The University of Alabama at Birmingham is scheduled to formally open its $192 million Shelby Biosciences Research Building Tuesday, expanding laboratory space for biomedical and behavioral research.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is set for 10 a.m. Retired U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, university leaders, elected officials, faculty, staff and community partners are expected to attend, according to UAB’s announcement.
The eight-story, 228,735-square-foot facility brings together researchers from UAB’s Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine and the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences.
UAB said the building will support research in cancer, neuroscience, mental health, aging, chronic disease, precision medicine and artificial intelligence. Its design aims to help researchers collaborate and turn discoveries into treatments, diagnostic tools and prevention strategies.
The project received $152 million in federal funding secured through Shelby’s leadership before he left office and $20 million appropriated by the Alabama Legislature, according to the opening announcement.
The federal funding came through two $76 million appropriations. The second was included in the omnibus spending legislation then-President Joe Biden signed December 29, 2022, UAB reported when it announced the funding. The university identified the Health Resources and Services Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as the source of the federal construction funding.
UAB broke ground June 28, 2024, when the project was known as the Biomedical Research and Psychology Building. Birmingham-based Williams Blackstock Architects designed the facility, and Brasfield & Gorrie was selected as the general contractor.
The building includes laboratories for experimental and computational research, shared equipment and research support space. Its layout aims to make collaboration easier among researchers in medicine, psychology and related fields.
The facility is at 1500 University Blvd. Although Tuesday marks the formal opening, UAB’s psychology department has already moved into the building, according to a university job posting published October 16. The posting describes the facility as supporting research and training across psychology and UAB’s health sciences programs.
The expansion also supports UAB’s goal of reaching $1 billion in annual research expenditures. University officials have said additional research space and shared resources are necessary to expand that work and its potential benefits for patients in Alabama and beyond.
