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CIPHER is a university-wide research center with constituents from the College of Computing and Informatics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering, College of Health and Human Services, and the College of Education. Our goals are to coalesce expertise in computer science, bioinformatics, software and information systems, biological sciences, math, geography, public health, data science, education, and communications.

New research shows how bird flu is evolving

ON YOUR SIDE TONIGHT: Jamie Boll and WBTV recently visited UNC Charlotte’s CIPHER Center to explore how bird flu is evolving. Jamie sat down with Dr. Daniel Janies to discuss his cutting-edge research and the technology advances made since the COVID-19 pandemic. Their conversation highlighted the role of artificial intelligence in current studies and examined the latest developments in the bird flus evolution and trajectory.

Read the full story

Luo Lab awarded a new grant from the National Science Foundation

Biological Sciences Professor and Researcher, Dr. Elaine Luo was awarded $699k from NSF for a project to study the “Viral impacts on microbial carbon cycling at deep-sea hydrothermal vents“. This project aims to identify the diversity, mechanisms, and rates of virus-induced carbon cycling in a deep-sea hydrothermal vent system (Axial Seamount). While chemoautotrophic microbes are known to contribute to these hotspots of primary productivity, the functional role and biogeochemical impacts of viruses that infect them remain critical gaps in our understanding of
the dark ocean’s carbon cycle. Read the full abstract here.

Reitzel Lab Awarded Collaborative 1.5M NSF Award

Congratulations to Adam Reitzel Ph.D on his new award from NSF/BIO-UKRI/BBSRC “The role of gene copy number variation in host-microbe interactions”. It is a 4-year grant ($1.5M total, $650K to UNC Charlotte) and is a collaborative project with a UK partner.

With funding from the National Science Foundation, the Reitzel lab will use a coastal sea anemone (Nematostella vectensis) to study the impact of copy number variation of key immune genes in the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of this symbiosis.

Check out the CIPHER Podcast

“de-CIPHERing Infectious Disease”

explores the cutting-edge interdisciplinary research happening at UNC Charlotte’s CIPHER Research Center. Each episode features an in-depth interview with one of CIPHER’s researchers, allowing them to discuss their background, current projects, and the exciting team science approach they take to tackle complex issues at the intersection of health, environment, data science, genomics, infectious disease, and more.