A Historical Timeline of
Research and Innovation at NC State
For over 120 years, NC State University has put research to work for the citizens of our state and beyond. We’ve helped pioneer innovations across agriculture, electrical engineering, food science, manufacturing and textiles — just to name a few industries where you’ll still find our investigators’ impacts. This timeline highlights some of the most significant people and seminal inventions to have come out of NC State over the years — and the significant advancements and investments in infrastructure that spurred them on.
Pre-1960s
NC State was home to the first nuclear reactor on a college campus. The research reactor empowers NC State to launch the nation’s first nuclear engineering program, which today remains ranked among the top three in the country. Dubbed “The Temple of the Atom,” the nuclear reactor was also the first to be used exclusively for peacetime training — bringing NC State international attention and acclaim and putting us at the forefront of clean energy research long before climate change came to the fore.
1916
The U.S. government selects NC State to conduct tests on the five full grades of cotton, to benefit manufacturers; this marks our first documented textiles research.Today, our Wilson College of Textiles is North America’s only college devoted to textiles — and is recognized as the No. 1 textiles institution in the world.
1923
NC State establishes the Engineering Research Station, now known as the Analytical Instrumentation Facility. Supporting the extension work of the then-School of Engineering, the station was intended to address engineering issues of local, state and regional concern.
1938
J.C. Richmond, a woman chemist, is awarded a grant from the Engineering Experiment Station (formerly known as the Engineering Research Station) to study whether cow’s and goat’s milk could help combat pellagra, a disease that ravaged the U.S. in the early 1900s. Richmond was tasked with verifying findings that indicated cow’s milk contains the Pellagra-preventing chemical nicotine acid.
1957
Edward W. Glazener, a professor of agriculture, food and renewable resources, becomes NC State’s first AAAS Fellow.
1958
NC State, Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill founded the Research Triangle Institute, now known as RTI International. RTI International remains an important research partner of all three universities to this day.
1958
L.H. Thomas, , a professor of mathematics, becomes NC State’s first member of the National Academy of Sciences.
1960s-1970s
With over $700,000 from the National Science Foundation, industrial engineering researchers at NC State launch a center dedicated to innovation in furniture manufacturing — which runs for nearly 40 years. The center would lay the groundwork for what is today the Center for Additive Manufacturing and Logistics (CAMAL) — a leader in advanced manufacturing and 3D-printing research.
1962
NC State’s Graduate School creates an Assistant Dean for Research position, a title which would eventually evolve into what’s now a vice chancellor.
1965
Authorized by the Water Resources Research Act and in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey, North Carolina establishes the Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI), which is today headquartered on NC State’s Centennial Campus.
1965
Chancellor John T. Caldwell appoints Harold F. Robinson as the inaugural Dean for Research.
1965
NC State, on behalf of inventor Maurice Hoover, is granted its first patent, for a “Process for producing dehydrated sweet potato flakes.”
1966
NC State receives its first ever NSF grant, for a “Science Development Program” to fund additional faculty positions and research equipment.
1970
Through NOAA’s National Sea Grant Program, the state establishes the North Carolina Sea Grant, which has been administratively managed by NC State since 1973.
1972
Professor Charles Manning and graduate student Lyn David Lineback receive the NASA Achievement Award for a ceramic materials research project.
1973
NC State becomes one of the first universities identified as an R1 research institution, in Carnegie’s inaugural Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
1974
Donald Bitzer, a professor of computer science and engineering, becomes NC State’s first member of the National Academy of Engineering and Clement L. Markert, a professor of biology, becomes NC State’s first member of the National Academy of Medicine.
1980s
Three-time NC State graduate Calvin H. Carter Jr. and other former students of professor Robert Davis found the company Cree, the world's first manufacturer of energy-saving blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The spinout company, now known as Wolfspeed and focused on making semiconductor wafers for power electronic devices, still licenses technology from NC State. Wolfspeed is currently building the world’s largest silicon carbide manufacturing plant roughly 50 miles west of campus, in Chatham County, North Carolina.
1983
Chancellor Bruce Poulton changes the “Dean for Research” title and names Frank Hart NC State’s first Vice Chancellor for Research — signaling a shift from an academic role to more of an administrative one.
1984
Granted over 350 acres of land formerly belonging to Dorothea Dix Hospital, NC State begins building Centennial Campus, which will provide much-needed space for the growing student population — and pave the way for what’s now one of North America’s premier research parks.
1986
Elizabeth C. Theil becomes the first woman to win the Alumni Research Award, which is now called the Outstanding Research Award and grants automatic acceptance into NC State’s Research Leadership Academy.
1988
The Center for Advanced Electronic Material Processing opens, making NC State one of the first universities to receive an NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC) grant.
1988
Research Building I, now known as the Poulton Innovation Center, becomes the first building to open on Centennial Campus.
