Sharon Gaber, Chancellor, UNC Charlotte
Invest: spoke with Sharon Gaber, chancellor of UNC Charlotte, about R1 status, attracting new investment, and what companies are looking for from graduates. “We help create capacity for future growth. When companies consider investing in Charlotte, they look closely at the availability of skilled workers, research expertise, professional education and opportunities for collaboration,” Gaber said.
UNC Charlotte achieved R1 research status in 2025. What has that milestone meant for the university, and what opportunities has it created for the Charlotte region?
Achieving R1 status was a defining milestone for UNC Charlotte. It placed us in the highest category of American research universities and affirmed the strength of the research enterprise our faculty, staff and students have built. The real value of R1, however, lies in what it allows us to do next.
R1 strengthens our ability to recruit outstanding faculty and graduate students, compete for larger and more complex research awards, and form deeper industry partnerships. It also gives our undergraduate students more opportunities to work alongside leading researchers and gain the problem-solving experience employers value.
The NSF Grid Modernization Engine in the Carolinas is a powerful example. Led by UNC Charlotte and supported by more than 100 partners across a 36-county region of North and South Carolina, the initiative begins with a $15 million National Science Foundation investment and has the potential to receive up to $160 million over the next decade. It will help develop, test, commercialize and deploy technologies that strengthen the electric grid, support advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence, and meet rapidly rising energy demand.
That is what R1 means for Charlotte. It gives our region greater research capacity, a stronger talent pipeline and a nationally recognized partner capable of bringing universities, businesses, investors and government agencies together around challenges that no single organization can solve alone.
How do you see UNC Charlotte contributing to economic development and helping attract new business investment to the region?
UNC Charlotte contributes to economic development in three primary ways: We educate talent at scale, conduct research that helps industries grow, and provide a place where businesses, government, and community organizations can work together.
With more than 32,000 students and more than 9,000 degrees and graduate certificates awarded during the past academic year, we are one of the region’s largest and most consistent sources of highly educated talent. Our graduates are working throughout Charlotte’s financial institutions, energy companies, health care systems, technology and engineering firms, schools, nonprofits and public agencies.
We help create capacity for future growth. When companies consider investing in Charlotte, they look closely at the availability of skilled workers, research expertise, professional education and opportunities for collaboration. UNC Charlotte strengthens each of those areas.
Economic development also must improve people’s lives. Our work in health, education, transportation, energy, cybersecurity, public policy, the arts and community development helps make Charlotte a healthier, safer and more attractive place to live. A strong research university supports both a competitive economy and a high quality of life.
Many employers continue to cite talent as a top concern. What are they telling you they need most from today’s graduates, and how is the university responding?
Employers consistently tell us they need graduates who can think critically, solve problems, communicate clearly, work across disciplines and adapt as technology changes. Increasingly, they also expect employees in almost every field to be fluent in the responsible use of artificial intelligence.
AI fluency will not be limited to computer scientists. Bankers, engineers, health care professionals, educators, construction managers and business leaders will all need to understand how to use AI tools, evaluate their output and recognize their limitations. That is why we are integrating AI throughout our teaching and learning while also launching dedicated bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in artificial intelligence. Our approach emphasizes technical ability as well as ethics, judgment and effective communication.
Employers also want graduates who have applied what they learned before their first day on the job. Our Internships for All initiative is designed to ensure that every student who wants an internship can access one. Nearly 80% of our seniors already participate in experiential learning or work while enrolled, and more than 10,000 internships and co-ops were posted through our career platform last year.
Charlotte gives us an extraordinary advantage in this work. Our students can learn directly from the industries shaping the region, while employers can connect with potential employees early, help inform our programs, and build a stronger long-term talent pipeline.
What industries are creating the strongest partnerships with the university today, and where do you see the greatest opportunities for future growth?
Our strongest partnerships reflect Charlotte’s leading industries: energy, financial services, construction and engineering, aviation, technology, data science and health care. We are also seeing the greatest opportunities where those fields intersect.
