We are excited to announce the launch of Carolina Microscopy ! This single core unifies the four departmental microscopy cores — the Biology Microscopy Core (College of Arts & Sciences), the Hooker Imaging Core (Cell Biology & Physiology), Microscopy Services Laboratory Core (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine), and Neuroscience Microscopy Core (Neuroscience Center) — under the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR).
This change comes after careful consideration and input from all stakeholders, reflecting a shared institutional commitment to reducing internal competition, creating operational efficiencies, and ensuring the long-term financial sustainability of our shared research infrastructure.
Each site will continue operating in its current location with existing staff and equipment, but all will move under a single administrative and financial structure. Day-to-day operations will remain under the direction of the current core directors, with Michelle Itano assuming a broader administrative role in coordination with the OVCR’s core management team. A new, unified iLab core page goes live in April and a temporary unified webpage is available while the full website is being built.
All costs, rates, and subsidy structures will be implemented by the OVCR on April 13, 2026, in compliance with institutional rate-setting policies. Please note that iLab integrates member subsidies independently from the core. For questions regarding membership, please reach out directly to your Center Director.
Please join us for our opening launch celebration in the Roper Hall Auditorium on Monday April 20, 2026 at 2pm. Hear about the vision for the new unified core and get inspired by some of our amazing researchers and industry and academic partners who collaborate with the core.
What does this mean for current users? By and large it will be very similar but with a different iLab page beginning in April (details to come for current users), updated rates (approved by OSP) and a unified website (under construction). The four cores already operate very similarly, so while we are taking the opportunity to optimize workflows and align core policies where appropriate, changes to users are expected to be small.
We deeply appreciate the support and partnership of the UNC research community and each department and school in this process.
Warm regards,
Meghan Kraft (Director of Research Core Facilities, OVCR)
Nat Prunet (Director of the Bio Microscopy Core)
Wendy Salmon (Director of the HIC)
Pablo Ariel (Director of the MSL)
Michelle Itano (Director of the NMC)