Research


Featured research news

Ilya Vakser portrait along with red and blue illustration of KU seal
University of Kansas researcher Ilya Vakser and colleagues at Stony Brook University and the Stowers Institute for Medical Research will use a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation to expand knowledge of macromolecular systems using artificial intelligence.

Science and Technology



University of Kansas researcher Ilya Vakser and colleagues at Stony Brook University and the Stowers Institute for Medical Research will use a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation to expand knowledge of macromolecular systems using artificial intelligence.
A University of Kansas project to design and build two cutting-edge particle detectors for the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider has been approved for funding through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, or DOE EPSCoR.
The KU project team visits Upriver Dam in Spokane, Washington, in August 2023
Nearly four years after launching a federally funded research initiative to strengthen American dams and levees, University of Kansas engineers are demonstrating how that work is delivering measurable benefits to Kansas infrastructure, workforce development and public safety.

Health and Well-Being



University of Kansas researcher Jeffrey Hall and American Friendship Project colleagues have conducted studies on how and why people spend time with their friends. As National Friendship Day approaches, the researchers can discuss why people are spending less time in person with friends.
Michael Wolfe, interim department chair and Mathias P. Mertes Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, will lead a project exploring stalled enzymes in Alzheimer's disease.
potato chips spilling from bag
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.

Teaching, Learning and Behavior



New Roots is a Kansas City-area program that works with resettled refugees, immigrants and English language learners to learn sustainable practices to start agribusinesses. Research from the University of Kansas found the program boosts the mental and physical health of participants while they connect with community, benefiting both the farmers and the areas they serve.
Melissa Green-Blye of KU is principal investigator of two grant projects that will train students to boost Indigenous representation in news media. They will work to build partnerships with students at Haskell Indian Nations university to build journalism networks that move beyond "problem of the day" coverage of topics like mental health for young people.
Jennifer Lohoefener addresses students seated around computer lab.
A University of Kansas-led initiative has received a $2 million award from the National Science Foundation’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program to expand educational opportunities for low-income students pursuing careers in computing, engineering and emerging technology fields.

Arts, Architecture and Humanities



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.
In a new exhibition, a University of Kansas researcher focuses on how unhoused and encamped individuals in Lawrence’s past and present have formed a diverse community. “Unsettled Lawrence” opens Aug. 7 at the Watkins Museum of History.
A collage of characters from the Nigerian epic film Aníkúlápó are assembled.
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.

Business, Economics and Innovation



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.
Four experiments conducted by a University of Kansas researcher have shown that AI-derived ads can deliver effective, relevant advertising for users without tracking their internet behavior. The findings counter prevailing attitudes that online surveillance is necessary for effective advertising at a time when the future of online privacy is at stake, according to the study author.
A businessperson touches a green seedling on a stack of growing coins.
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.

Law, Politics and Society



Andrew Torrance, a professor of law at the University of Kansas, has published research on how kissing, one of the most basic human acts and a sign of love, has been viewed alternately as property that can be stolen, a contract, a criminal act or as agency over one’s own body. His article was published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.
Christopher Etheridge and researchers in KU’s School of Journalism & Mass Communications conducted two studies with citizens of India gauging their media literacy and online behavior. The studies found the higher a person’s media literacy was, the higher their trust in democratic institutions. How and what types of social media they used also predicted how civically engaged they were as citizens.
A European bison roams free in Poland’s Białowieża National Park.
In a new scholarly article, Nathan Wood, associate professor of history at the University of Kansas, describes how after soldiers and poachers killed the last free European bison, Polish naturalists worked with international organizations following World War I to revive the species from the few animals scattered on estates and zoos across the continent.