Organized Research and Service Units

The listing below shows organized research and service units that engage in research and/or public service and training.  Centers/institutes indicated with a "+" have been exempted by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs from periodic review under UNT Policy 06.046.

Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Division of Research and Innovation

Institutes of Research Excellence and Emerging Research Centers

  • Advanced Environmental Research Institute

    The Advanced Environmental Research Institute (AERI) at the University of North Texas has been established as an Institute of Research Excellence. The institute touts a multidisciplinary team of researchers committed to collaborating on large research projects with an emphasis on application of research findings to the solutions of our most pressing environmental issues.

  • Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Processes Institute

    The Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Processes Institute (AMMPI) at the University of North Texas has been established as an Institute of Research Excellence. This is in recognition of the university's strong and growing materials science program, which is part of UNT's fast-growing College of Engineering.Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Processes Institute, AMMPI, is a research institute which is focused to test, develop and process next-generation structural materials via rapid combinatorial assessment and advanced processing technologies.

  • BioDiscovery Institute
    The BioDiscovery Institute delivers research solutions to underpin the utilization of biosystems for production of food/feed, polymers, construction materials, bioactive molecules, and biofuels. The institute operates through a pipeline linking sustainable plant production platforms, metabolic engineering and the development of new materials. The institute touts a multidisciplinary team of researchers committed to collaborating on large research projects with an emphasis on application of findings and solutions to meet market issues and needs.

  • Center for Agile and Adaptive Additive Manufacturing (CAAAM)
    This center is on the cutting edge of additive manufacturing becoming the next generation of manufacturing innovation for U.S. and global markets.  Many innovations now are feasible through a synergistic approach involving computational process and materials modeling and in-situ and ex in-situ process and materials analysis/diagnostics along with data and decision sciences, which is the purpose of CAAAM.  The center will also work to address acute shortages in the manufacturing workforce by empowering companies to embark on additive manufacturing innovation and create research partnerships with regional and multinational manufacturing industries.

  • Center for Plant Lipid Research
    The Center for Plant Lipid Research is focused on both basic and applied aspects of research in the regulation of plant lipid metabolism.  Center scientists use contemporary experimental approaches in cell biology, biochemistry, and molecular genetics to understand how lipids influence the growth and development of plants.

  • Center for Racial and Ethnic Equity in Health and Society (CREEHS)
    CREEHS seeks to increase the quality of life for all Texans and to foster an environment for economic growth and innovation by narrowing longstanding racial and ethnic gaps in healthcare.  Grounded in an understanding of the social determinants of health, CREEHS will redress inequity in the conditions in which people in Texas, live, work, learn, and interact socially.  The Center seeks to investigate health quality and related systems by examining the economic, social and environmental factors that have contributed to the state's current health crisis.  CREEHS is committed to seeking solutions to stimulate movement toward health equity. 

  • Center for Remote Sensing 
    The Center for Remote Sensing was established in 1988 as a means of utilizing the rapidly evolving technology of satellite imaging to contribute to the scientific knowledge of environmental resources, ecosystems, and the human communities.  The Center trains specialists in the theory and techniques of remote sensing, and provides scientific advice to local, regional, national, and international communities, thereby supporting the University's mission of teaching, research, and service.

  • Center for Watershed and Reservoir Assessment and Management (CWRAM) 
    The mission of the Center for Watershed and Reservoir Assessment and Management (CWRAM) is to conduct problem-solving research addressing water/land issues, to be an information resource on best management practices for addressing watershed and reservoir problems, and to provide educational programs about water and reservoir assessment and management.

  • Institute of Applied Science 
    The Mission of the IAS is to foster, facilitate and conduct science-based interdisciplinary environmental research that seeks to understand how human actions impact the environment, and to use that knowledge to suggest scientific, engineering, policy and/or educational solutions to environmental problems.  
     
