The UK College of Education Office of Research supports faculty and their outstanding research through various avenues. College investigators have numerous unique awards and support through COE Pilot Funding, Proposal Incentive Awards, and special funding for Research Training. The Office also reviews various applications for university-wide awards. Learn more about faculty research awards and support below.
Faculty Research Awards and Research Support
Faculty Research Awards
The College of Education Office of Research offers a broad portfolio of internal pilot funding mechanisms designed to advance the full spectrum of faculty scholarship—including community-engaged scholarship, research, creative activities, and interdisciplinary inquiry. These mechanisms provide targeted support for idea development, partnership cultivation, innovation, and early-stage projects that strengthen competitiveness for external funding.
Project ENSPIRE
Project ENSPIRE supports faculty research and scholarly engagement. ENSPIRE pilot funding is available to support projects of scientific merit that will generate competitive submissions for external funding.
Funded ENSPIRE projects:
- 2024, Dr. Mark Abel, Professor, Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion, Director, First-Responder Research Laboratory, “Firefighter Injury Risk Evaluation (FIRE)”
- 2024, Dr. Jungmin Lee, Associate Professor, Department of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation, “Exploring Access to and Participation in STEM Dual Credit Courses”
- 2024, Dr. Kun Huang, Learning, Design and Technology Program Faculty Chair, Associate Professor, “Supporting Underrepresented Minority Students in Online Learning: Piloting an Intervention System Powered by Learning Analytics and Peer Sharing”
- 2025, Dr. Michael Samaan, Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion, Co-Director, Biomechanics Laboratory, “Changes in Hip Cartilage Stress Patterns During Exercise in Hip Osteoarthritis”
- 2025, Dr. Collin Shepley, Associate Professor, Department of Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education, “Hype or Hope: Registered Apprenticeship Programs for Early Care and Education”
- 2025, Dr. Amy Spriggs, “Technology to Create Independent Work Habits for Individuals with Disabilities”
Project UNITY
Project UNITY is based on the university's priority to expand opportunities for collaboration and community partnerships. Projects will yield tangible scholarly outcomes.
Funded UNITY projects:
- 2024, Dr. Mark Samudre, Assistant Professor, Department of Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education, “Comprehensive Tier 2 System: Equipping Schools to Provide Alternatives to Suspensions”
- 2024, Dr. Amy Spriggs, Associate Professor, Department of Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education, “Technology to Create Independent Habits for Individuals with Disabilities”
- 2025, Dr. Shannon Sampson, Associate Professor, Evaluation Center Director, “Enhancing Community Engagement in Local Accountability through a Validity Inquiry Tool”
CURATE
The UK Office of Research provides funds on an annual basis to support research and creative activity efforts in eligible departments through the Vice President for Research’s CURATE program. To read more about the program, visit the CURATE Research Support Program webpage.
Funded Projects
- 2025-2026, Kayla Johnson, Educational Policy Studies & Evaluation, “From Host Country to Home Campus: “Explore First” Year 3 and First-Generation Student Intercultural Competence”
- 2025-2026, Justin Lane, Early Childhood, Special Education & Counselor Education, “Evaluating a Modified Rapid Caregiver Coaching Intervention for Improving Child Communication and Language Development”
- 2024-2025, Sally Shepley, Early Childhood, Special Education & Counselor Education, “Mapping Habits: Self-Managing Adaptive Behaviors for Adolescents with Low-Incidence Disabilities”
- 2024-2025, Kayla Johnson, Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation, “Still Exploring: “Explore First” Year 2 and First-Generation Intercultural Competence and Career Readiness”
- 2023-2024, Justin Lane, Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education, “A Hybrid Parent Coaching Model for Supporting Families of Young Children”
- 2023-2024, Collin Shepley, Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education, “Systematic Literature Reviews and Meta-Analyses to Support Targeted Grant Applications”
- 2023-2024, Kayla Johnson, Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation. “Explore First: Supporting First-Generation Student Career Exploration through Study Abroad”
- 2023-2024, Michael Samaan, Kinesiology and Health Promotion, “Development of a Multi-modal Experimental Protocol to Safely Assess Hip Extensor Muscle Endurance”
- 2022-2023, Jennifer Grisham, Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education, “Training, Implementing, and Researching the Curriculum Based Assessment, "Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System-3 (AEPS-3)" in International Settings”
- 2022-2023, Lisa Amick , STEM Education, “Inquiry into Teachers’ Enactment and Students’ Experiences of an Inquiry Based Mathematics Intervention Curriculum”
- 2022-2023, Stuart Best, Kinesiology and Health Promotion, “Brain Drain or Brain Train? The Effect of Video Game Volume and Competition on Cognitive Function in College Students”
