UNCG Research

Erausquin wins 2026 UNCG research mentor award, tenured category | Undergraduate Research, Scholarship & Creativity Dr. Jennifer Toller Erausquin has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the UNCG Thomas Undergraduate Research Mentor Award in the tenured faculty category.

Congratulations to Associate Professor Jennifer Erausquin, who has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the @uncg.edu Thomas Undergraduate Research Mentor Award in the tenured faculty category!

ursco.uncg.edu/2026/03/erau...

Gen-Z is changing the meaning of "independent" voter : It's Been a Minute Politically "independent" used to mean you were moderate. Not anymore. It's no secret that Americans are politically divided, as faith in political parties erodes. In the past, so-called "independent"...

📰 🗞️ In the news --> Dr. Omar H. Ali appeared on @npr.org to discuss how Gen-Z is changing the meaning of "independent voter."

www.npr.org/2026/03/04/n...

@uncg.edu

De-escalating is very hard, UNCG professor says as Iran-U.S. war hits day 4 "Going back and then accepting all the conditions, it would be very hard," said Askerov.

🗞️📰 Dr. Ali Askerov in peace & conflict studies discusses the Iran-U.S. war and his work with Spectrum News.

“A lot of conflicts that I really grew up with,” Askerov said. “I witnessed a lot, so I decided to become a peace builder, peace activist & peace scholar.”

spectrumnews1.com/oh/toledo/ne...

Rewriting the Playbook on Athlete Health: Kier named RWJF Scholar   | UNC Greensboro UNCG's Lexi Kier has been named a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholar, a prestigious national distinction for doctoral students whose research has the potential to shape heal...

Congratulations to @uncg.edu doctoral student Lexi Kier on being named an RWJF Health Policy Research Scholar! Her work challenges us to rethink athlete health, looking beyond performance metrics to long-term physical and mental well-being.

Learn more:
www.uncg.edu/news/rewriti...

When misophonia begins, and what drives its severity, are 2 questions that @caitlingstone.bsky.social aims to answer.

In this MRF-funded work @uncgresearch.bsky.social, PhD student Caitlin Stone is researching the development of misophonia to identify earlier support and interventions for children.

UNCG is thrilled to be the site of the state's first SparkHub, a landmark partnership with SparkNC and Guilford County Schools that will help prepare high school students for careers in the fast-growing tech industry.

Learn more: www.uncg.edu/news/sparknc...

What makes relationships last? UNCG researcher studies love, stress, and the science of being a team  | UNC Greensboro What advice does a couples researcher offer this Valentine’s Day? According to UNCG assistant professor and clinical psychologist Danielle Weber, the real foundation of long-term relationships is far simpler than romantic dinners, surprise gifts, or carefully planned getaways.

What advice does a couples researcher offer for Valentine’s Day? 💘💡
Learn more: https://www.uncg.edu/featured/what-makes-relationships-last-uncg-researcher-studies-love-stress-and-the-science-of-being-a-team/?utm_campaign=UNCG+Social
#UNCGresearch

Spotlight on Black history: Museum exhibits explore African American heritage HIGH POINT — The High Point Museum is diving into Black History Month with two new exhibits that explore African American history.

In the news --> 🗞️ A traveling exhibit created at @uncg.edu explores African American history in the Piedmont during the time of slavery. www.hpenews.com/life/spotlig...

Carolina Curious: Why are sheriffs elected while police chiefs are hired? For this edition of Carolina Curious, WFDD’s DJ Simmons spoke with a political science professor on the unique difference between the two law enforcement officials.

In the news 🗞️ --> Dr. Hunter Bacot in political science explains why sheriffs are elected and police chiefs are hired on @885wfdd.bsky.social.

www.wfdd.org/law-enforcem...

Is Almond Butter Healthier Than Peanut Butter? What Nutrition Experts Say Almond butter vs peanut butter, which is healthier? We asked nutrition experts to explain the nutritional profiles of these two nut butters and how they compare.

Do you know the #nutritional difference between almond butter and peanut butter? @uncg.edu Department of Nutrition Professor Amy Moyer helps separate fact from hype. #nutrition #health @uncgresearch.bsky.social
www.marthastewart.com/almond-butte...

Strong v swole: the surprising truth about building muscle Traditional bodybuilding advice has been to push workouts to the point of failure, and that soreness is an indicator of effectiveness. But recent studies show there’s another way

Pain doesn't necessarily mean gain. Dr. Anne Brady discusses the latest science on muscle building in The Guardian. 💪🗞️

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Lighting the Way: UNCG Bright Institute for energy technology - UNCG Research Magazine UNCG’s BRIGHT institute aims to secure North Carolina’s place as a center for advanced battery and energy technologies.

