Faculty converse around tables at a Collaborative Research Luncheon.

Collaborative Research Luncheons

A series of events bringing together scholars from across campus to eat, network and think critically about research on diverse and relevant topics. Please join us for this semi-structured opportunity to engage with colleagues across topics of common interest.

Collaborative Research Luncheons welcome faculty, across all ranks, across all schools, from the curious to the novice to the expert. By bringing together individuals with diverse research experience often dispersed across disciplines, schools, and positions, our aim is to expand professional networks and open new pathways to excellence in research that transcend the traditional silos of academic thought, foster interdisciplinary connection and jump-start novel collaborations.

In response to a desire for more sustained opportunities to develop connections and collaborative potential, the Office of Research is partnering with The Commons to offer follow-up events after each Collaborative Research Luncheon. These events, aptly titled Same Time Next Week, will follow the schedule of the luncheons that brought scholars together in the first place and offer extended time and consultation to expand on ideas and possibilities that emerged over lunch the week before. Held in The Commons (Spooner Hall), these events will offer an array of options to meet the needs of different researchers, including: quiet space for writing; coffee and snacks to fuel ideas; collaborative work stations to further the discussions; and consultations with research development officers from around the University. 

Events in The Commons are offered in hybrid form by request while work to ensure compliance with NAGPRA is ongoing. For more information about the status of repatriation work, visit the repatriation & NAGPRA webpage.

Fall 2026

  • Sept. 9, 12 – 1:30 p.m., Forum A, Burge Union
    Topic: Health Humanities
     
  • Oct. 6, 12 – 1:30 p.m., Malott Room, Kansas Union
    Topic: Circular Economies: Securing a Sustainable Supply Chain 
     
  • Nov. 10, 12 – 1:30 p.m., Cap Fed Colloquium
    Topic: Trust in Science
     
  • Dec. 9, 12 – 1:30 p.m., Malott Room, Kansas Union
    Topic: Domestic Energy

Spring 2026

  • Feb. 10, 12 – 1:30 p.m., Forum A, Burge Union
    Topic: Data Science
     
  • March 10, 12 – 1:30 p.m., Malott Room, Kansas Union
    Topic: Populism & Democracy
     
  • April 14, 12 – 1:30 p.m., Malott Room, Kansas Union
    Topic: Rural Health
     
  • May 12, 12 – 1:30 p.m., Forum B, Burge Union
    Topic: Multi-omics Research: Toward a Holistic View of Biological Processes
     

Fall 2025

  • Sept. 9, 12 – 1:30 p.m., Malott Room, Kansas Union 
    Topic: Public Humanities
     
  • Oct. 10, 12 – 1:30 p.m., Tim Barton Colloquium, 1010 Capitol Federal Hall
    Topic: Transitioning Beyond Animal Models
     
  • Oct. 30, 12 – 1:30 p.m., Jayhawk Room, Kansas Union
    Topic: Energy
     
  • Nov. 19, 12 – 1:30 p.m., The Jay, Kansas Union
    Topic: Artificial Intelligence
     
  • Dec. 12, 12 – 1:30 p.m., Jayhawk Room, Kansas Union
    Topic: Food + Water Security

Please email Dave Tell, professor of communication studies and faculty fellow in the Office of Research, with any questions or concerns.