Our work with Charlotte Douglas International Airport through the Charlotte Aviation Innovation and Research Institute, or Charlotte AIR, brings together the airport’s operational expertise and UNC Charlotte’s research capacity. It is the only partnership of its kind in the nation between a major airport and a major university and is already supporting research in infrastructure, data, and the future of aviation.
In energy, our new School of Energy builds on nearly two decades of work through the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center and our leadership of the NSF Grid Modernization Engine in the Carolinas.
The Albert School of Construction, established this year, is the first school in North Carolina focused on the full lifecycle of major construction and infrastructure projects.
Our partnership with Honeywell Technologies will create the Honeywell Innovation Hub, a 155,000-square-foot center for applied research, engineering education and STEM workforce development. The company’s $10 million investment also supports scholarships, faculty positions and student research experiences.
In business, the JL Price MBA is the oldest and largest MBA program in the Charlotte region and the top-ranked part-time MBA among North Carolina public universities.
Looking ahead, some of the most promising opportunities will involve AI in finance, grid technology and advanced manufacturing, smart infrastructure, aviation systems, and health technology.
Research universities are increasingly expected to turn innovation into economic impact. How are you approaching research commercialization and industry collaboration?
We are building commercialization and industry collaboration into the research process from the beginning. That means bringing companies, entrepreneurs, investors, and community partners into the conversation early so that researchers understand real-world needs and promising ideas have a clearer path from the laboratory to the marketplace.
CO-LAB at UNC Charlotte Center City is central to that approach. As the academic and research center for the North Tryon Tech Hub, CO-LAB brings entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, faculty members and students together to solve practical problems. It also provides a home for companies and entrepreneurial support organizations that can help new ventures develop, test their ideas, and connect with customers and capital.
Our Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation supports students, faculty members, alumni and community entrepreneurs through education, mentoring, competitions, and venture-development programs. Those efforts complement the work of our Division of Research, which helps faculty members protect intellectual property, form industry partnerships and commercialize discoveries. UNC Charlotte now ranks among the nation’s top 10 universities for patents and startup companies produced per research dollar.
The NSF Grid Modernization Engine provides an opportunity to expand this model across the Carolinas. Its purpose is to reduce the time required for promising grid technologies to move from development to testing, commercialization and deployment.
Success is measured by more than patents. We want to see ideas become companies, products, services and practices that create jobs, strengthen industries and improve people’s lives.
UNC Charlotte has experienced significant growth. What are your top priorities for the university over the next three to five years?
Our refreshed strategic plan, “The Charlotte Difference: A Plan for National Distinction, 2026-2031,” provides a focused roadmap for the next five years. Its priorities are student success, research growth, regional impact, and national distinction.
Student success remains the foundation. We want more students to graduate on time, gain meaningful professional experience, and enter careers that provide opportunity for themselves and their families. That requires expanding scholarships, advising, internships, and academic programs aligned with the changing economy.
We also must continue building the people, facilities and partnerships required of an R1 research university. The NSF Grid Modernization Engine, the School of Energy, the Albert School of Construction, our new AI programs and the Honeywell Innovation Hub demonstrate the direction we are heading.
Philanthropy will help accelerate that work. Our For the Love of Charlotte campaign has raised more than $427 million toward its $500 million goal, and we expect to reach that goal ahead of schedule. Those resources are supporting scholarships, faculty, research and facilities that will benefit the University and the region for decades.
The North Tryon Tech Hub is another major priority. With UNC Charlotte serving as its academic anchor, it can become a nationally recognized center for entrepreneurship, research commercialization, and corporate collaboration in the heart of the city.
Ultimately, our goal is straightforward: We want UNC Charlotte’s national reputation to reflect the value it already delivers. A nationally prominent public research university strengthens Charlotte’s economy, expands opportunity and improves the quality of life of the people who call this region home.
