About

The Center for Regulatory and Industrial Studies (CRIS) began in 2017 as an initiative within the economics department to support research related to industrial organization and data science.  UNC’s College of Arts & Sciences and Economics Department generously provided seed funding for the initiative, and CRIS now relies solely on external funds from private and public sources.  The current director, Jonathan Williams, and the large community of scholars at UNC support its functions.

CRIS plays a number of roles in supporting research in industrial organization:

• Facilitate access to primary and secondary sources of industry data to support empirical research
• Sponsors events (conferences and seminars)
• Supports longer-term visits that bring academic researchers and industry professionals to teach short courses
• Funds exceptional PhD students conducting research on policy and regulation directed at industry
• Assists undergraduate students with exposure to industry professionals to improve opportunities for internships and employment
• Promotes research of affiliated faculty and students