Research

Research opportunities in the Curriculum in Neurobiology at UNC span a wide range, from the fundamental cell biology of neurons and their genetic specification, through studies of single cell function, network assembly, synaptic interactions, to behavior, addiction, and the bases of human neurological and psychiatric diseases. On the "Research by Areas" page you can view the list of faculty involved in each of the many general areas represented in the Curriculum, and find out more about their specific research. One of the remarkable features of our faculty is that each often perfoms research that itself covers many areas, and may be collaborating with several faculty in other areas. Thus, opportunities for truly interdisciplinary research training in Neurobiology abound, and are encouraged.

Of course the research programs of our faculty and students would not be possible without state-of-the art research facilities and funding. Our faculty are highly competitive in receiving extramural grant support with over $30 million in funding (as of 2002) coming annually from the NINDS and NIMH alone to UNC neuroscientists. These funds help to support not only individual research laboratories, but also impressive core facilities available to faculty and students. Among these are state-of-the-art facilities for production of transgenic and knock-out animal models, peptide and DNA synthesis, electron and laser confocal microscopy, molecular spectroscopy, tissue culture, protein and DNA sequencing, cell sorting and harvesting, and functional imaging.

In 2001, The Curriculum in Neurobiology moved into the newly constructed Neuroscience Research Building, which also houses the new UNC Neuroscience Center. A central conference room, computing, administrative, and student office space is conveniently located near the labs of many of the primary faculty in the training program, creating a real neuroscience "community".

Core Facilities

Many core or shared facilities are available as services at UNC-Chapel Hill. These may be of course be used in training, including major equipment not normally found in individual laboratories. The Office of Sponsored Research at UNC maintains a detailed list of available core facilities.

Some of the current core facilities include:

Animal Models Core Facilities:
- Mouse Models of Genetic Disease
- Animal Models of Human Tumors

HPLC-Electrospray Mass Spectrometry
Microscopy and Imaging Molecular
Morphology and Histopathology
Bioinformatics Core
Molecular Modeling
Biomarkers of DNA Damage
Nucleic Acid Oligonucleotide Synthesis
DNA Sequencing
Phosphorimagers
Flow Cytometry
UNC Macromolecular Interactions
GeneTherapy
Protein-Peptide Chemistry and Synthesis
High-Throughput Genotyping Lab
Affymetrix Microarray analysis
Multiple Confocal Microscopy (conventional and two-photon) Facilities, including
- Cell and Molecular Physiology
- Cell and Developmental Biology
- Biology
- UNC Neuroscience Center