  • Jim McNatt Institute for Logistics Research
    In 2013 UNT established the Jim McNatt Institute for Logistics Research (McNatt Institute). The McNatt Institute seeks to advance our understanding of how business, government, technology, the environment and the human element interact within complex logistics systems and enterprises to support sustainable and resilient economic growth. The establishment of the McNatt Institute fosters synergy across UNT in strengths such as emergency management, economics, geography, engineering, transportation and planning, digital commerce, arts, and logistics. This intellectual convergence stimulates collaboration between government agencies, businesses, non-profits, and service providers to examine the integration of people, goods, and related information across the entire supply chain.

G. Brint Ryan College of Business

  • Institute of Petroleum Accounting
    Through its position within the university community, the Institute has access to research that directly impinges upon the accounting, finance, tax, and economics issues facing the petroleum industry today. The Institute's ties to professional accountants, financial managers, and executives within the extractive industries enable it to stay abreast of the concerns that industry professionals contend with on a day-to-day basis.

  • Murphy Center for Entrepreneurship
    We are striving to create a leading collaborative environment of entrepreneurs, investors and supporters that facilitates the development of new business ventures and strengthens the prospects of early stage companies in the North Texas region.

  • The People Center
    Many of the critical issues facing organizations today involve their people. The People Center serves to connect academic research to practice and address pressing people issues in organizations.

    Through outreach, student experiences and research, The People Center aims to increase legitimacy with partners, collaborators and supporters to enhance opportunities for students and faculty.

College of Education

  • Bill J. Priest Center for Community College Education
    Named in honor of Dr. Bill J. Priest, the founding Chancellor of the Dallas County Community College District and the inspiration for the Bill J. Priest Center at UNT. Dr. Priest served as Chancellor from 1965 to 1981. He is credited with building the community college system in Dallas. Today, the DCCCD is comprised of seven different colleges located throughout Dallas County, the R. Jan LeCroy Center for Educational Telecommunications, and various centers across Dallas County.

  • Center for Play Therapy
    Our mission is to encourage the unique development and emotional growth of children through the process of play therapy, a dynamic interpersonal relationship between a child and a therapist trained in play therapy procedures. The therapist provides the child with selected play materials and facilitates a safe relationship to express feelings, thoughts, experiences and behaviors through play, the child's natural medium of communication. 

  • Center for Sport Psychology and Athlete Mental Health
    The UNT Center for Sport Psychology and Athlete Mental Health was started in 1998 and over the last decade has become an internationally-recognized leader in the field of sport psychology. Our Center is multidisciplinary, combining knowledge, skills, and expertise from Psychology and Exercise Science to provide comprehensive and individualized sport psychology services, education/training, and research.

  • Counseling and Human Development Center+
    We contribute to the advancement of education, health, and human development. We study people—how children and adults learn, how teachers teach, how educational leaders lead, how to evaluate and improve programs, how to counsel those in need, how to serve our schools and communities, how to promote well-being. We serve the public by helping them live happier, healthier, and more productive lives.

  • Kristin Farmer Autism Center 
    The UNT Kristin Farmer Autism Center conducts evidence-based direct services, research and training to positively impact individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, their families and the community.  The center's vision is changing lives across the autism spectrum and the life span through comprehensive, collaborative and individualized actions delivered with compassion and excellence. 

College of Engineering

  • Center for Information and Cyber Security 

    We are an interdisciplinary center, bringing together individuals and organizations with an interest in the areas of information security, computer security, information assurance, and cybercrime.  The mission of the Center is to coordinate and promote educational, research, and service projects in information and computer security, with an emphasis on cross-disciplinary initiatives.

  • Net-Centric Software and Systems Center 
    The Net-Centric and Cloud Center focuses on a collaborative approach of research and development in net-centric and cloud systems.  This allows the center to draw on the expertise of both industry and academia.  The Net-Centric and Cloud Center conducts research on leveraging these advantages in software development, resource management, SLA compliance, workload modeling, and evaluation of emerging technologies for cloud and net-centric environments.

