University Research Week returns Oct 20-24, 2025, with the theme “UNC Research is North Carolina.” This year, UNC will highlight all the ways our research benefits our state.

Help us showcase how UNC-Chapel Hill’s research fuels North Carolina’s economy, supports businesses, meets community needs, trains the workforce, and cares for our citizens. Join us for a week packed with inspiring talks, interactive events, and opportunities to engage with Carolina’s thriving research community.

University Research Week is an annual, campus-wide event sponsored by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and the Office for Undergraduate Research.

For a calendar of events, visit researchweek.unc.edu.

Highlights of University Research Week include presentations by this year’s recipients of the Phillip and Ruth Hettleman Prizes for Scholarly Achievement. The talks will provide an engaging look into these distinguished early career scholars’ work. The late Phillip Hettleman, a member of the Carolina class of 1921, and his wife Ruth established their prestigious named award in 1986 to recognize the achievements of outstanding junior faculty.

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Hettleman Winner’s Presentations:

• October 20 at 12 p.m.: Sarah Cohen & Alex Zhukovitskiy
  Sarah Cohen, Cell Biology & Physiology, School of Medicine
  Cohen studies how tiny structures inside brain cells work together and how their disruptions may lead to diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
  Alex Zhukhovitskiy, Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
  Zhukhovitskiy develops new ways to redesign plastics at the molecular level, creating materials with entirely new properties.
• October 21 at 2 p.m.: Lindsey James and Angel Hsu
  Angel Hsu, Public Policy, College of Arts and Sciences
  Hsu uses data to evaluate climate and environmental policies, showing how local and global actions impact climate change.
  Lindsey James, Chemical Biology & Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy
  James develops new molecules that can turn off or destroy harmful proteins, paving the way for new cancer treatments.
• October 23 at 9 a.m.: Marissa Hall and Kathryn Leech
  Marissa Hall, Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health
  Hall studies how labels and marketing shape what people buy and how stronger warnings can improve public health.
  Kathryn Leech, School of Education
  Leech studies how everyday conversations between adults and children support early language, literacy, and STEM learning.

View a full schedule of the week's events at researchweek.unc.edu.