As a Carnegie-ranked R1 public research university, UNT is the largest university in the North Texas region, leading the way for the most dynamic state economy in the strongest national economy in the world. UNT is committed to working at the frontiers of knowledge to provide creative contributions and discoveries of public value, drive innovation, and help power the Texas economy. We do that by prioritizing collaborations with industry, working at the intersections of academic disciplines, and building on our strengths in advanced materials, logistics and supply chain management, data science, and many other important areas.
–Harrison Keller, Ph.D. President
The University of North Texas is dedicated to discovery that shapes our world for the better and is experiencing unprecedented growth for our research enterprise. In fiscal year 2024, UNT had more than $124 million in total research expenditures including $49.3 million that are federal and private funds for research.
This past year, we added Texas’ largest drone test facility and started design of a one-of-a-kind X-ray diffraction system for hypersonic research. In addition, we began construction on a Science and Technology Building thanks to $103.4 million in tuition revenue bonds authorized by the 87th Texas Legislature. This building will bring together interdisciplinary teams at the experimental and computational level within the fields of chemistry, life sciences, physics, psychology, kinesiology, biomedical, and other engineering fields.
I am proud to be part of such a collaborative research community and I look forward to soaring higher together.
–Pamela Padilla, Ph.D. Vice President for Research and Innovation
BY THE NUMBERS
The University of North Texas is experiencing unprecedented growth for our research enterprise. In fiscal year 2024, UNT had over $124 million in total research expenditures of which $50.5 million are federal and private funds for research.
$57M
In Total Sponsored Projects
FEDERAL FUNDING BY SPONSOR (Numbers Rounded)
Based on a total of $43.6M and 250 awards
COLLEGE
Colleges with under $1M in funding are included in the Other category. Numbers are rounded up. Total funding amount is $57,010,485.
OUR GROWTH
$103.4M
UNT began construction on a Science and Technology Building thanks to $103.4 million in tuition revenue bonds authorized by the 87th Texas Legislature. This building will bring together interdisciplinary teams at the experimental and computational level within the fields of chemistry, life sciences, physics, psychology, kinesiology, biomedical, and other engineering fields.
56%
University Research Day
research posters were featured from faculty and students Faculty consultations increased 104% with the Research Development identifying funding opportunities Proposal Writing Preparation
Total number of undergraduate and graduate students employed by sponsored awards
2. BRIAN MECKES | College of Engineering. Project Title: “Mechanoregulators of Nanoparticle-Cell Interactions at Tissue Interfaces.” Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health. Funding Amount: $1.7M.
3. KAMESH NAMADURI | College of Engineering. Project Title: “Building a Smart and Connected Ecosystem for the First Responder Community.” Funding Agency: National Science Foundation. Funding Amount: $1.5M.
4. XIAO LI | College of Engineering. Project Title: “ILiquid Crystal TEmplated Sequential Infiltration Synthesis of Hybrid Organic/Inorganic Materials with Multidimensional Chiral Structure.” Funding Agency: National Science Foundation. Funding Amount: $715,009.
5. JIYOUNG KIM | College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism. Project Title: “Creating Transformational Leaders in Sustainable Food and Fiber Systems.” Funding Agency: US Department of Agriculture. Funding Amount: $339,000.
6. ANDREW CHUNG | College of Music. Book Title: “Music’s Long: The Climate of Empire and the Sound of Ecological Disaster.” Fellowship: American Antiquarian Society. Agency: National Endowment for the Humanities.
INSTITUTES OF RESEARCH EXCELLENCE
1 | Advanced Environmental Research Institute (AERI) — AERI membership included 40 faculty members across twelve departments and six colleges. All active AERI members contributed to at least one proposal submission, totaling $51 million, more than double the previous academic year (up from $22 million). AERI expenditures also increased by over 30% to $2.5 million.
2 | Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Processes Institute (AMMPI) — AMMPI expanded its processing capabilities with the addition of a laser cutting machine and waterjet cutting machine. Researchers submitted 109 proposals for $55M, including $47.3M to federal and $7.7M to non-federal sources. As a result of these proposal submissions, $10.2M was awarded.
3 | BioDiscovery Institute (BDI) — BDI members submitted 32 proposals for a total of $16M, and supported their collective research effort with $4.9M in expenditures. Research from BDI appeared in 70 scientific publications in 45 journals, resulted in two intellectual property applications and three patents, and multiple media releases and recognitions. Several BDI members (Drs. Brian Ayre, Kent Chapman, Rick Dixon and Jyoti Shah) are among the most highly cited authors in their discipline.
4 | Jim McNatt Institute for Logistics Research (JMI) — With more than 40 researchers spanning six colleges, faculty researchers have been conducting externally funded research for the Department of Defense, National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Aeronautics Space Administration, and Department of Homeland Security, with six new proposal submissions amounting to$15,357,331. Awards for FY 2024 totaled $3,922,818.
DRI BUDGET ALLOCATIONS
CORE FACILITIES
The number of Core facilities managed by the Division of Research and Innovation These facilities support investigators campus-wide in UNT’s research enterprise
Division of Research and Innovation
LEADERSHIP
PAMELA PADILLA
Vice President for Research & Innovation
AARON ROBERTS
Associate Vice President for Research & Innovation
BRENDA BARRIO
Assistant Vice President for Research & Innovation
