SPECIAL EDITION – RESEARCH 1 STATUS

February 13, 2025
Categories: Niner Insider
R1 Announcement Graphic

a Message from chancellor gaber

Every day is a great one to be a Niner… but some days are better than others! This morning the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, in cooperation with the American Council on Education, announced that UNC Charlotte officially has been awarded Research 1 (R1) status, taking our place among the top tier of the nation’s research universities.

I want to thank each of you, because this outstanding accomplishment is a direct reflection of your hard work.

a message to faculty/staff
a message to students

Charlotte Awarded R1 Carnegie Classification

UNC Charlotte has been awarded esteemed Research 1 – or R1 –  status by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. It is the highest recognition that a doctoral university can receive. The prestigious classification, indicating “very high research activity,” affirms UNC Charlotte as an elite research institution.

Charlotte R1 Impact

R1 Video Thumbnail

Charlotte business leaders extol the impact UNC Charlotte’s R1 designation will have on the region.

Research spotlights

Kirill Afonin and Brittany Johnson

AI Meets Immunology: Reimagining Personalized Medicine

Kirill Afonin and Brittany Johnson, researchers in the Klein College of Science, with colleagues from the National Cancer Institute and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, have developed AI-Cell (Artificial Intelligence-Cell) — a first-of-its-kind tool that mimics how immune cells respond to RNA- and DNA-based nanomedicines. Their innovation has the potential to revolutionize gene therapy, making it safer and more personalized.

Khaled Obeid

Battling Bird Flu: Khaled Obeid Dissects Data on Avian Influenza

With egg prices soaring nationwide, avian influenza, or bird flu, is top of mind for many in the Charlotte community and beyond. Khaled Obeid, a senior in the early-entry bioinformatics master’s program, talks about wrangling data on the virus and working with Dan Janies, the co-director of CIPHER.

Headshot of Peter

Supporting the Transformative Power of Research

Laura Peter, executive director of UNC Charlotte’s Office of Research Commercialization and Partnerships, shares her experiences with research, how she supports student and faculty research and what excites her about the current achievements and potential opportunities at Charlotte.

Lauren Hultquist

Keyboard Warriors

Everyone uses the internet. Everyone has a personality. Lauren Hultquist, a first-year graduate student working on a Master of Arts in Psychology has been conducting research on how dark personality traits and anonymity impact aggressive online behavior.

Explore College Research Sites

College of Science Research Site
CHESS Research Site
CHHS Research Site
College of Business Research Site
Engineering Research Site
CCI Research Site
Cato COE Research Site
COAA Research Site

Charlotte’s Research Trajectory

Charlotte professor
  • One of the country’s fastest-growing research universities, climbing 46 spots in 2023 to the top 20% 
    • Top 20% for computer and information sciences
    • Top 30% for social sciences, physics, engineering, chemistry
  • Third-largest public research university in North Carolina, and the only public university in the state to rank among the nation’s most innovative schools 
  • $92 million in research and development expenditures in 2023
  • 66 faculty members with $1 million or more in external grant funding
  • 146 new inventions created, 239 patents filed, 18 spin-out companies created, 2020-24: top five nationally per research dollar spent for patents filed and new startups
  • Leading CO-LAB, part of the North Tryon Tech Hub, where entrepreneurs and innovators source university expertise for solving real-world challenges

Charlotte’s Research in Action

Charlotte Research in Action