1990s
NC State researchers Sylvia Blankenship and Edward Sisler patent a synthetic compound — later dubbed SmartFresh — that extends the shelf life of produce. The startup company AgroFresh is founded three years later to further develop the technology. Thanks to their work, millions more people across the globe now have greater access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
1991
Led by professor B. Jayant Baliga, NC State opens the Power Semiconductor Research Center. Baliga, who invented the insulated-gate bipolar transistor — now widely used in electronic devices worldwide — and the center’s research would be integral to NC State later becoming the headquarters of the PowerAmerica Institute, and in 2024, the leader of CLAWS.
1991
ABB becomes the first corporate partner to lease space on Centennial Campus.
1991
Willard Bennett, a professor of physics, becomes NC State’s first inductee into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, for his Radio Frequency Mass Spectrometer.
1992
NC State takes over the administrative management of the Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE).
1992
The Textile Protection and Comfort Center conducts its first tests on Pyro-Man, a lifesize mannequin that can be used to replicate the conditions firefighters face.
1993
The National Weather Service becomes the first government partner on Centennial Campus, establishing a Forecast Office in Research Building III.
1995
Jerome J. Cuomo, a professor of materials science and engineering, becomes NC State’s first winner of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.
1998
Chavonda Jacobs-Young becomes the first African-American woman in the U.S. to earn a Ph.D. in paper science. She would go on to become the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics (REE) — and the USDA’s Chief Scientist.
2000s
After years of field testing, a new variety of sweet potato — the Covington — bred by NC State researchers Craig Yencho and Ken Pecota is released. The Covington quickly helped North Carolina regain its place as the nation’s leading producer of sweet potatoes, and it now accounts for about 90% of the sweet potatoes grown in our state — which provides nearly three-quarters 70% of the global export market.
2000
The Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST) opens, in Morehead City, North Carolina
2001
The Office of Research and Innovation publishes the inaugural edition of Results, NC State’s research and innovation magazine.
2003
NC State launches the Proposal Development Unit (PDU). Part of the Office of Research and Innovation, the PDU has helped researchers submit over 800 proposals — and bring in more than $1 billion in sponsored research funding
2004
Mladen Vouk, who would become NC State’s fifth VCR, leads the launch of the Virtual Computing Lab (VCL). The VCL manifests many years of Vouk’s pioneering work in cloud computing research.
2005
The College of Veterinary Medicine Research Building opens on Centennial Biomedical Campus. CVM researchers regularly collaborate with UNC-Chapel Hill and other universities with medical schools on comparative and translational research projects.
2007
The Golden Leaf Biomanufacturing Technology Education Center (BTEC) opens. Since then, BTEC has taught short courses on subjects such as gene therapy manufacturing to thousands of life sciences workers in the Research Triangle region.
2007
The Nonwovens Institute (NWI) opens, offering the world’s first accredited academic program for the interdisciplinary field of engineered fabrics
2009
The North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies (NCICS) opens, in Asheville. NCICS is a cooperative institute of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
2010s
NC State spinout company Locus Biosciences, which focuses on the development and manufacturing of technologies that leverage the revolutionary gene-editing tool CRISPR, strikes an agreement with Johnson & Johnson worth upwards of $800 million. CRISPR pioneer Rodolphe Barrangou, the Todd R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Professor of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, co-founded Locus
2010
Chancellor Randy Woodson establishes the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund (CIF), which has since led to the launch of nearly 40 NC State research-based startups
2011
As part of a universitywide strategic realignment, the chancellor and provost announce organizational changes that include renaming the Office of Research, Innovation and Economic Development (formerly the Office of Research and Graduate Studies) and expanding our office’s activities. Under this change, the Vice Chancellor for Research also begins reporting directly to the Chancellor.
2011
NC State launches Springboard Innovation Hub — today home to much of ORI, the Office of Partnerships, the Office of Research Commercialization, the Small Business Technology Development Center (SBTDC) and more — in Research Building I (now known as the Poulton Innovation Center)
2012
Eastman Chemical becomes NC State’s first strategic industry partner. Since then, Eastman has reported a return on investment of more than $220 million as a result of our partnership. The company has also hired over 100 NC State graduates.
2012
With the establishment of the Center for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST), NC State becomes the only university to boast two National Science Foundation Engineering Research Centers. The FREEDM Systems Center, which opened in 2008, is NC State’s other active ERC.
2012
BASF partners with NC State. To date, BASF has conducted more than 100 research projects with NC State — focused, for example, on eco-friendly flame retardant fabrics and other novel materials. Nine patents have resulted from these research collaborations. BASF has also hired dozens of our graduates. The company maintains space in the Plant Sciences Building and is currently working with NC State researchers to bring new crop protection solutions to market.
2013
David Aspnes, a professor of physics, becomes NC State’s first active faculty member to be inducted into the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) NAI Fellows Program.
2013
The Laboratory for Analytic Sciences (LAS) opens, in partnership with the National Security Agency. Since its founding, LAS has deployed more than $85 million in funding to over 60 partner organizations and conducted more than 450 intelligence analysis research projects.
