Research


Featured research news

Headshots Emily Case and Michael Vitevitch over a stylized background including Watson Library.
Michael Vitevitch and Emily Casey, two University of Kansas faculty members whose work expands access to scholarship through public engagement, open publishing and research resources, have been named recipients of the 2026 Shulenburger Award for Innovation and Advocacy in Scholarly Communication by KU Libraries.

Science and Technology



A new study from the University of Kansas appearing in the open-access, peer-reviewed journal PLOS One shows the differences between male and female uintatheres might not be as vast as paleontologists have long believed.
The Chemical Biology of Infectious Disease center recruits, mentors and supports investigators across the University of Kansas, KU Medical Center, Kansas State, Wichita State and other regional partners as they address urgent challenges in infectious disease and antibiotic resistance using chemical-biology approaches.
Spruce populate the view from the Shég’ Xdaltth’i’ site, with the Alaska Range in the distance.
In a new article, Kelly Graf, professor of anthropology at the University of Kansas, highlights the research her team did excavating an early base camp in Beringia from 13,800 years ago, revealing important information about late-glacial peopling and settling-in behavior in this far northern setting.

Health and Well-Being



A new study from the University of Kansas shows that additives common to commercially available vaping devices, vitamin E and CBD, soften a vital lung surfactant at high enough concentrations, at least in a simplified lab model.
University of Kansas researcher Tera Fazzino is investigating whether “hyperpalatable” foods marketed to Americans — foods formulated with artificially high amounts of fat, salt and carbohydrates — have traits commonly associated with addictive substances. She recently earned a $2.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to test the idea using experimental practices standard in the field of regulatory research.
Stock photo of brothers going to school
Although sibling aggression is widespread and can shape people for years, it hasn’t been studied well by psychological researchers. In a new study, KU researchers have found roughly 1 in 6 children reported using or threatening physical force to dominate a sibling, while about 1 in 8 said they had threatened or bullied a sibling to get something.

Teaching, Learning and Behavior



Researchers in the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare have received a $1.8 million federal grant to evaluate FosterAdopt Connect, a program that supports adoptive parents and children to prevent disruptions or dissolutions of adoptions among families in Kansas and Missouri.
In a new article, Sean Kamperman, assistant professor of English at the University of Kansas, critiques the uncritical adoption of artificial intelligence education frameworks by exposing the false promises and historical distortions used to sell them.
Headshots Emily Case and Michael Vitevitch over a stylized background including Watson Library.
Michael Vitevitch and Emily Casey, two University of Kansas faculty members whose work expands access to scholarship through public engagement, open publishing and research resources, have been named recipients of the 2026 Shulenburger Award for Innovation and Advocacy in Scholarly Communication by KU Libraries.

Arts, Architecture and Humanities



In a new article, Abisola Akínsìkù, a doctoral candidate in English at the University of Kansas, uses feminism as a conceptual lens to interrogate how female characters are portrayed in the burgeoning “Nollywood” film industry of Nigeria.
In a new novel, Laura Moriarty, a professor of English at the University of Kansas, crafts a coming-of-age tale set in 1950s Florida. It has been selected as a featured book for “The Today Show.” Moriarty will give talks at several events across Kansas this month.
Headshots Emily Case and Michael Vitevitch over a stylized background including Watson Library.
Michael Vitevitch and Emily Casey, two University of Kansas faculty members whose work expands access to scholarship through public engagement, open publishing and research resources, have been named recipients of the 2026 Shulenburger Award for Innovation and Advocacy in Scholarly Communication by KU Libraries.

Business, Economics and Innovation



Independent venture capitalists tend to trigger more frequent, less impactful but more novel co-inventing outcomes by their portfolio startups, new research finds. KU business researcher Kaushik Gala also found that corporate venture capitalists tend to trigger less frequent, more impactful but less novel inventive outcomes.
In a new scholarly article published in the Strategic Management Journal, a University of Kansas business scholar explored whether entrepreneurs need co-founders, finding disadvantages partially diminished when a solo founder has broad and/or deep experience.
A grocery cart between the aisles of a supermarket.
In new research, Kissan Joseph, Crown/Sherr Professor at the University of Kansas School of Business, finds that following a product return at a grocery store, customer engagement rises significantly, driving a 40.1% increase in subsequent sales.

Law, Politics and Society



Stephen Ware, a University of Kansas professor of law, has written the book “Principles of Negotiation, Mediation, and Other Processes of Dispute Resolution,” a book aimed at helping law students and practitioners understand how to negotiate, the different approaches and why it’s a vital skill.
Newly released data on The Care Board will expand the type of data and methods available for understanding the care economy in the United States. Developed by researchers at the University of Kansas, the Care Board publishes statistics from several high-quality sources to show the magnitude of care work inside homes and care jobs as a share of the national economy.
A young Asian woman wears a COVID mask while staring into the distance.
In a new documentary, a professor of sociology at the University of Kansas weaves together personal testimony, historical analysis and creative artistic expression to illuminate the layered realities of racial trauma in AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) communities.