In early 2025 the University of Wyoming achieved Research Level 1 (R1) status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing Wyoming's only four-year university in the rarefied air of the top research universities in the United States. This prestigious designation recognizes our commitment to groundbreaking research, academic excellence, and impactful discoveries that benefit Wyoming and the world. The Research and Economic Development Division (REDD) at UW serves as a catalyst to advance the university's knowledge enterprise through research, service, and innovation. Providing rich experiential learning opportunities, REDD enriches the experience of UW students and supports innovation and economic growth across Wyoming. Our commitment to the pursuit of knowledge and innovation remains a foundation for progress and prosperity throughout the state.
UW Students were trained by LAMP-trained educators in active learning classes in FY24
Total FY24 research expenditures
On NAI's annual list of patent production by U.S. universities
University of Wyoming Division of Kinesiology and Health graduate student Ashlyn Brown, from Castle Pines, Colo., is the recipient of the Thomas McKenzie Research Award from the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) America.
Brown recently received the prestigious national honor at the SHAPE America convention in Baltimore, Md. Along with the monetary portion of the award, which will support completion of her master’s thesis, the highly competitive recognition will have a significant national impact on the field of physical education.
Brown’s thesis involves a secondary analysis of data from the U.S. Physical Education and Physical Activity Policy (US-PEPAP) Interactive Dashboard, a national project led by Ben Kern, Brown’s educational adviser and an associate professor in kinesiology and health, and the US-PEPAP research team.
For the full story, visit UW News.
University of Wyoming researchers have published a critical review of the relationship among pore architecture, geomechanics and fluid flow during production-induced pressure decline in shales. This examination is a necessary step in identifying the factors that need special attention in researching burgeoning oil and gas reservoirs in Wyoming, such as the Mowry Shale.
The study, led by doctoral student Ifeanyi Nwankwo, examined the complexities of fluid movement through shale and the rock deformation and offered a path forward for research. Nwankwo, originally from Ifitedunu, Nigeria, is in the Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering in the UW College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.
The article, titled “A critical review of experimental and theoretical studies on shale geomechanical and deformation properties, fluid flow behavior, and coupled flow and geomechanics effects during production,” was published in the International Journal of Coal Geology.
Co-authors include Morteza Dejam, an associate professor in the Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering, and Scott Quillinan, senior director of research in UW’s School of Energy Resources (SER).
For the full story, visit UW News.
A course on entrepreneurial finance at the University of Wyoming is enabling business students to have a hands-on role in the investment of funds from the UW Venture Capital Program.
Students enrolled in UW’s College of Business evaluate proposals from real-world startups in Wyoming in need of seed-level funding to take their companies to the next level. The program is a cooperative effort among the College of Business, the UW Foundation and UW’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI).
“There’s a funding gap between the startup phase of a company and when it becomes suitable for institutional capital from a large venture capital firm,” CEI Director Robert Macy says. “We aim to fill that gap.”
The program is generously funded by the Fisher Incentive Funds in Entrepreneurship, an endowment established in 2017 by Donne and Sue Fisher. The Fisher funds are aimed at creating a lasting legacy by empowering students through real-world entrepreneurial experiences.
For the full story, visit UW News.
To learn more about the scope and impact of UW Research and Economic Development, click the button below to download the Division's latest annual report
VP for Research & Economic Development
1000 E. University Avenue
Dept. 3355
Old Main, Room 308
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-5353
Email: vpred@uwyo.edu