Most of what you see at a theatrical performance can’t be purchased in a store. Each piece is specifically designed, created, and modified for the actor who will wear it on stage. What does that involve? Just ask the team at the PlayMakers Repertory Company costume shop.

Teshanee Williams is a postdoctoral research associate within the UNC School of Government and a fellow in the Carolina Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity. She uses mixed method approaches to examine strategic alliances between the public sector and nonprofit organizations, as well as public participation in decision-making processes.

Nehemiah Stewart is a junior double-majoring in chemistry and mathematics within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. His research interests include how neurons survive and die in normal and diseased situations and developing methods to combat illnesses. In addition, he is a member of UNC’s JV basketball team and symphony orchestra and recently launched a university-based ridesharing app called Vector.

Cassandra Myers is the director of the Office of Human Research Ethics within the UNC Research division. She oversees the protection of human subjects in research and helps researchers achieve study goals by ensuring they meet compliance and regulatory needs.

Alecia Septer is an assistant professor in the Department of Marine Sciences within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. She researches how bacteria compete for space and resources to aid in the development of future treatments for when such microbes cause health problems.

André Keiji Kunigami is a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Romance Studies within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences and a fellow in the Carolina Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity. He examines how film makes people feel about their bodies and the political nature of those emotions.

University Research Week, November 4-8, is an annual celebration of Carolina’s research excellence and an effort to increase participation by students, of all levels, in research activity. Through lectures, workshops, lab tours, and more, the campus community will become more familiar with our world-class research and the strategic initiatives that make Carolina one of the top research institutions in the world.

Kate Richardson is a junior and Chancellor’s Science Scholar double-majoring in physics and computer science within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. She researches dark matter and how it might be composed of hypothetical elementary particles called axions.

Heart disease is the number-one killer in the U.S. — but what if there was a way to regenerate healthy heart cells? Cue Li Qian, who received the 2019 Hettleman Prize for Scholarly and Artistic Achievement for her groundbreaking work in cardiac reprogramming.

Oliver Lamb is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Geological Sciences within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. He explores how seismology and infrasound can be used to study natural phenomena like active volcanoes.

By the time she was 14 years old, Vaishnavi Siripurapu had already developed a passion for feminism and reproductive health. After working in a university biology lab in high school, she set her sights on a career that combined her love of science with that of gynecology. Now a sophomore at UNC, she researches ways to educate young people about sex and relationships.

For thousands of years, the northern Andes Mountains have acted as a carbon sink, preserving organic matter as thick soil. As the planet warms, what will happen to all that carbon? This past summer, Carolina undergraduates traveled to Ecuador to take a closer look.