Research Projects

RENCI experts in software engineering, advanced networking, data management, high performance computing and information visualization help researchers in a wide range of scientific fields conduct more productive work. Our teams focus on the cyber tools that enable research to be done more quickly, more efficiently, and more creatively. We encourage you to browse the research projects highlighted here to learn about our current collaborations and how they impact science and society. If you are a researcher interested in taking your work to the next level, we invite you to contact RENCI to find out more. 


Clinical Informatics and AI

Genomic sequencing, electronic medical records, and medical imaging have thrust health and biological sciences research as well as clinical practice into the world of big data. RENCI’s work with leading medical and genomic researchers is designed to help them make the most of genomic data through data management tools and virtual pipelines that track data and keep it safe. RENCI’s evidence-based medicine projects include collaborations with clinicians and researchers to help them use EMRs and other medical data to improve diagnoses, treatment plans, and health outcomes.

Data Science and Analytics

Every sector of society—science, medicine, education, government, industry, social media, and entertainment —is undergoing a historic transformation driven by the use of big data. RENCI collaborates with partners at leading universities, in government, and in the private sector to create tools and technologies that facilitate easy data access, sharing, analysis, management, and long-term archiving. From its work to sustain enterprise-quality data management software to its participation in national and international data science-focused consortia, RENCI is committed to transforming data into discoveries and new knowledge.

Earth Data Science Research

RENCI expertise in data management, high performance computing, and scientific visualization come together to help scientists use real-time and historical data to accurately model coastal storm surge and understand the impacts of sea level rise on storm surge. RENCI also participates in research projects to develop cyberinfrastructure that will allow scientists to easily share environmental data and models, and to sustain their software using the open source software development model.

Network Research and Infrastructure

RENCI projects in high performance computing include efforts to enhance performance monitoring and analysis on some of the world’s most powerful HPC systems. The institute’s networking research group prototypes advanced network infrastructure that links cloud-based resources, data and applications to research networks such as Internet2 and ESnet. All projects aim to enable scientific discovery by making it easier for researchers to access, share, analyze, and store their data across distances and over time.

Engagement and Outreach

RENCI maintains strong connections to its founding campuses (UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke, and NC State) through collaborations on projects and proposals. The institute also maintains a regular dialogue with its stakeholders through Oversight Board meetings, lectures, special events, and white papers on technical and scientific topics.