skills necessary to produce costumes for the stage.
Graduate Technical Production Program
The purpose of the Master of Fine Arts degree in Technical Production is to train the candidate for a career in corporate, regional, or educational Theater. The three-year program is organized to prepare the candidate to assume responsibility for the entire production process from technical drawings through strike. This is achieved through classes and modules that include training in AutoCAD, construction, structural design, metalworking processes, rigging, electronics, mechanical systems and shop management.
HHIVE Lab (Health & Humanities: An Interdisciplinary Venue for Exploration)
Housed in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at UNC-Chapel Hill, the HHIVE Lab and affiliated curricula extend beyond departmental boundaries to harnesses the energy, talent, and knowledge of Carolina faculty, staff, and students working at the intersection of the humanities, the arts, and the health sciences. The HHIVE Lab is a space for innovative research, curricular, and programming.
Research Labs of Archaeology
Founded in 1939, the Research Laboratories of Archaeology (RLA) was the first center for the study of North Carolina archaeology. Serving the interests of students, scholars, and the general public, it is currently one of the leading institutes for archaeological teaching and research in the South. Located within the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s College of Arts and Sciences, it provides support for faculty and students working not only in North Carolina, but also throughout the Americas and overseas. It is also the institutional home of the Curriculum in Archaeology.
Sports Analytics Intelligence Lab (SAIL)
The Sports Analytics Intelligence Lab (SAIL) is a research group in the Department of Statistics and Operations Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill dedicated to using statistics to better understand sports. Bringing together faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students across several disciplines, SAIL supports the University’s athletics programs through collaborative projects, advances the field through independent scholarly research, and shares sports analytics knowledge with the broader university community through guest speakers and technical workshops. Data is transforming the way that teams, athletes, and fans think about sports. SAIL is committed to helping shape what comes next.
Southern Oral History Program
Located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Southern Oral History Program is committed to the power of memory, voice, and storytelling that informs our evolving ideas about the people and cultures of the American South.
Global Social Development Innovations
Global Social Development Innovations (GSDI) is a research center at the School of Social Work. GSDI’s mission is to generate evidence to advance youth well-being, globally.
Our work focuses on youth development in the digital age using the positive youth development framework. The PYD framework recognizes that for young people to become healthy, productive and engaged, programs, practices, and policies must partner with young people to improve their assets, agency, contributions, and enabling environment. Additionally, we recognize that in order to effectively engage young people we must not focus on ”fixing” behaviors but rather, we must build the connection, confidence, character, contributions, and competence of all young people.
Bullying Prevention
Dorothy Espelage has studied bullying and how to prevent it for over 30 years. The UNC School of Education William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of Education noticed only three states had anti-bullying laws in the 1990s, and her advocacy has helped all 50 states adopt similar laws. Read about Espelage’s research.
School of Data and Information Sciences
The School of Data and Information Sciences (SDIS) was founded in 2026 by joining the School of Information and Library Science (1931) and the School of Data Science and Society (2022). SDIS brings together longstanding excellence in information and library science with leadership in data science, including computational and statistical methods, and societal applications.
Home to a top-ranked library and information science program, SDIS is recognized for strong teaching, research and service and is the host to the Carolina Health Informatics Program (CHIP) and the Center for Information, Technology and Public Life (CITAP). The School teaches and trains undergraduate and graduate students in data science, health informatics, information science and library science, as well as offers certificates for adult learners. SDIS conducts research and scholarship across the data and information life cycle, with an emphasis on human-centric, ethical and applied approaches. Committed to data, information and AI literacy for all Tar Heels, SDIS faculty are tackling our communities’ most pressing needs and our world’s most intractable challenges.
Food Allergy Initiative
The UNC Food Allergy Initiative (UNCFAI) was established to address the growing needs of children and adults with food allergy. Since 2015, the UNCFAI has been involved in over 25 food allergy studies and is a proud member of the NIH Consortium for Food Allergy Research (CoFAR) as well as a Discovery Center of Distinction within the FARE Clinical Network.
Institute for the Environment
The Institute for the Environment fosters and conducts collaborations with faculty, students and staff across the university to identify and solve the world’s environmental challenges and sustain and improve the environment. Their mission is to become a global leader in catalyzing innovative environmental research and harnessing the research output to educate tomorrow’s leaders, engage communities and meet environmental, energy and development challenges.
Center for Galapagos Studies
The Center for Galapagos Studies (CGS) seeks to integrate research, education, and outreach through a seamless transition between the classroom, field, and laboratory. It leverages the unique infrastructure of the Galapagos Science Center, along with a diverse, multidisciplinary network of scientists from UNC-Chapel Hill, Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), and other partner institutions.
The Galapagos Science Center (GSC), located on San Cristobal Island in Ecuador, is jointly administered by UNC’s Center for Galapagos Studies and the USFQ. As the only institution of its kind in the Galapagos archipelago, it represents a model of international cooperation in higher education. The 20,000-square-foot facility offers a distinctive opportunity to enrich understanding of coupled human and natural systems within a globally renowned Galapagos National Park, Marine Reserve, and World Heritage Site.
Commemorating 15 years of the Galapagos Science Center since its opening on May 16, 2011.
Carolina Drone Lab
The Carolina Drone Lab (CARDNL) is a research lab within the UNC Institute for the Environment focused on the innovative use of remote sensing and unoccupied aerial systems (UAS) to address environmental challenges. CARDNL is a continuously-evolving resource for collaborators both within the UNC community and beyond.
Institute for Risk Management and Insurance Innovation
The Institute for Risk Management and Insurance Innovation (IRMII) is a multidisciplinary research and innovation hub, bringing together student researchers, academic leaders, and industry professionals to develop creative solutions for managing the financial risks arising from a growing number of threats, ranging from extreme weather to cybersecurity, faced by communities across the globe.
Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
The UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention addresses pressing health problems by collaborating with communities to conduct research, provide training, and translate research findings into policy and practice. The Center seeks to reduce health disparities through an emphasis on community-engaged research. HPDP was selected to be one of the first three Prevention Research Centers (PRCs) in 1986. Now comprised of 20 academic institutions, the PRC program is an interdependent network of community, academic, and public health partners that conduct prevention research and promote practices proven to promote good health.
Sensible
Sensible, a startup founded by Carolina students, is developing a pad-attachable patch that turns menstrual blood into wellness signals during everyday use. Its patent-pending diagnostic technology could enable earlier detection of conditions like endometriosis without invasive testing. With funding support from Innovate Carolina and mentorship from Launch Chapel Hill, three of the company’s leaders attended the ACC Inventure Prize at Notre Dame University: Nandini Kanthi (neuroscience and community and global public health; CEO at Sensible), Vaishnavi Kode (economics and biology; Vice President of Growth at Sensible) and Vrutika Soneji (health policy and management and neuroscience; COO at Sensible). Other founders of Sensible include Juliet Wu (undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, CFO at Sensible) and Ishita Bafna (senior at Enloe High School in Raleigh; CTO at Sensible). Copy credit to Innovate Carolina.
Engineering at Carolina
Join Engineering at Carolina (E@C) to learn and practice the engineering mindset with students from every major, and build solutions to global challenges with fellow innovators. E@C is centered around the Applied Sciences major and is affiliated with the Department of Applied Physical Sciences, but this organization strives to connect students of every major (no experience required) with the entire Carolina community to make positive impacts via technology and brain power. Our meetings consist of guest lecturers, technical skill workshops, research topics, design competitions, recruiter meet-and-greets, and anything Engineering related. We also host Engineers Week at UNC annually.