Faculty Excellence

Kirill Afonin, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, and M. Brittany Johnson, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, were featured in Newswise for their research on  nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs), which are highly effective in drug or vaccine delivery. The Klein College of Science researchers, along with Drs. Dobrovolskaia’s (NCI) and Zakharov’s (NCATS) teams, have developed new applications […]

Jordan C. Poler, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, was featured as the cover story on WBTV’s “On Your Side Tonight” to discuss his innovations on filtering forever chemicals from water supplies with a purification method he designed. Poler spoke with reporter Natisha Lance to explain how his innovation, funded last year as one of eight grants […]

Jordan C. Poler, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, discussed his innovations to remove harmful and forever chemicals from drinking water with the Costal Review. Poler’s research is funded in part by a grant from NC Innovation. The purification system developed by the Poler Research Group cleans per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, and other toxins such […]

Ishwar D. Aggarwal, Ph.D., research professor in the Klein College of Science, was elected to the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) 2024 Class of Fellows. He will be inducted during the 14th annual NAI meeting in June 2025 among an elite group of researchers across a variety of government and non-profit research institutions. Aggarwal has […]

Sarah Stellwagen, Ph.D., assistant professor of biological sciences, was quoted extensively in an article from the Charlotte Observer about the issues from insects as communities recover from Hurricane Helene. In the article “Helene wrecked their Western NC towns and homes. Then came the bees and fire ants,” Stellwagen reflected on the challenges posed to humans […]

Kristen Funk, Ph.D., assistant professor of biological sciences, was quoted in an article from the Washington Post on some new research that links an increased risk of dementia to serious infections including flu, herpes and respiratory tract infections. Funk weighed in on the findings from other researchers as an expert on neuroinflammation of neuroinfectious and […]

On September 6, Susan K. Michael, senior lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, was awarded the 2024 UNC Charlotte Award for Teaching Excellence. The UNC Charlotte Award for Teaching Excellence is one of the most important and prestigious traditions at UNC Charlotte, honoring outstanding non-tenure track teachers on campus. John Taylor, teaching professor in the […]

The UNC Charlotte Award for Teaching Excellence honors outstanding non-tenure track teachers on our campus and provides an example of the University’s commitment to excellence in teaching. This year, two College of Science faculty have been named as finalists for the award and one was recognized with an honorable mention. The winner of the award will be […]

When a subdivision in Union County grew increasingly concerned over a bright red storm water pond, a news station turned to the UNC Charlotte College of Science to get expert answers. Residents reported the Indian Trail neighborhood’s homeowners association was unresponsive over their concerns that the pond could contain a toxic red algae bloom. With […]

Jordan Poler, professor of chemistry, has been awarded a grant through a pilot program from NCInnovation.  He is one of two UNC Charlotte faculty selected for the funding and among eight researchers chosen from the UNC System. The grant will allow Poler to expand on his team’s recent innovations in water purification that have led to […]