# UK faculty honored with Kirwan Prize and Sturgill Award  
**Published:** 2026-05-18T18:39:04.000Z  
**Source:** [University of Kentucky News](https://uknow.uky.edu/professional-news/outstanding-uk-faculty-honored-kirwan-prize-sturgill-award)  
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The University of Kentucky Graduate School recognized two exceptional faculty members with its highest honors during the 2026 Faculty Awards Ceremony on April 30. [Guoqiang Yu, Ph.D., professor of biomedical engineering, received the Albert D. and Elizabeth H. Kirwan Memorial Prize](https://uknow.uky.edu/professional-news/outstanding-uk-faculty-honored-kirwan-prize-sturgill-award), while Rachel Shane, Ph.D., department chair and professor of arts administration, received the William B. Sturgill Award.

Yu's award recognizes outstanding contributions to original research and scholarship. The biomedical engineering professor has developed innovative optical imaging technologies for noninvasive measurement of tissue hemodynamics and metabolism, with applications in clinical diagnosis and treatment. [His research has been supported by more than $55 million in funding from federal agencies including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and Department of Defense](https://research.uky.edu/news/i-am-uk-innovator-pigman-college-engineerings-guoqiang-yu), and [he ranks among Elsevier's top 2% of world's most-cited researchers](https://engr.uky.edu/news/guoqiang-yu-2024-25-university-research-professor-qa). Yu has authored over 110 peer-reviewed publications and holds multiple patents for bio-photonic technologies used in diagnosing cancers, brain injuries, stroke, Alzheimer's disease and peripheral arterial disease.

Shane's award recognizes outstanding contributions to graduate education. Under her leadership, both the Master of Arts and Ph.D. in arts administration were conceived, designed and launched within the past 15 years. [The doctoral program represents the first of its kind in the United States and the University of Kentucky's first fully online doctoral degree](https://finearts.uky.edu/arts-administration/news/department-arts-administration-celebrates-first-class-phd-grads). Shane has also developed graduate certificate programs in areas including arts emergency management, creative social entrepreneurship, and fundraising and development, expanding access to education for working professionals.

[The Kirwan Memorial Prize was established in 1995 and honors Albert Kirwan, a former UK president, football coach and distinguished Southern history scholar](https://gradschool.uky.edu/faculty-awards). [The Sturgill Award, established in 1975, honors alumnus William B. Sturgill, who contributed to higher education through developing Kentucky's community college system](https://gradschool.uky.edu/faculty-awards).

## Sources

- [University of Kentucky News](https://uknow.uky.edu/professional-news/outstanding-uk-faculty-honored-kirwan-prize-sturgill-award)
- [UK Research - 'I am a UK Innovator': Pigman College of Engineering's Guoqiang Yu](https://research.uky.edu/news/i-am-uk-innovator-pigman-college-engineerings-guoqiang-yu)
- [Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering - Guoqiang Yu: 2024-25 University Research Professor Q&A](https://engr.uky.edu/news/guoqiang-yu-2024-25-university-research-professor-qa)
- [UK College of Fine Arts - Department of Arts Administration celebrates first class of Ph.D. grads](https://finearts.uky.edu/arts-administration/news/department-arts-administration-celebrates-first-class-phd-grads)
- [The Graduate School - Faculty Awards](https://gradschool.uky.edu/faculty-awards)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from University of Kentucky News, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://uknow.uky.edu/professional-news/outstanding-uk-faculty-honored-kirwan-prize-sturgill-award.