Research


Featured research news

Collage featuring photo of Howard Thurman and newspaper headline 'Martin Luther King Stabbed'
Darren Canady, University of Kansas professor of English, wrote the six-part, three-hour audio drama that is part of the multimedia “Day of Days” project helmed by executive producer Michael Epstein.

Science and Technology



Robin Kundis Craig of KU Law is part of the California Solar Canal Initiative, which is working to place solar arrays over thousands of miles of water canals in California. The project aims to produce clean energy, reduce water loss and land waste, all while creating local jobs and reducing pollution.
Registration is now open for the Third Annual FBI & KU Cybersecurity Conference: Bridging the Knowledge of Government, Industry, Workforce and Research, which will be April 3 and 4 at the Kansas Union on KU’s Lawrence campus.
Photo collage of Timothy Jackson, Ward Thompson, Jon Tunge and Michael Branicky
“These four researchers have demonstrated excellence in their fields and have done so in a way that reflects well on our entire university. As one of the nation’s leading research institutions, KU strives to make discoveries that change the world — and these four scholars are helping us fulfill that mission every day," said Chancellor Douglas A. Girod.

Health and Well-Being



The Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training (KCART) will offer a one-day conference that brings together members of the autism community with researchers, clinicians, educators and students at the KU Edwards Campus on March 14.
The Jayhawk Athletic Performance Laboratory (JAPL), a sport performance-based research center housed under the Achievement & Assessment Institute, is collaborating with the KU Football team to help players better prepare for the NFL Combine and Big 12 Pro Day through technology and data analysis.
Photo collage of Walter Dodds, Hans Coetzee, Dave Tell, and Hartmut Jaeschke
Four faculty members at two Kansas universities were named recipients of the Higuchi-KU Endowment Research Achievement Awards, the state higher education system’s most prestigious recognition for scholarly excellence.

Teaching, Learning and Behavior



KU researchers conducted a study in which they surveyed American institutions of higher education to find out whether they keep in touch with retirees. The vast majority do not, but a case study of KU, which does keep contact, found multiple potential benefits for both retirees and potential service and goodwill for the university.
The Achievement & Assessment Institute (AAI) at the University of Kansas has awarded the 2024 AAI Art & Humanities Grant to Sarah Jen, associate professor in the School of Social Welfare, and Liz Langdon, a lecturer in the Department of Visual Art, for their project, “Untold Stories of Aging in Action — Revealed and Traveled.” The project’s aim is to create and document the influence of an art-based intervention among communities of older adults and intergenerational audiences.
A silhouette of a human head with an old-fashioned key in place of the top part of the cranium.
In a new book, Armin Schulz, professor of philosophy at the University of Kansas, explores what makes human cognition unique, suggesting its evolution is built on a feedback loop of innate representations, forms of cultural learning and technology.

Arts, Architecture and Humanities



Darren Canady, University of Kansas professor of English, wrote the six-part, three-hour audio drama that is part of the multimedia “Day of Days” project helmed by executive producer Michael Epstein.
Kij Johnson, associate professor of English, has turned a book inspired by "Wind in the Willows" into a new ‘Cottagecore’ role-playing game
Wooden model of a house with image of map on its roof, words on its side
The “Reclaiming Home: Remembering the Topeka Bottoms” project, led by a University of Kansas professor, includes oral history, art and documentary film components. Events connected to the project begin April 4.

Business, Economics and Innovation



In a new study focusing on financial markets, William Bazley, assistant professor of finance at the University of Kansas, finds that sleep disruptions following spring daylight saving time clock shifts may negatively affect the forecast quality of the professional analysts — but it depends on their level of experience.
In a new paper, Elizabeth Embry, assistant professor of entrepreneurship at the University of Kansas, offers a theory linking health effects of trauma to performance outcomes at work, suggesting how managerial awareness of trauma manifestations is a necessary step toward workplaces becoming supportive or healing.
Colorful straight lines transform into a shapeless mess, representing order into chaos.
In a new book, William Barnett, the Oswald Distinguished Professor of Macroeconomics at the University of Kansas, provides a unified presentation of his contributions to the literature on chaos, economic bifurcation and nonlinear dynamics. The span of the book’s research begins in 1988 with Barnett’s initial finding of chaos in economic data.

Law, Politics and Society



Tribal leaders and scholars will collaborate on campus at the LandBack Leadership Summit to discuss leadership skills and strategies related to land reclamation and land stewardship initiatives.
In a new study, Brian Donovan, professor of sociology at the University of Kansas, focuses on a thriving subset of Taylor Swift fans called “Gaylors,” who embrace subversive readings of Swift’s songs and seek to compile evidence she is secretly queer. His study explores how those interpretations cultivate joy, shape personal identity and build community.
Heeyoun Shin presenting research at 2024 symposium.
The Institute for Policy & Social Research at the University of Kansas will host a public reception to showcase the research efforts of the 2024-2025 IPSR Doctoral Research Fellows. The event will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on April 4.