Dedric A. Carter is an American academic administrator and researcher. He currently serves as the vice chancellor for innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development and chief innovation officer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Prior to his role at UNC-Chapel Hill, Carter held several leadership positions at Washington University in St. Louis, culminating in his role as the vice chancellor for innovation and chief commercialization officer. He has also served as a senior advisor for strategic initiatives at the National Science Foundation, where he was a co-founder of the NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program.

Education

Carter earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He also received a Master of Business Administration from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He later earned a doctorate in information systems from Nova Southeastern University.

Career

Early Career and MIT

Early in his career, Carter was a consultant in the information technology industry. He served as an assistant dean of engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was the first executive director of MIT's Office of Engineering Outreach Programs. As assistant dean for development and strategic initiatives, he helped introduce MIT TechTV, a web-based video-sharing platform for the university community.

National Science Foundation

Carter served as senior advisor for strategic initiatives in the Office of the Director at the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). He was a co-founder of the NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program, which was created to train scientists and engineers to commercialize their research. The I-Corps program was designed to teach NSF-funded researchers how to move their work from basic research toward practical applications with market value.

Washington University in St. Louis

Carter joined Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) in 2013.

He was appointed to the newly created position of associate provost and associate vice chancellor for innovation and entrepreneurship in 2014. In 2016, he was appointed vice chancellor for operations and technology transfer.

Carter was selected as a NACUBO (National Association of College and University Business Officers) Fellow in 2018.

In August 2021, Carter was named as vice chancellor for innovation and chief commercialization officer.

In addition to his administrative roles, Carter was a professor of practice in the McKelvey School of Engineering and the Olin Business School. He was involved in a WashU project which aimed to produce public policy recommendations to address the funding gap for minority and women entrepreneurs. He was also the co-principal investigator on a $5 million NSF grant for the Missouri Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (MoLSAMP), a statewide consortium aimed at doubling the number of STEM degrees awarded to underrepresented minorities.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

In June 2023, Carter was appointed vice chancellor for innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development and chief innovation officer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), beginning the role in October 2023. The position gives him the task of turning the university's research portfolio into commercial opportunities.

Carter once served as board chair for the Missouri Technology Corporation.

Personal life

Carter is married to Ebony Carter, a maternal fetal medical physician.