Christopher Clemens
James Christopher Clemens | |
|---|---|
| Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | |
| In office December 10, 2021 – May 16, 2025 | |
| President | Kevin Guskiewicz Lee Roberts |
| Preceded by | Bob Blouin |
| Succeeded by | James W. Dean Jr. (interim) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 8, 1963 Pascagoula, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Education | University of Oklahoma (BS) University of Texas at Austin (PhD) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics Astronomy |
| Institutions | Iowa State University (1994–1996) California Institute of Technology (1996–1998) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1998– |
| Thesis | The Origin and Evolution of the White Dwarf Stars (1994) |
| Doctoral advisor | Ed Nather Don Winget |
| Doctoral students | Mercedes López-Morales |
James Christopher "Chris" Clemens (born 1963) is an American astrophysicist and academic administrator. He is the Jaroslav Folda Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Clemens works on astronomical instrumentation, white dwarf stars, and exoplanetary debris. Clemens was Provost of UNC-Chapel Hill from 10 December 2021 to 16 May 2025. He stepped down as Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost on May 16, 2025.
In September 2025, Clemens filed a lawsuit against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and its Board of Trustees alleging violations of North Carolina’s Open Meetings Law and Public Records Law. The complaint asserted that the Board held closed-session discussions on matters such as tenure and athletics in violation of state transparency rules.