2014
President Barack Obama visits NC State to announce the opening of the PowerAmerica Institute. PowerAmerica is one of seven Manufacturing USA institutes NC State is part of.
2015
The Center for Human Health and the Environment (CHHE), Comparative Medicine Institute (CMI) and Genetic Engineering and Society Center (GES) open.
2016
Rodolphe Barrangou, a professor of food science, becomes NC State’s first winner of the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize, for his pioneering CRISPR research while working at Danisco.
2016
NC State partners with the City of Raleigh to conduct research that leads to the launch of the annual Smart Cities Conference. The Smart Cities Connect initiative has since resulted in joint research projects spanning several NC State colleges.
2016
The Office of Research and Innovation announces the winners of its Game-Changing Research Incentive Program (GRIP) — sponsored by NC State, RTI International, and the Kenan Institute of Engineering, Technology and Science — which awarded $2.3 million in seed funding to five collaborative, ground-breaking projects in nanotechnology, education, textiles, genetics and chemistry.
2017
The Analytical Instrumentation Facility is named one of NC State’s six Shared Core Research Facilities, which the Office of Research and Innovation manages.
2017
NC State’s annual research and development expenditures reach $500 million for the first time — a 39% growth since 2010, when Chancellor Woodson took the helm.
2017
Researchers from the departments of architecture, landscape architecture, and agricultural and resource economics, team up with NC Sea Grant, Louisiana State University, ECU and UNC-Chapel Hill to help the residents of Princeville, North Carolina, become more resilient against natural disasters, as the community struggled to recover from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Matthew.
2018
The Office of Research, Innovation and Economic Development is renamed the Office of Research and Innovation.
2019
Thanks to a $10.8 million grant from the John M. Belk endowment, NC State’s College of Education launches the Belk Center for Community College Leadership.
2019
Results magazine goes digital.
2019
The Office of Research and Innovation identifies NC State’s six Strategic Research Areas.
2020s
What if a lab could run itself? At NC State, Milad Abolhasani, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, wants to find out. Using the power of AI, NC State researchers have launched two “self-driving” labs. The newer of the two labs was launched with funding from Eastman Chemical.
2020
The Nonwovens Institute (NWI) responds to COVID-19 pandemic — spinning up a unique fabric for filters. NWI donated nearly 5,000 meters of the fabric to the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, headquartered about an hour south of campus on Ft. Liberty (formerly Ft. Bragg), which used its sewing equipment, facilities and skills — normally used for parachutes — to make around 100,000 masks.
2020
The College of Design’s Coastal Dynamics Designs Lab (CDDL) partners with the city of Lumberton, North Carolina, to create plans for flood-resistant infrastructure — largely building off the work CDDL did, along with other researchers, to help revitalize the town of Princeton, in 2017.
2021
Professor Catherine Hoyo, a Goodnight Innovation Distinguished Chair, receives $17 million to research the potential connection between PFAS and liver cancer.
2021
NC State launches the Data Science Academy — building on our university’s longtime national leadership and expertise in data science, included the founding of SAS, one of the world’s largest data analytics companies; the Data Science Initiative; the world’s first master of science in analytics degree, offered by the Institute for Advanced Analytics; the Laboratory for Analytic Sciences; and dozens of other related initiatives.
2021
The National Science Foundation awards NC State $20 million for an AI Institute, now named the Center for Educational Informatics, led by James Lester.
2022
Under Armour partners with NC State and opens its corporate innovation center on Centennial Campus
2022
The Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability (STEPS) Center becomes NC State’s first NSF Science and Technology Center.
2022
The Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF) launches its third major project with NC State — called the Biocatalyst Interactions with Gases (BIG) Collaboration — funded by $6.5 million and building on two prior NNF-funded projects.
2022
The Plant Sciences Building, headquarters for the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative, opens on Centennial Campus. The Office of Research and Innovation’s GRIP4PSI seed funding program played a key role in bringing PSI to life.
2023
NC State partners with FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies to advance innovation for its $3 billion Holly Springs campus, set to open in 2025, which will create more than 1,400 jobs
2024
The Wilson College of Textiles is chosen as a core partner for the NSF’s North Carolina Textile Innovation and Sustainability Engine, funded by the CHIPS and Science Act.
2024
The Department of Defense taps State to manage a Microelectronics Common Regional Innovation Hub, Commercial Leap Ahead for Widebandgap Semiconductors (CLAWS) Backed by nearly $40M in DoD funding, CLAWS builds off NC State’s decades of experience as a leader in semiconductor research.
2024
B. Jayant Baliga becomes NC State’s first winner of the Millenium Technology Prize, for his role in inventing, developing and commercializing the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) — an energy-saving semiconductor switch. Used worldwide in products from refrigerators to vehicles, IGBTs have reduced CO2 emissions by hundreds of trillions of pounds.