Brilliant Minds. Daring Pursuits. Dynamic Research.

As one of the nation’s leading research institutions, the University of Kansas takes on the world’s issues and delivers results.

Groundbreaking research thrives at the University of Kansas. Scroll down to see real examples of how KU breakthroughs are happening right now to better lives in Kansas and beyond.

KU researchers advance treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s; engineer safer building structures; fortify the nation’s cybersecurity; drive job creation; and fuel economic growth across the state. The scholars featured below, recently recognized at the 2025 University Research Awards, highlight some of the year’s most innovative research achievements.

At KU, bold ideas drive solutions, strengthen your communities, improve health, spark imagination, and shape a better future. These stories show what’s possible when a leading research university — Kansas’ only member of the Association of American Universities — turns determination into discovery.

Strengthening structures in Kansas and worldwide

Structural engineer Elaina Sutley can’t prevent natural disasters, but she recognizes that safe engineering can support society — in more ways than one. When researching designs for structures, she considers how building damage disrupts communities, as well as how good engineering can protect people and shorten the recovery period.

Elaina Sutley
Associate Professor, Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering
University Scholarly Achievement Award

Empowering children and families

Kathryn Bigelow is determined that infants, toddlers, and preschoolers develop the language and social-emotional skills they need to thrive. She collaborates with schools and families to develop tangible tools and strategies for nurturing relationships, fostering supportive environments, and ensuring effective teaching, thereby improving children’s outcomes for generations to come.

Kathryn Bigelow
Associate Research Professor, Juniper Gardens Children’s Project in the KU Life Span Institute
Steven F. Warren Research Achievement Award

Recounting events that shaped the Civil Rights Movement

David Tell’s storytelling work on the Emmett Till Memory Project centers on the 1955 murder of a 14-year-old boy, an event that galvanized the American Civil Rights Movement. Through input from Till’s family and community engagement, Tell transformed defaced commemorative signs into an educational phone app, leading to a book that became a Smithsonian exhibit.

David Tell
Professor, Communication Studies
Co-director, Institute for Digital Research in the Humanities
Balfour S. Jeffrey Award in the Humanities and Social Sciences

KU IS A SPACE FOR WORLD-CHANGING RESEARCH.

$610.6M

in annual research expenditures

in the world in developmental disability research

research centers and institutes

40+

core research labs

Innovating drugs for life-saving results

Hartmut Jaeschke takes an altruistic approach to research, aiming to help as many people as possible through his work and training future researchers to do the same. He is leading breakthroughs in pharmacology to protect people around the world from the serious, even fatal, effects of acetaminophen toxicity.

Hartmut Jaeschke
University Distinguished Professor, Pharmacology, Toxicology & Therapeutics
Dolph C. Simons Sr. Award in the Biomedical Sciences

Historical insights unearthed through fossil analysis

James Saulsbury found his niche in fossil research at the University of Kansas, working with an insightful group of collaborators who call KU home. Saulsbury is interested in big questions about the history of life and searches for answers without venturing into the field. Instead, he uses computational methods to uncover connections between ecological processes and paleontology.

James Saulsbury
Postdoctoral Researcher, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology/Biodiversity Institute
Research Postdoctoral Achievement Award
Hartmut Jaeschke
University Distinguished Professor, Pharmacology, Toxicology & Therapeutics
Dolph C. Simons Sr. Award in the Biomedical Sciences

The bravery and benefits of bold storytelling

Markus Potter’s film and play “Stalking the Bogeyman” is helping people around the world heal and grow beyond trauma. Inspired by the true story of investigative journalist David Holthouse’s experiences with sexual abuse, Potter’s work embraces uncomfortable discussions while tacklings themes of resistance and survival. The film has been used by advocacy groups around the world, and the play has been staged in New York, London, and Sydney to rave reviews.

Markus Potter
Associate Professor, Theatre & Dance
Artistic Director, University Theatre
University Scholarly Achievement Award

KU RESEARCH IMPROVES LIVES IN KANSAS AND BEYOND.

active startup companies powered by KU research, with more than half based in Kansas

348

new inventions disclosed by KU researchers in the past five years

5,696

Kansas jobs supported by KU research in fiscal year 2025

$87.7M

spent across Kansas on research-related goods and services in fiscal year 2025

Micro discoveries power mighty advancements.

Scott Lovell is a self-proclaimed “atomic puzzle builder” who relishes the opportunity to collaborate within KU’s excellent research environment. He and his staff are using three-dimensional molecular structures to piece together avenues for developing antibiotics that more effectively kill bacteria, using novel methods no one else in the world is investigating.

Scott Lovell
Director, Protein Structure & X-Ray Crystallography Laboratory
Research Staff Achievement Award

Creating community connections with DNA

At the intersection of genetics, anthropology, and archeology, you’ll find Jennifer A. Raff forging new pathways in ancient DNA research. Through her investigations, Indigenous communities are making connections to the biological histories of ancestors from centuries ago.

Jennifer A. Raff
Associate Professor, Social & Behavioral Sciences Anthropology
University Scholarly Achievement Award

From rare diseases to global treatments

Inspired early in his education by how the human body develops and works, Darren P. Wallace has dedicated his research to a genetic disorder that affects about one in a thousand people. By harnessing the talent at the University of Kansas and seizing opportunities to collaborate worldwide, he paved the way for the first FDA-approved treatment for polycystic kidney disease.

Darren P. Wallace
Professor, Internal Medicine/Nephrology Division
Adjunct Professor, Cell Biology & Physiology
Director, Kansas PKD Research and Translation Core Center
Chancellors Club Research Award

Research that improves the world

As highlighted above, these nine researchers illustrate how KU creates a better future through scholastic progress. There are so many more KU scientists, historians, teachers, artists, and students investigating ideas to make our world — and yours — a better place.

KU expertise strengthens the world.

University of Kansas researchers work at the leading edge of science, education, business, engineering, arts, and humanities to transform the way we understand and experience our local communities and the world.

Explore KU research

University Research Awards

KU recognizes promising research across the state. Review all of the researchers who were recognized in 2025, including two researchers at Kansas State University.

Learn more about award winners

KU Points of Distinction

The University of Kansas tackles global issues with vital research powered by our world-renowned faculty. Learn more about how Jayhawks envision a better world and make it happen.

Discover more KU achievements