2026 University Research Day Celebrates Scholars, Innovators, and Performers

The Catholic University of America hosted the 11th University Research Day, an annual event that showcases the campus-wide pursuit of excellence across all disciplines and industries. 

University Research Day is a time for students to practice sharing their ideas (both during the morning oral presentations and the afternoon poster sessions); celebrate their accomplishments with their peers and professors; and make connections for professional opportunities. 

University President Peter Kilpatrick opened the all-day academic extravaganza by praising the many scholars–students, faculty, and staff–who pour their souls into making the University a shining light as an R1 research institution. 

Executive Vice President and Provost Aaron Dominguez said the day’s events highlight the diversity of the research community on campus, with presentations “from canon lawyers to musicians to physicists.” 

Senior Vice Provost for Research Joseph Yost followed these remarks by highlighting the University’s initiatives that are building upon the momentum since receiving the R1 recognition last year. Highlights included the new Innovation Fund, Leonum Institute for AI and Emerging Technologies, The James Cardinal Gibbons Institute for Human Ecology, and external partnerships that continue to elevate the University’s national and global stature as a center for research that serves humanity. 

All of the scholars and innovators on campus, Yost noted, play pivotal roles in making the world a better place by “illuminating the truth, beauty, and goodness found in God’s creation.” 

Keynote speaker, sociology professor Brandon Vaidyanathan, focused on these themes through his own discoveries about the role that appreciation of beauty plays in the pursuit of knowledge and “meaning-making.” He also highlighted his work leading the first-ever longitudinal study on priests’ well-being and research on maintaining mission motivation in business and non-profit work. 

This year’s University Research Day was the first since the passing of co-founder Ralph Albano, an alumnus who championed academic excellence and innovation as associate provost for research until his unexpected passing last year. The doctoral oral presentation recognition granted during the awards ceremony was renamed the “Ralph Award” in his honor, and the day concluded with a Mass said in his memory.

Award-winning University Research Day presentations recognized at day's closing ceremony are listed in the section below, and a complete list of all presentations may be found on the University Research Day website.