  • PACCAR Technology Institute
    The PACCAR Technology Institute (PTI) in the College of Engineering at the University of North Texas (UNT) is dedicated to research on Nanomaterials and Microsystems Technology. The initial support received from the PACCAR Foundation in 2006 has helped nucleate this Institute within the College of Engineering. With PTI Director, Prof. Anupama B. Kaul, who joined UNT in Fall 2017, the future directions of PTI will revolve around Nanomaterials and Microsystems Technology from 2018 onwards. 
     

  • UNT Industrial Assessment Center
    The Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) is a national program sponsored by the Advanced Manufacturing Office, under the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EREE) of the Department of Energy (DOE).  IACs are located at 37 universities around the country.  The mission of the UNT IAC is to help small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) in manufacturing sector in North Texas.  The IAC conducts no-cost on-site assessments including technology and processes to increase energy efficiency, maximize productivity, minimize waste, and prevent pollution.

College of Health and Public Service

  • Center for Public Management
    Established in 1992 as the professional development arm of the Department of Public Administration, the mission of the Center for Public Management (CPM) is to promote excellence and efficiency in public and nonprofit organizations.

  • UNT Speech and Hearing Center+
    The University of North Texas Speech and Hearing Center has been serving people with speech, language, and hearing disorders since 1967. The Center strives to provide superior professional diagnostic and treatment services in speech-language pathology and audiology while providing excellence in clinical education for students in the Department of Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology at the University of North Texas. Our showcase facility boasts a hearing aid dispensary, preschool language room, numerous therapy and diagnostic rooms, areas for families to observe clinical sessions, and ample parking.

College of Information

  • iCenter for Affective Neurotechnologies (iCAN)
    The iCenter for Affective Neurotechnologies (iCAN) at UNT's Discovery Park is a multidisciplinary center (with 6 interdisciplinary labs) that integrates computational social neuroscience, neuropsychology, psychophysiology, learning technologies, biomedial AI, and simulation technologies (video games, VR, AR, XR) for novel assessment, modeling, and training of neurocognitive, affective, and social processes.

  • Institute for the Integration of Technology into Teaching and Learning
    The Institute for the Integration of Technology into Teaching and Learning, housed at the University of North Texas, is chartered by the UNT Council of Deans to conduct research and implement best practices in the area of teaching and learning with technology. IITTL's instruments and online data collection systems have allowed gathering data from thousands of educators in recent years. It has generated dozens of book chapters and refereed journal articles in the area of impact of information technology in education.

  • Texas Center for Educational Technology
    TCET is committed to providing an array of services to serve the educational needs of a variety of clients. To better serve these needs, TCET is organized into four divisions: the External Products Division, the Professional Development Division, the Professional Learning Division, and the Evaluation Division. Each division has a distinct role supporting the overall mission of TCET.

College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

  • Castleberry Peace Institute
    In 2010, the University of North Texas (UNT) became the home of the Castleberry Peace Institute (CPI), the first research institute in the state of Texas. The Castleberry institute is devoted to cutting edge peace science research that advances our understanding of why conflicts occur, how they can be brought to an earlier and less destructive end, and what can be done to build a more durable peace in the aftermath of armed conflict.

  • Center for Environmental Economic Studies & Research 
    The primary objective of the Center is to promote, conduct, and coordinate environmental economics research and complementary activities on the University of North Texas campus.  To accomplish this mission, the Center focuses on two main areas: research and education.  The Center focuses on economic solutions that weigh the cost and benefits in order to maximize society's welfare.
  • Center for Psychosocial Health Disparities Research

    Welcome to the Center for Psychosocial Health Disparities Research at UNT! We are a multidisciplinary team dedicated to pioneering research on the psychosocial phenomena involved in healthy living, with a focus on the LGBT and HIV-positive communities. Feel free to explore our website to learn more about the center, our projects, posters we have presented at national conferences and how we give back. 

