Staff Profile: Erin Hopper | Turning Public Research into Public Good for North Carolina
Erin Hopper serves as Vice President for Grants and Research at NCInnovation, where she leads the organization’s Statewide Innovation Grant Program and oversees its internal and external data collection, analysis, and reporting efforts. Her career reflects a steady progression from scientific training to applied research, research commercialization, and statewide impact.
Erin was drawn to science early on because she wanted to do work that improved human lives. She trained as a bioanalytical chemist, studying the stability of protein structures and the interactions between proteins and other molecules. That work was directly relevant to a wide range of biological processes, including how drugs interact with their target proteins. While she found the science itself deeply interesting, her focus gradually shifted beyond the laboratory.
“As interesting as the work was, I found myself drawn to the bigger challenges that scientists face as they do their work,” Erin said. “Rather than continuing to do the science myself, I wanted to help the scientists.”
That realization shaped the direction of her career. During her postdoctoral training at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in Research Triangle Park, Erin began working in science communication and advocacy. She later moved into a series of roles at UNC-Chapel Hill and the UNC System Office, where she supported the advancement of science in multiple ways. Her work included building professional development programs for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, managing statewide reporting of research and commercialization metrics for the UNC System, directing a statewide grant program at the UNC System Office, and supporting the development of both a new science department and a new applied and translational research institute at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Over time, Erin’s work increasingly focused on applied and translational research and research commercialization. One experience that strongly reinforced this direction was her work staffing the Governor’s University Innovation Council while at the UNC System Office. The council brought together leaders from the UNC System Office, state government, and the private –sector to develop recommendations to improve technology commercialization processes and outcomes for the state. “This work solidified my interest in technology-based economic development,” she said.
That trajectory led naturally to NCInnovation. “My work at NCI is the natural next step in a career of working to turn publicly funded research into public good,” Erin said.
In her current role, Erin leads all elements of the Statewide Innovation Grant Program, including developing grant policies, soliciting applications, managing the review process, and supporting the Program Committee of NCInnovation’s Board of Directors as they review application materials and make funding recommendations. She works closely with colleagues across the Programs and Finance teams and describes herself as “incredibly fortunate to work with an incredible NCI team.”
In addition to grantmaking, Erin oversees NCInnovation’s internal data collection and analysis efforts. Early in her tenure, she supported the organization’s collaboration with RTI on a statewide innovation asset study to inform strategy. More recently, her focus has shifted toward building NCInnovation’s internal evaluation and reporting capacity, including developing systems and processes to collect, analyze, and report on programmatic outcomes using the organization’s new grants management platform.
At the core of Erin’s work is a commitment to North Carolina. “North Carolina is my home state and is very close to my heart,” she said. “The idea of spreading prosperity across the state is the thing that energizes me every day as I do this work.”
Looking ahead, Erin hopes NCInnovation will continue to be seen as “a force for good in North Carolina” and a steady, trusted partner within the state’s innovation and economic development ecosystem.
