UAB opens $192M Shelby Biosciences Research Building

The University of Alabama at Birmingham officially opened the Shelby Biosciences Research Building on Tuesday, Oct. 20, with a ribbon-cutting celebration attended by university leaders, elected officials, faculty and community partners.

The eight-story, 228,735-square-foot building is UAB’s largest research facility. It was completed nine months ahead of schedule.

What’s inside the Shelby Biosciences Research Building

The building, located at 1500 University Blvd., brings together faculty from the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine and the Department of Psychology.

• Floors 1-2: Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences
• Floors 3-8: wet lab space
• Also included: shared research cores, dry labs + collaboration spaces
• Research areas: cancer, neuroscience, mental health, aging, chronic disease, precision medicine + AI-enabled health care

$192M project backed by federal and state funding

Retired U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, for whom the building is named, attended the ceremony along with members of the Gorrie family of Brasfield & Gorrie, the project’s lead contractor.

• Total cost: $192 million
• Federal funding: $152 million, secured by Shelby through the Health Resources and Services Administration
• State funding: $20 million, appropriated by the Alabama Legislature

UAB President Ray Watts said the day marks a milestone for the university’s research enterprise.

“This is a great day for UAB for our research enterprise. This is our largest research building on campus.”

Ray Watts, president of UAB

UAB expects to recruit up to 80 more researchers

Anupam Agarwal, M.D., dean of the Heersink School of Medicine, said the building will house work in:

• psychology
• psychiatry
• infection
• immunology
• cancer
• neuroscience

He said the school hopes to recruit 60 to 80 investigators to fill the space. The dean described the opening as exciting for the faculty and staff who will work there.

In a news release, Agarwal said the space will also help UAB attract scientific talent.

“This new space dramatically expands our ability to recruit top scientific talent, support complex research programs and pursue discoveries that improve human health.”

Anupam Agarwal, M.D., senior vice president for Medicine + dean of the Heersink School of Medicine

Seventh new or renovated UAB facility since June 2025

UAB has opened seven new or renovated facilities since June 2025. The Shelby building follows the Altec Styslinger Genomic Medicine and Data Sciences Building, which opened in 2025.

UAB’s annual research spending has grown from less than $400 million to more than $900 million during Watts’ 12-plus years as president. The university also receives more than $330 million in NIH support each year.