# UK Professor Young Honored as University Research Professor **Published:** 2026-07-09T13:49:37.000Z **Source:** [University of Kentucky News](https://uknow.uky.edu/research/joseph-young-2026-27-university-research-professor-qa) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/uk-professor-young-honored-as-university-research-professor LEXINGTON, Ky. — [Joseph Young, director of the University of Kentucky Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce, has been recognized as a 2026-27 University Research Professor](https://uknow.uky.edu/research/joseph-young-2026-27-university-research-professor-qa) for his internationally acclaimed research on the causes and consequences of political violence. Young, who joined UK in 2024 after more than a decade at American University, examines what drives people to resort to political violence and what policies can reduce its impact. His work spans multiple disciplines including political science, economics, criminology and international studies. He is co-author of "Tortured Logic: Why Americans Support Torture," published by Columbia University Press, which explores public attitudes toward coercive interrogation and national security policy. The Patterson School professor has advised U.S. defense and development organizations, consulting on Department of Defense initiatives to counter violent extremism and leading an impact evaluation of U.S. Agency for International Development programs aimed at reducing violence in Colombia. [The University of Kentucky Board of Trustees approved 17 University Research Professors for 2026-27](https://ci.uky.edu/about/news-and-media/2026/17-faculty-named-2026-27-university-research-professors), a cohort that recognizes excellence across the full spectrum of research addressing scientific, social, cultural and economic challenges in Kentucky and worldwide. Each honoree receives a $10,000 award. Young said his research agenda is expanding into new territory. He plans to use the award to convene the conflict research community around standards for using artificial intelligence and large language models to collect and analyze conflict data. He is developing an NSF-funded workshop on the topic. Young emphasized the local relevance of his work, noting that communities in Eastern Kentucky and the Appalachian coalfields have experienced economic displacement, declining trust in institutions and deepening social divisions — challenges examined by conflict researchers globally. He said his students at the Patterson School, many of whom are Kentuckians, will carry rigorous understanding of political violence and evidence evaluation into careers in government, federal agencies, international organizations and the private sector. "Recognition like this is never individual," Young said in a university statement. "It reflects a community of inquiry." Before joining UK, he served as professor, department chair and associate dean for research at American University. ## Sources - [University of Kentucky News](https://uknow.uky.edu/research/joseph-young-2026-27-university-research-professor-qa) - [UK announcement of 17 faculty named 2026-27 University Research Professors](https://ci.uky.edu/about/news-and-media/2026/17-faculty-named-2026-27-university-research-professors) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from University of Kentucky News, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://uknow.uky.edu/research/joseph-young-2026-27-university-research-professor-qa.