To fund faculty and graduate student research endeavors, the college receives over $70 million annually in grant awards.
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Our research areas include artificial intelligence, energy, carbon capture, security, sustainable manufacturing, resilient infrastructure, transportation, advanced materials, rare earth materials, computational systems and health applications.
Immerse yourself in active research labs, present at conferences, publish scientific papers in respected journals and work with colleagues who are committed to advancing the commonwelth of Kentucky and beyond .
The field of engineering is a team story. Many research opportunities are interdisciplinary in their approach to solution discovery. Work with the Director of Graduate Studies in your area of interest to find a graduate assistantship or fellowship.
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If you want to work with renowned faculty, immerse yourself in an active research lab, present at conferences and publish scientific papers in respected journals, you should consider a graduate degree program at the University of Kentucky.
Over 30 of our faculty members have received CAREER Awards from the National Science Foundation, and the college receives over $70 million annually in grant awards.
The College hosts ten research units and is affiliated with numerous other University of Kentucky research centers and institutes.
The University of Kentucky Pigman College of Engineering is the largest and highest-ranked engineering college in the state. With our small class sizes and wide-ranging opportunities for student involvement and leadership, we want to help you build your future in engineering.
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As the United States pushes to accelerate innovation, researchers from the University of Kentucky will play a leading role in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission.
As greenhouse agriculture continues to expand to meet growing food demands, researchers at the University of Kentucky are developing new technologies to produce healthier crops more efficiently, while also reducing the time and labor required to grow them. Biyun Xie, Ph.D., associate professor in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is the principal investigator on a nearly $1.2 million U.S. National Science Foundation grant to develop an autonomous robotic system that could transform how greenhouse-grown tomatoes are monitored and evaluated.
The Vesuvius Challenge, co-founded by Brent Seales, professor of computer science, has achieved a historic breakthrough in the recovery of the Herculaneum scrolls — revealing new texts, titles and authors unknown to history and ushering in a new era for the study of the ancient world. At the Biblioteca Nazionale di Napoli Vittorio Emanuele III — with Mount Vesuvius rising in the distance — lead researchers, collaborators and distinguished guests gathered to mark the milestone decades in the making.
Scott Berry, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering of the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, has been honored as a 2026-27 University Research Professor.
The Lighthouse Beacon Foundation Endowment has announced the 17 researchers in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering awarded for fiscal year 2027. Established in 2024, the Lighthouse Beacon Foundation Endowment’s purpose is to advance research in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering through three strategic priorities:
