2025 ISSUE
For A
Better
Future
Nature’s Tiny Chemists
Dr. Nick Oberlies’ lab searches for cancer-fighting compounds in fungi, delves into the chemistry of medicinal herbs, and explores how fungal chemistry could make electricity cheaper and safer.
It’s not often you get a surprise phone call from one of your heroes. But that’s what happened to Dr. Nicholas Oberlies in 1998.
The call was from Dr. Monroe Wall, a scientist at the Research Triangle Institute in North Carolina. Wall and collaborator Dr. Mansukh Wani discovered taxol, a widely used cancer drug, in the bark of the Pacific yew tree.
“They are like superheroes to me,” Oberlies says. “If you talk to an oncologist, they will say that taxol changed the world.”
It’s the kind of work Oberlies had long dreamed of doing. That call brought him
to the Research Triangle of North Carolina to work as Wall’s protégé and eventually to UNCG.
Now, Oberlies, assisted by dozens of students and researchers across the state, nation, and globe, is working on potentially world-changing projects.
These range from searching for new cancer medicines to discovering how fungi-based chemistry could transform how electricity is generated, transmitted, and stored.
“The big idea in my research group is to understand the chemistry of nature,” Oberlies says.
“People have the conception that nature is static – like a tree alone in the woods. But really, nature is sending out and receiving chemical signals all the time.”
The Right Idea
State of the Arts
With new immersive tools, arts faculty and students push the boundaries of creativity, developing cutting-edge techniques and experiences.
NC’s Mental Health Landscape
UNCG’s youth and family research center expands peer support and other critical services across NC – and improves national understanding of best practices.
Cleaning Contaminated Waters
A nanoscientist modifies biochar – a charcoal made from burned organic waste – with the goal of removing heavy metals and PFAs from water.
Shields Up!
UNCG’s Google-funded cybersecurity clinic protects small businesses and non-profits while preparing students for high-demand careers.
Roll Call
UNCG is calling up its strengths in research and education to mobilize a new unit benefiting members of the military – from the battlefield to the classroom.
iCOMMAND, or the Institute for the Convergence of Optimized Methods for Military Advances and National Defense, focuses on four strategic areas: protection through innovative material and design, holistic performance through health and wellness, advancing biotechnology, and education and workforce development.
Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement Sherine Obare says the new UNCG institute will leverage existing research and relationships and forge new connections to ensure members of the military, and their families, thrive in any environment and in every phase of their lives.
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“We want to enhance North Carolina’s position as a national leader in innovation in materials science and technology to support and protect service members.”
The Word’s Out
Mediating the Housing Crisis
UNCG’s Center for Housing and Community Studies and Legal Aid of NC tackle a housing crisis through eviction mediation.
Libraries, For Your Health
The “Let’s Move in Libraries” initiative inspires libraries around the world to boost healthy living in their communities.
Therefore, We Are
A philosophy researcher investigates goal-directed behavior in collective entities, like corals – and scores the largest grant in his department’s history.
What’s for Dinner, Baby?
UNCG researchers bring evidence-based strategies to support parents and babies, locally and globally.
How and what infants eat has profound and long-lasting effects on their health and well-being – including obesity rates and how vulnerable they are to illness and chronic health conditions as they grow older.
Around the world, an estimated 37 million children are obese, as well as a growing share of adolescents and adults.
But many questions remain about the pathways through which feeding and nutrition influence child development. UNCG researchers are leveraging cross-disciplinary expertise to answer those questions and develop evidence-based strategies to improve maternal and child wellbeing.
“Infancy is a very important life stage. It’s a highly developmental phase, and it’s a phase of immense opportunities. At the same time, any vulnerabilities during this phase can have a lifelong impact.”
Research Excellence Awards
The Science of Aging Well
2024 Research Excellence Awardee Maher discusses what motivates older adults to be physically active, why we get moving, and more.
Unlocking Nature’s Secrets
2025 Senior Research Excellence Awardee Oberlies discusses big ideas behind natural products chem, the teamwork driving drug discovery, and mentorship.
Lighting the Way
UNCG’s BRIGHT Institute aims to fuel NC’s energy future.
One of UNCG’s newest institutes will power a growing cluster of research, education, and workforce training initiatives to secure North Carolina’s place as a center for advanced battery and energy technologies.
The BRIGHT Institute will bring together four currents of activity: A portfolio of next-generation energy research efforts at UNCG along with complementary efforts at other North Carolina universities. North Carolina’s burgeoning private sector “Battery Belt,”
anchored by the $14 billion Toyota battery plant set to open this year in the Triad. Extensive local deposits of critical minerals, such as lithium and phosphorus. Surging demand for workers who are educated and trained in the skills needed for electric vehicle battery plants and other innovative employers.
BRIGHT will be a hub for more than 100 industry, government, and nonprofit partnerships
“This will significantly benefit North Carolina economically and socially,” says UNCG Chancellor Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr.
Meet Our Student Scholars
Fungal Chemical Warfare
Undergrad April Joseph works with a unique cell-killing compound, forged solely in places where two fungi compete for dominance.
Translating Research
Master’s student Selena Villa caught the research bug as a UNCG undergrad. Now she’s part of an NIH-funded team to reduce barriers to breastfeeding.
Fungi for Energy
Ph.D. student Reema Al-Qiam explores the production and modification of fungal compounds for use in energy technologies.
Growth Opportunity
When Jahleen Gourdine became interested in nutrition, she gave college a second try. Now she’s heading for a masters with uncommon research experience.
Bioweapons Defense
Garett Barto is an NSF Graduate Research Fellow and Army Reserves captain. As a biochemist, he’s dedicated to advancing weapons defense.
From the Vice Chancellor
One of the great privileges of my role is getting a first look at this magazine before it reaches our broader community. This issue inspired me with its stories of groundbreaking insights and tangible progress in human wellbeing. On campus and across our state, our faculty and students are creating new knowledge and putting that into action through innovative projects and programs.
I believe you’ll be just as inspired. UNCG is at a pivotal moment as we work to elevate our research enterprise to new heights. Our 2025–2030 Strategic Plan, adopted earlier this year, includes an ambitious and transformative goal: to achieve R1 Carnegie classification, the highest level of research excellence.
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