The Bill Gatton Foundation 2026 Grand Challenges announced to advance Kentucky

Article | Christopher Carney (Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment) | Aug 28, 2026

Collage of agricultural and scientific research activities. Images show researchers working with laboratory equipment, conducting field demonstrations, collecting soil samples outdoors, operating agricultural planting equipment in a field.

The Bill Gatton Foundation Grand Challenges program will support collaborative work capable of producing meaningful impact in Kentucky, while positioning UK for leadership in areas of national and global importance. Photos provided by Martin-Gatton CAFE.

Six projects have been selected as The Bill Gatton Foundation 2026 Grand Challenges — advancing ambitious, interdisciplinary work that addresses complex challenges facing Kentucky and beyond.

Through the generosity of The Bill Gatton Foundation’s historic $100 million gift to the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE) in 2023, $5.6 million has been invested to steward innovative projects starting in 2026. These projects address artificial intelligence and emerging technology; agriculture and food systems; water and climate sustainability; forestry and natural resources; agricultural finance; education; and extension and workforce development.

Bringing together expertise from across Martin-Gatton CAFE and UK, these selected projects are designed to develop innovative solutions, create opportunities for students, serve Kentucky communities and build capacity for future externally funded work.

“The 2026 Grand Challenges demonstrate the breadth of our land-grant mission at the University of Kentucky,” said Laura Stephenson, Ph.D., vice president for land-grant engagement and dean of Martin-Gatton CAFE. “Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of The Bill Gatton Foundation, interdisciplinary teams now have the resources to pursue ambitious ideas, develop new capabilities and translate university expertise into meaningful impact across Kentucky.”

The following projects were selected as The Bill Gatton Foundation 2026 Grand Challenges:

AI-Enabled Epigenetic Biomarkers for Agriculture, Animal Health and Healthy Aging: Establishing C3EB. Led by Carlos Rodríguez López, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Horticulture, this Grand Challenge will establish the Cross-Campus Center on Epigenetic Biomarkers (C3EB), bringing together expertise in epigenetics, artificial intelligence and mathematical modeling to develop new approaches to challenges spanning agriculture, animal health, nutrition and healthy aging. C3EB aims to generate new diagnostic and decision-support tools while addressing issues important to Kentucky, including agricultural productivity, livestock health and welfare, food quality and population health.
AI-Enabled Self-Driving Laboratory for Transformative Chemical Discovery in Kentucky’s Agriculture and Food Systems. Led by Michael Montross, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, in collaboration with the UK Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, the project will establish an AI-enabled self-driving laboratory designed to accelerate scientific discovery across agriculture, food and bioprocessing systems. The interdisciplinary team will combine artificial intelligence, robotics, laboratory automation, controlled processing and rapid analysis into a system capable of designing and conducting experiments, analyzing the results and using what it learns to determine the most informative experiments to conduct next. By bringing research, education and outreach together around a shared technological platform, the project team intends to establish a new interdisciplinary capability at UK and provide a foundation for larger external research opportunities in AI-enabled agriculture, food systems and biomanufacturing.
KY-WAP: An AI-Powered Woodland Analysis Platform for Kentucky. Led by Jian Yang, Ph.D., associate professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, the Kentucky Woodland Analysis Platform (KY-WAP) will use artificial intelligence, machine learning, remote sensing and advanced geospatial data to provide detailed information about the condition of Kentucky’s forests. KY-WAP will bring together information currently spread across complex datasets, including aerial imagery and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), satellite imagery, soil information, forest inventories and landscape disturbance data, and translate those resources into practical information at the parcel and forest-stand level. The long-term goal is to establish a statewide woodland intelligence resource that can ultimately serve as a model for AI-powered forest analysis beyond Kentucky.
Integrated Water, Climate and Sustainability Initiative. Led by Tiffany Messer, Ph.D., Amanda Gumbert, Ph.D., John McMaine, Ph.D., and Jason Unrine, Ph.D. at Martin-Gatton CAFE and affiliates at the Kentucky Water Research Institute (KWRI), this initiative will address water, climate variability and sustainability through coordinated investment spanning research, extension, education, workforce development and student recruitment. This project will investigate how Kentucky’s changing temperature and rainfall patterns influence the movement and transformation of organic matter, nutrients and contaminants in aquatic environments. This initiative will strengthen undergraduate education through new coursework and the development of a cross-college academic credential connecting climate-smart agriculture, water systems and data-enabled decision-making. In addition, the project will launch a pilot residential summer experience for high school students called STREAM — Summer Training in Resilient Environmental Management.
Agricultural Finance Education Initiative — Feasibility and Planning Phase. Led by Jonathan Shepherd, agricultural extension specialist in the Department of Agricultural Economics, this project will support a feasibility study and planning phase to explore an integrated approach to strengthen agricultural finance education, farm transition and succession planning, applied research, extension programming and industry engagement across Kentucky. The proposed initiative is intended to bring together expertise that currently exists across the university and among external partners to help agricultural operations — from small and mid-sized farms to larger enterprises — build financial resilience and prepare for successful transitions.

The Grand Challenges will be introduced at The Bill Gatton Foundation Annual Symposium Sept. 2. at UK. This inaugural showcase event will celebrate and highlight The Bill Gatton Foundation’s supported work in research, teaching, extension, student success and collaborative initiatives at Martin-Gatton CAFE.

Visit The Bill Gatton Foundation or gatton-legacy.mgcafe.uky.edu to learn more about Bill Gatton’s historic gift along with The Bill Gatton Foundation 2026 Grand Challenges.