  • Economics Research Group
    The Economics Research Group (ERG) is providing expertise to drive research across multiple sectors.  ERG is actively cultivating new georeferenced data sources to support multi-disciplinary work, and engaging the corporate community to push the envelope at the intersection of research and practice.  ERG currently hosts 2 research initiatives.

  • Military History Center
    The Military History Center (MHC) at the University of North Texas is building one of the premier military history programs in the world. We've hired great military historians in the forefront of their fields in teaching and research, and offer a rich course rotation for graduate students and undergraduates on the great conflicts of history as well as war and society, military thought, and diplomacy. 

College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism

  • Center for Consumer Insights and Innovations (ICCI)
    Center for Consumer Insights and Innovations  at the University of North Texas works to advance digital retailing through academic and industry collaborations.  We actively bring together the best minds, ideas and creativity to shape the dialogue in objective thought and inquiry in the science of current and future digital retailing and its impact on consumers.

College of Music

  • Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia
    The Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia is an interdisciplinary center focused on music and arts technologies, housed within UNT's Division of Composition Studies. CEMI fosters integration of electroacoustic music, live performance, video/film, plastic arts, and theater. Since its 1963 inception as the NTSU Electronic Music Center, CEMI has evolved into an unique creative environment, world-renowned for innovative works and musicians.
     
  • Center for Schenkerian Studies
    The Center promotes various activities including: the typesetting of Schenkerian graphs for publication and dissemination, and the preservation and archiving of documents contained in the Reinhard Oppel Memorial Collection housed at UNT's Willis Library.
     

  • Texas Center for Performing Arts Health 
    The Texas Center for Performing Arts Health, formerly known as the Texas Center for Music & Medicine, is an interdisciplinary partnership led by the UNT College of Music and the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine together with School of Public Health, the College of Engineering, and the College of Public Affairs and Community Service.

College of Science

  • Elm Fork Education Center+
    The mission of the Elm Fork Education Center is to develop and implement premiere environmental education programs.  These programs will provide investigative encounters that engage students of all ages in field activities and discovery experiences.  These opportunities are designed to encourage sound environmental decision making and responsible environmental stewardship.

  • Center for Nonlinear Science (CNS)
    The main purpose of the Center for Nonlinear Science is to contribute to establish a bridge between Physics and Biology and to move from there to Sociology and Psychology.  CNS is working on a form of spontaneous organization generating crucial events with a form of complexity that fits very well the observation generating crucial events with a form of complexity that fits very well the observation of the dynamics of the brain and physiological processes.

College of Visual Arts and Design

  • Jo Ann (Jody) and Dr. Charles O. Onstead Institute for Education in the Visual Arts and Design
    The Institute is housed within the University of North Texas' College of Visual Arts & Design (CVAD)—one of the most comprehensive arts and design programs at a public university and considered one of the best art schools in the South and Southwest with program areas in art education—which includes a PhD offering—art history, and a broad range of studio and design practice. The College's faculty are master artists, designers, and scholars who are known internationally.

School of Journalism

  • Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism +
    Graduate work in the Frank W. Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism prepares students with lifetime communication and intellectual skills for successful careers in journalism, strategic communications, and higher education. This nationally accredited program offers state-of-the-art technological training and support as well as research and study opportunities in news, advertising, public relations, photojournalism, publishing, broadcast and multimedia news.

Division of Digital Strategy and Innovation

  • NetDragon Digital Research Centre 
    The NetDragon Digital Research Centre is a collaborative initiative between UNT and Digital Train Limited, a leader in internet and mobile internet educational content and delivery.  The centre provides research funding for students and faculty and offers unique opportunities for student internships and faculty training, sponsored research across multiple disciplines, technology development and deployment of online courses to further enrich student learning experiences.  Dr. Thomas Parsons is professor of learning technologies and the founding director of the center.