Read Research and Innovation Stories

Economist forecasts omicron’s infectiousness
Carolina researcher Peter Reinhard Hansen uses econometrics methods to show that the omicron variant is three times more contagious than delta in an analysis of Danish data. His model can be adapted to predict the infectiousness of future viral variants.

NC Collaboratory puts UNC System expertise to work
Five years in, the innovative policy model has proven enormously effective at turning state funds into life-changing research.

Research Uncovered: Iheoma U. Iruka
Iheoma U. Iruka is a research professor in the Department of Public Policy and founding director of the Equity Research Action Coalition within the FPG Child Development Institute. She studies how to promote the health, wealth, and educational excellence of minoritized children and children from low-income households.

Galápagos: A gateway for global research
UNC Center for Galápagos Studies has been a hub of collaborative research activity. Diego Riveros-Iregui and Amanda Thompson, the center’s new interim co-directors, strive to use their own experiences from the islands to expand its reach as a world-renowned research institution.

On Being Human
As many scholars identify what makes humans similar to other creatures, UNC philosophy professor Susan Wolf strives to discover other attributes that make us unique.

Creating a better plastic
Carolina chemists may have a solution to the country’s plastic problem by “upcycling” plastic trash to tougher, stronger material.

A ‘natural landing spot’
Carolina alumnus Brandon Feaster arrived in Chapel Hill with his eyes set on a Ph.D. in biology for a career in the research lab. But undergrad research and the Chancellor’s Science Scholars provided the Tar Heel with the experiences and support to pursue a different career.