⚡🔋 UNCG’s new BRIGHT Institute aims to fuel NC’s energy future, securing our place as a center for advanced battery & energy technologies.

Learn more in #UNCGResearch Magazine
👉 https://researchmagazine.uncg.edu/lighting-the-way-uncg-bright-institute-for-energy-technology/?utm_campaign=UNCG+Social

Shifting Sports Culture  | UNC Greensboro Partnering with national and local organizations, the UNCG Center of Athlete Well-Being keeps the focus on the whole person.

“We want athletes of all levels to know that sports are not just about performance; they are about developing as a human.”

Partnering with national and local organizations, Jeff Milroy and the UNCG Center of Athlete Well-Being keep the focus on the whole person.
www.uncg.edu/news/shiftin...

Meet the Species Discovered in 2025 From polygamous tree toads to heavy stick bugs, this year’s extensive new species discoveries are changing the way we see our natural world.

In the news 🗞️ --> Enjoy a roundup of new species discovered in 2025 – including the Snake River Plains Ground Squirrel identified by UNC Greensboro's own Dr. Bryan McLean in biology.
https://a-z-animals.com/articles/all-of-the-new-species-discovered-in-2025/

Targeted inflammation Treatment: UNCG's Wu Awarded NCInnovation Grant | UNC Greensboro Assistant professor of nanoscience Kerui Wu has received a grant from NCInnovation to advance his research on targeted treatments for inflammation with fewer harsh side effects.

Dr. Kerui Wu has received a grant from NCInnovation to advance his #UNCGresearch on targeted treatments for inflammation with fewer side effects. 💊

https://www.uncg.edu/news/targeted-anti-inflammation-treatment-uncgs-wu-awarded-ncinnovation-grant/?utm_campaign=UNCG+Social

Learning a Collaborative Approach to Research Writing | School of Health and Human Sciences When you’re a faculty member or a student, writing a paper that will be published in a respected academic journal takes time and effort, and can be daunting. A collaborative, team approach with others...

Getting an academic paper published can be hard work. Fortunately, there's another way to do it: the team approach, resulting in writing in days! 🚀
27 Spartans teamed up with ReVel Collab for a 3-day Paper Chase over the winter break.
@uncgresearch.bsky.social
https://bit.ly/3LslxSK

UNCG is One of Three Universities Selected to Launch Regional Virtual Reality Center  | UNC Greensboro UNCG has been selected as one of only three U.S. universities to receive a 2025 grant from Virtualware and HTC VIVE. With the funding, UNCG will establish a cutting-edge extended reality center to drive innovative research, collaboration, and workforce development in our region.

🚀 In 2026, UNCG will launch a regional Extended Reality (XR) Center, backed by a grant from Virtualware & HTC VIVE.
https://www.uncg.edu/news/uncg-to-launch-regional-virtual-reality-center/?utm_campaign=UNCG+Social

"Making great contributions to our region"🌟🏆
UNCG Research and Engagement is proud to share that Dr. Chartanay Bonner—UNCG's Director of Strategic Initiatives and Research Development—is one of the Triad Business Journal's 40 Under 40 award winners for 2026!
https://ow.ly/7mHZ50XGuyk

Advancing Mental Health Care in Ukraine and Beyond | School of Health and Human Sciences UNCG Social Work professor Dr. Viktor Burlaka has dedicated more than 20 years to improving mental health in vulnerable populations.

@uncg.edu #SocialWork Professor Dr. Viktor Burklaka partnered with first responders in #Ukraine to provide mental health training and resources — supporting those on the frontlines as they face trauma. #MentalHealth @uncgresearch.bsky.social
https://bit.ly/3Ky5KRN

Nature's Tiny Chemists: fungi and herbs for drug discovery, energy - UNCG Research Magazine Dr. Nick Oberlies’ UNCG lab explores cancer-fighting compounds in fungi, the chemistry of medicinal herbs, and energy from nature.

Dr. Oberlies’ lab is searching for cancer-fighting compounds in fungi, advancing research on medicinal herbs, and exploring how fungal chemistry could make electricity cheaper and safer. ⚡🔬
https://researchmagazine.uncg.edu/2025-issue/natures-tiny-chemists/?utm_campaign=UNCG+Social UNCG Research

Opportunity, Discovery and Growth: Inside UNCG’s Undergraduate Research Fellows Program  | UNC Greensboro From first-year students exploring their first lab to juniors diving into enzyme research, UNCG students are discovering what’s possible when you just say yes to opportunities. Each year, 70 high-achi...