- 2022-2023, Zitsi Mirakhur, Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation, “Understanding Homelessness Among High School-Aged Students in New York City”
- 2021-2022, Kayla Johnson, Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation, “Reimagining Teaching and Learning in Rural Indigenous Communities in Peru in Response to COVID-19”
- 2021-2022, Collin Shepley, Early Childhood, Special Education, & Counselor Education, “Evaluating the Impact of Racialized Processes that Determine a Student’s Special Education Eligibility and School-Based Services on Post-School Outcomes”
- 2021-2022, Lance Bollinger, Kinesiology and Health Promotion, “Feasibility of Flywheel-based Isointerial Training for Aerobic Training During Spaceflight”
- 2021-2022, Sharim Hannegan-Martinez, Curriculum and Instruction, “Distinguishing the Pedagogical Nuances Between Care and Love”
- 2021-2022, Mark Abel, Kinesiology and Health Promotion, “Assessment and Validation of Ventilatory and Work Efficiency in Structural Firefighters: Redefining Occupational Safety and Readiness”
- 2021-2022, Kun Huang , Curriculum & Instruction, “A Mixed Methods Study on College Students’ Academic Help-seeking and Help-giving in Online Classes”
- 2021-2022, Sahar Alameh, STEM Education, “Scaffolding Elementary Preservice Science Teachers for Meaningfully Constructing and Assessing Age-Appropriate Scientific Explanations”
- 2020-2021, Kathleen Aspiranti , Educational, School and Counseling Psychology, “Developing an Evidence-Based Math Fluency App: The Taped Problems Intervention”
- 2020-2021, Stuart Best, Kinesiology and Health Promotion, “Restoring the Effects of Reduced Sleep on sTrength and EnDurance (RESTED Project)”
- 2020-2021, Amanda Potterton , Educational Leadership Studies, “Education Reform in Kentucky: The Past, Present, and Future and Kentucky's Public Schools and Race: Historical Context Alongside Modern Neoliberal School Choice Policies”
- 2020-2021, Kera B. Ackerman, Early Childhood, Special Education, & Counselor Education, “Embedded Practice-Based Opportunities using Mixed Reality Simulations”
- 2020-2021, Laura Darolia, Curriculum & Instruction, ““Give and Take”: A Summer Reciprocal Learning Experience with Local Refugee Children and Elementary Preservice Teachers”
- 2020-2021, Michael A. Samaan, Kinesiology and Health Promotion, “Interaction of Hip Joint Morphology, Function, and Health during Aerobic Exercise in Hip Osteoarthritis”
- 2020-2021, Colin Shepley, Early Childhood, Special Education, & Counselor Education, “Development, Testing, and Refinement of Automated Online Training to Prepare Teachers to Analyze Student Data and Make Data-based Decisions”
Faculty Research Support
The Office of Research distributes critical information and celebrates research, creative activities, and scholarship successes through:
Research Roundup Monthly Newsletter and Research Announcements
- The Research Roundup is a monthly newsletter emailed to all College faculty and Staff that showcases research spotlights, resources, funding opportunity programs, and events.
Ignite Insight & Innovation Workshop Series
- The Office organizes a dynamic and engaging workshop series throughout the academic year.
Spark to Submission Writing Workshops
- The Office organizes dedicated writing time and professional development activities throughout the academic year.
COE CREW (Collaborating in Research Work) Proposal Interest Sessions
- In an effort to collaboratively engage researchers and to work together with our strengths, the Office has started a program called COE-CReW (Collaborating in Research Work), where organized discussions facilitate proposal development for those who are interested in partnering proposals.
Faculty Research Training Opportunities
- Special funding is available throughout the year for various research workshops and training on proposal preparation or administrative topics.
If you have any questions, please reach out to the Acting Associate Dean for Research, Mindy Ickes, at melinda.ickes@uky.edu.
University of Kentucky Research Professors
We are proud to celebrate the outstanding scholars in our College of Education who have been recognized as University of Kentucky Research Professors—one of the institution’s highest honors for faculty research excellence. This distinction acknowledges faculty at the Associate or Full Professor rank who have established a distinguished and sustained record of impactful scholarship or creative work within their discipline.
Our Research Professors reflect the depth, breadth, and national visibility of the College’s scholarly contributions, and we are honored to highlight their achievements and leadership in advancing knowledge, practice, and community impact.
To learn more about the University Research Professor program, please visit the University Research Professors website.
- 2025-2026, Dr. Neal H. Hutchens, Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation https://scholars.uky.edu/en/persons/neal-hutchens/
- 2024-2025, Dr. Jennifer Grisham: Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education
- 2023-2024, Dr. Melinda J. Ickes: Kinesiology and Health Promotion https://scholars.uky.edu/en/persons/melinda-ickes/
- 2022-2023, Dr. Susan Chambers Cantrell: Curriculum and Instruction https://scholars.uky.edu/en/persons/susan-cantrell/
- 2021-2022, Dr. Xin Ma: Educational, School and Counseling Psychology https://scholars.uky.edu/en/persons/xin-ma/