Research

Keeping her native land of Bangladesh close to her heart, Farida Yasmin has come to UNC Charlotte to research the woes of the soybean, which, as a critical global resource, provides more than half of the world’s vegetable oils and proteins. She is conducting research as a doctoral student in Bao-Hua Song’s lab in the Department of Biological Sciences.

Adam Reitzel’s marine sciences lab includes three National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellows (and other NSF grantees). Recipients of these fellowships are high-potential, early-career scientists and engineers, who receive funding to support graduate research training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. In addition to covering students’ research and educational expenses, the NSF Graduate Fellows program provides access to diverse research experiences and research settings around the world.  

UNC Charlotte researchers Kirill Afonin and Ian Marriott lead research with novel RNA-based nanomaterials that hold promise for better treatments for cancers and other diseases.

For their outstanding research and scholarship, Eleonora Dávalos of Public Policy and Britney Phippen of Biological Sciences are recipients of the 2018 Dean’s Distinguished Dissertation Award, presented by the UNC Charlotte Graduate School.

Luke Hardy, who is pursuing a doctoral degree in optical science and engineering, is an integral member of a research team focused on biomedical optics and laser-tissue interactions, mostly in the therapeutic realm. With the incidence of kidney and bladder stones increasing not only in the Southeast but elsewhere too, due to increasing obesity, diabetes, dietary factors, and even climate change, Nathaniel Fried’s research lab in the Department of Physics and Optical Science at UNC Charlotte is working to transform treatment options.

Shan Yan, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at UNC Charlotte, has received a $1.7 million R01 research grant from the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. Findings are expected to offer insight into how cancers develop and to open avenues to new therapeutic strategies, especially with pancreatic cancers.

This summer, dozens of College of Liberal Arts & Sciences undergraduate students from varied majors and disciplines will gain experience in research through UNC Charlotte initiatives that emphasize learn-by-doing models. They also will benefit from professional development opportunities, mentoring and interactions with each other.

UNC Charlotte’s Devin Clegg sees a strong linkage between his selection for a prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and lessons he learned when conducting biological sciences research and playing football with the Charlotte 49ers. Clegg is affiliated with the research labs of marine biologist Adam Reitzel and molecular and cell biologist Richard Chi.

Academically talented, low-income students who want to study biological sciences can find life-changing opportunities through a new regional partnership among UNC Charlotte, Gaston College and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. This innovative initiative is possible as a result of $4.5 million in funding from the National Science Foundation’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program.

The solution to an intricate mathematical problem is a thing of beauty for UNC Charlotte researcher Xingjie (Helen) Li – much like a poem, with its economy, precision and ability to give joy. “With a poem, you often just use a few words to describe something,” Li says. “And in mathematics, we also use a few expressions to describe a problem. It’s complicated stuff, but you know there is a unique path to this complex thing. And through the truth of mathematics, you can identify this unique path.”