Lance Barton

Lance Barton, Ph.D. is the Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research first arriving in June 2023. He earned his B.S. from Dickinson College and his Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine. He is a broadly trained biochemist and cellular immunologist who has worked with students on projects related to immunology, cell stress, and cancer biology. His own career in STEM was sparked through undergraduate research experiences. Consequently, his passion is helping students learn through research. 

During a two decade faculty career, he taught multiple course-based research experiences (CUREs) for undergraduates and mentored 80 students on individual and team projects in his laboratory. Administratively, he is now leading his second institutional office of undergraduate research.  He has led an academic department, an honors program, and honor society chapters. He has extensive experience organizing conferences and large events in support of undergraduate research including the State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research & Creativity Symposium.  

With a strong background in active pedagogies and extensive experience with faculty professional development, he has been an agent of change in support of undergraduate education at all levels.  Nationally, he has been a CUR Councilor for 12 years, serving a previous term as Chair of the Biology Division, and is currently serving his first term on the Board of Directors of the Council on Undergraduate Research.

His current interests include studying how undergraduate research builds career readiness, mentoring structures that enhance student learning through undergraduate research, and communities of practice that support high quality mentoring and pedagogy practices in undergraduate research programs.