research

Carlos Gonzalez-Calderon, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, has been named a 2026 Gambrell Faculty Fellow. With support from The Gambrell Foundation and as part of the Charlotte Urban Institute’s Gambrell Faculty Fellowship, he will join nine other UNC Charlotte faculty as they leverage the scholarship to help develop a better quality of life for Charlotte.  

Elevating UNC Charlotte’s standing in advanced research, Professor of Mechanical Engineering Stuart Smith has been elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, a status nationally recognized as the highest professional distinction awarded to inventors. This honor places Smith among an esteemed group of pioneers recognized for creating outstanding inventions that make a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.

When the National Science Foundation named UNC Charlotte as a finalist in its Regional Innovation Engines program, it marked a significant milestone for the university’s emergence as a national hub for energy innovation. Central to this success is Grid Ancillary services with Uninterruptible Power Supply (GAUPS) technology, developed by Sukumar Kamalasadan, the Duke Energy Distinguished Professor in Engineering in UNC Charlotte’s William States Lee College of Engineering. GAUPS addresses a critical challenge facing advanced manufacturers, hospitals, and data centers across the Carolinas: costly power quality disruptions.

Highly skilled Niner Engineers are key to North Carolina’s continued rise in technology, energy and advanced manufacturing. Support for their education comes from Engineering North Carolina’s Future, an initiative backed by a $41.2 million investment in the University by the North Carolina General Assembly.

The investment, beginning in fall 2022 to the current fall semester, has yielded record-breaking student enrollment at the W.S. Lee College of Engineering and other significant advances.

Chideraa Ndubuisi ’25 MPH is driven to improve human health. Through research — and an unquenchable appetite for learning everything he can about medicine, public health and environmental systems — he is exploring, analyzing and drawing conclusions about the levels of microplastics and halogenated organics, particularly brominated flame retardants, in municipal wastewater treatment processes.

In a first-of-its-kind project to study one of the planet’s last unexplored environments, Roger Tipton, UNC Charlotte research associate professor of mechanical engineering and engineering science, is leading a team of researchers from multiple universities that will investigate contaminants in the Arctic’s pristine waters.

“As North Carolina’s urban research university, we are uniquely positioned to invest in our state’s future,” said Chancellor Sharon Gaber.

Minhaj Nur Alam, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the Quantitative Imaging and AI Laboratory, is leading groundbreaking work in AI-assisted diagnostics for retinal diseases.

Xiang Chen, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, wins NSF CAREER award to explore the complexities of energy supportive materials. She is working to unravel these complex relationships and unlock the full potential of these ionic-conducting superlattices, pushing the boundaries of what’s currently possible in various technological fields.

William States Lee College of Engineering faculty have been recognized for their exceptional contributions to research, innovation, teaching and service. These achievements reflect the College’s ongoing commitment to engineering excellence and societal impact.