From first-year students exploring their first lab to juniors diving into enzyme research, UNCG students are discovering what’s possible when you just say yes to opportunities.

Learn about UNCG's Undergraduate Research Fellows program at www.uncg.edu/news/opportu...
@uncgresearch.bsky.social

Wasserberg Awarded $3.7M for Sand Fly Research to Combat Parasitic Disease With NIH funding, UNCG-led team will determine how to attract and kill egg-bearing P. papatasi sand flies, to combat leishmaniasis.

UNCG has received a $3.7M NIH grant for sand fly research to combat parasitic disease leishmaniasis. The zoonotic disease affects over 1M people/year.

The team is led by @uncgresearch.bsky.social's Dr. Wasserberg with collaborators at @ncstate.bsky.social.

www.uncg.edu/news/wasserb... @uncg.edu

Female students struggling more to recover since pandemic A new study shows college women are struggling more than their male counterparts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The research, one of the first comparing how COVID-19 affected female and m…

In the news 🗞️ --> A publication led by Dr. Dora Gicheva of the Bryan School was featured on The Hill this Sunday. "Female students struggling more to recover since pandemic."

https://thehill.com/homenews/education/5593191-female-students-pandemic-learning-loss/

Female College Students Fall Behind in Academic Recovery from COVID, UNCG Researchers Find  | UNC Greensboro A new study led by UNCG researchers found first-year female college students are experiencing slower academic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic compared to males. 

📊 1st-year female college students are experiencing slower academic recovery from the pandemic compared to their male peers, according to a new UNCG Research study.

🔗 Learn more: https://www.uncg.edu/news/female-college-students-fall-behind-in-academic-recovery-from-covid/?utm_campaign=UNCG+Social

Roll Call: UNCG iCOMMAND institute for military advances and defense research - UNCG Research Magazine UNCG mobilizes a new defense research institute – iCOMMAND – benefiting military members from the battlefield to classroom.

iCOMMAND, our new @uncg.edu research institute for military advances and defense, benefits service members from the battlefield to the classroom. 🪖Learn how in our latest UNCG Research magazine.

researchmagazine.uncg.edu/2025-issue/r...

2025 Issue - UNCG Research Magazine In this issue, follow UNCG researchers' search for cancer-killing compounds found in fungi. Explore innovative, immersive tools transforming the arts. Learn about new initiatives positioning N.C. as a...

The 2025 UNCG Research magazine is now in print and online! Follow our @uncg.edu scholars on the search for cancer-killing compounds in fungi. Explore immersive tools transforming the arts. Meet Spartans improving the health and safety of our communities. And more: researchmagazine.uncg.edu

Machine-Readable Structural Information Is Essential for Natural Products Research Structural drawings of secondary metabolites encapsulate a wealth of information, but their static nature hinders their sharing and reuse. At a time when research increasingly relies on, and benefits from, access to comprehensive natural products “big data”, this hindrance is contrary to the norms of science. This Perspective discusses current challenges in sharing and accessing structure data and offers a simple solution, namely, publishing machine-readable text descriptors for new secondary metabolites. Requiring such descriptors will be straightforward to implement for both authors and publishers and will help derive even greater value from the efforts expended to understand the chemistry of Nature.

Hot of the Press!

Check it out! From @rokaslab.bsky.social and Oberlies Lab @uncgresearch.bsky.social

Machine-Readable Structural Information Is Essential for Natural Products Research | Journal of Natural Products pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

On August 28, the @uncg.edu Division of Research and Engagement hosted a Welcome Lunch. Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement Sherine Obare celebrated key achievements from the past year while reflecting on UNCG’s growing research ecosystem.

Greensboro candidates talk Road to 10K housing initiatives, need for density The next council will play a critical role in making the plan to add 10,000 new units by 2030 a reality.

Renée Norris from the @uncg.edu Center for Housing and Community Studies was in the News & Record last week, discussing Greensboro's housing crisis. greensboro.com/news/local/g...

You can also learn about the CHCS's work in the UNCG Research Magazine researchmagazine.uncg.edu/2025-issue/u...

New @uncg.edu JSNN faculty member Dr. Tianqi Song is the lead author on a publication in @Nature.com this month, on methods to power tiny molecular machines made of synthetic DNA. 🔬🧬 www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnolo...