Christopher S. Brown, PhD, former vice president of Research for the University of North Carolina System, has been named vice president of Research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Brown comes to UAB from North Carolina State University where he is a professor of plant and microbial biology and works to develop large-scale research teams. He is the director of the NASA/North Carolina Space Grant, as well as chair of the 50-state National Space Grant Alliance.

Brown has more than 26 years of experience in research, teaching, research program management, and university/government/industry collaboration.

"UAB recently vaulted 36 spots in U.S. News & World Report's Best Global Universities, due in large part to our growing world impact in research," said UAB President Ray Watts. "I am confident that Dr. Brown is the right leader to capitalize on that momentum."

From 2012-2016, Brown served as the vice president of Research at the University of North Carolina System, with its 16 public universities, $1.35 billion in research awards in 2015 and 225,000 students. New awards for UNC System research grew by $125 million during his time as vice president.

"I am honored President Watts selected me," Brown said. "What stood out to me as I pursued this position is the opportunity to aggressively expand UAB's already impressive and impactful research portfolio to drive discovery and economic development."

Since 1996 as a faculty member and research scientist, Brown has received more than $22 million in grants for research, education and commercial development projects from federal and state sources.