Faculty Mentor of the Month

Mentors make a difference.

The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) officially launched the Research Faculty Mentor of the Month recognition program in August 2017 and have since recognized 82 faculty mentors.

Each month the OUR office will highlight one of UK's outstanding and very much appreciated research faculty mentors who offer leadership and support to undergraduate student researchers.

Babak Bazrgari

Week 23 Apr 15, 2019

Dr. Babak Bazrgari is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the College of Engineering. Dr. Bazrgari is also the Director of the Human Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Lab with research focusing on the mechanical behaviors of the active neuromuscular and the passive musculoskeletal systems in the human body, and aims at controlling and managing musculoskeletal disorders. In the last year, Dr. Bazrgari has mentored eight graduate students and eight undergraduate students.

Martin Nielsen

Week 22 Apr 8, 2019

Dr. Martin Nielsen is an Associate Professor and Schlaikjer Professor in Equine Infectious Disease in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment with research interests including equine parasitology, parasite control programs, and anthelmintic resistance. In the last year, Dr. Nielsen has mentored ten undergraduate students and four graduate students.

Suzanne Segerstrom

Week 21 Apr 1, 2019

Dr. Suzanne Segerstrom is a Professor of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences with research interests including personality, self-regulation, and health. Dr. Segerstrom's research primarily addresses the influence of individual differences in personality, cognition, and emotion on psychological health and physiological functions. In the last year, she has mentored six undergraduate students and four PhD students.

Mariantonieta Gutierrez Soto

Week 20 Mar 25, 2019

Dr. Mariantonieta Gutierrez Soto is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering. Her field of specialization is Structural Engineering. Dr. Gutierrez Soto is also the director of the Multidisciplinary Smart Structures Knowledge Research Lab at the University of Kentucky. Her specific research interests include sustainable and humanitarian engineering, smart structures, multi-hazard resilience, vibration control, game theory, and green engineering to name a few.

Margaret Mohr-Schroeder

Week 19 Mar 4, 2019

Dr. Margaret Mohr-Schroeder is an Associate Professor of mathematics education in the Department of STEM Education, where she is also the Associate Deam of Clinical Preparation and Partnerships within the College of Education. Dr. Mohr-Schroeder enjoys researching pre-service teacher Mathematics Education, Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching, and Assessment. In the last year, Dr. Mohr-Schroeder has mentored 2 undergraduate research students. When asked about her role as a mentor, she replied, "I love working with undergraduate students!

Jessica Houlihan

Week 18 Feb 18, 2019

Jessica Houlihan is a Lecturer in the Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition in the College of Agriculture and PA-C in the Department of Pediatrics at the Kentucky Children's Hospital. She is interested in clinical and community-based research, quality improvement research, preventative and primary clinical care, women's health issues, and teaching/precepting students. In the past year, Houlihan has mentored approximately 60 undergraduate seniors that are enrolled in the DHN 474 and 475 Research Theory and Application class. Ms.

Samuel Awuah

Week 17 Feb 11, 2019

Dr. Samuel Awuah is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry in the College of Arts & Sciences. Dr. Awuah's research focuses on innovative drug discovery through computer-aided drug design, genetic editing, and rigorous chemical synthesis of organic and inorganic small molecule probes to interograte human biology processes and disease states towards new therapeutics. His laboratory is pivoted on three overarching themes involving drug discovery, chemical biology, and chemical immunology. In the past year, Dr. Awuah has mentored five undergraduate students.

Yang Jiang

Week 16 Feb 4, 2019

Dr. Yang Jiang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Behavioral Science in the College of Medicine. She is also an affiliated faculty member of the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, and of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Center at the College of Medicine. Dr. Jiang's research focuses on understanding the neural mechanisms underlying visual perception and cognition in healthy and clinical populations. In the past year, Dr. Jiang has mentored eight undergraduate students.

Gail Hoyt

Week 15 Dec 3, 2018

Dr. Gail Hoyt is a Professor of Economics and Gatton College Teaching Fellow in UK's Gatton College of Business & Economics. Dr. Hoyt is the co-coordinator for the Lab for Economics and Accounting Proficiency. Gail has won numerous teaching awards including the UK Alumni Association Great Teacher Award, the UK Provost's Award for Outstanding Teaching, and the Kenneth Elzinga Distinguished Teacher Award from the Southern Economic Association. Dr. Hoyt's dedication to education and mentoring makes such a difference to her students and mentees. Thank you Dr.

Dr. Ana Liberato -

Week 14 Nov 26, 2018

Dr. Ana Liberato is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of Graduate Studies in the Sociology Department in the College of Arts & Science. Her research interests include race, ethnicity, and gender and their interplay with political identity and political attitudes. Dr. Liberato's role as mentor giver her "satisfaction and pure joy from my successful mentees".

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