Erin Hopper, PhD

Director for Programs and Grants, Institute for Convergent Science

Email: erin.hopper@unc.edu

Phone: 919.604.6775

As Director for Programs and Grants at the Institute for Convergent Science, Erin promotes interdisciplinary research and team science by identifying funding opportunities and building and supporting research teams to pursue those opportunities. She works to improve UNC’s applied and translational research pipeline and collaborates across campus to support the innovation ecosystem. Erin has a diverse background in higher education research administration, program development, and graduate education. Her past roles have involved developing and implementing innovation strategies interdisciplinary research approaches as Innovation Special Projects Lead for Innovate Carolina and the UNC College of Arts and Sciences, helping to build a new UNC department by serving as Associate Chair of Departmental Initiatives for the Department of Applied Physical Sciences; directing statewide funding programs and supporting collaborative research initiatives as Director of Research at the UNC System Office; and advancing career preparedness of graduate students as Director of Training Initiatives in Biomedical and Biological Sciences (TIBBS) in the UNC School of Medicine. She received her B.S. in chemistry from UNC-Chapel Hill, earned her PhD in chemistry from Duke University, and completed her postdoctoral training at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).