Greetings, Niner Nation! 

I am Radhika Patel, Graduate Student Body Vice President, and on behalf of our Graduate & Professional Student Government’s 17-member Student Leadership Team and our 25-member Graduate Research Symposium Student Leadership Circle, I am thrilled to welcome each of you to the 25th Annual UNC Charlotte Graduate Research Symposium (GRS).

This year’s conference takes place during the first full year of UNC Charlotte being recognized as a Carnegie R1 institution, deemed such by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. It is the highest recognition that a doctoral university can receive. The R1 classification indicates “very high research activity” and affirms UNC Charlotte as an elite research institution. With this designation, we have joined East Carolina University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, and Duke University as the only universities in North Carolina in this category.

As Chancellor Sharon Gaber noted, this milestone reflects a university-wide commitment to research excellence. The “top talent” that accompanies R1 status is not incidental—we have been intentionally cultivated. The student scholars we have attracted to this year’s GRS were meticulously selected to showcase UNC Charlotte’s capacious, forward-looking epistemological ambition: not only what we know, but also what we believe is next, and what is newly possible for our region and beyond.

Thank you for being part of this milestone year. We hope our student-focused symposium inspires new connections, sharper questions, and enduring collaborations.

In Power & Possibility,

Radhika Patel

25th Annual Graduate Research Symposium Chairperson 

Graduate Student Body Vice President 2025-2026