Wildcat Scholar launches publicly, connecting K-State expertise to the world
Kansas State University is home to researchers, scholars, educators, extension professionals and innovators whose work addresses some of society's most pressing challenges. From food security and animal health to education, energy and community development, K-State's discoveries are making a difference every day.
The challenge has not been a lack of impact. It has been making that work easy to find, understand and connect with.
Wildcat Scholar helps bridge that gap by bringing together information about K-State's research, teaching, service, engagement and creative activities in a single platform. The result is a more complete and discoverable picture of the expertise that exists across the university.
As of Sept. 2, Wildcat Scholar profiles are publicly searchable through the K-State Experts directory at experts.ksu.edu, where users can search researchers and scholars by name, topic or discipline and connect with the difference-makers and innovators enriching lives and accelerating impact.
The public launch marks an important milestone for Next-Gen K-State, the university's strategic plan to become a next-generation land-grant institution by strengthening research, expanding collaboration and increasing the impact of the university's work. By making K-State expertise more visible and accessible, Wildcat Scholar helps connect people to the ideas, innovations and partnerships that advance that vision.
“With the launch of the now public profiles, K-State’s research and expertise are more accessible to external stakeholders,” said Hans Coetzee, vice president for research. “Collaborators, investors, industry partners and Kansans can easily find the work being done at K-State, enhancing operational excellence, increasing research exposure and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.”
Find the right expert in seconds
The public directory is built for discovery. Anyone can search K-State instructors, researchers, scholars and extension staff by name, topic or discipline and connect directly to the difference-makers driving impact across the university.
Search results can be refined using filters tailored to external audiences, including department, expertise areas, collaboration interests, the K-State Opportunity Agenda and Kansas Department of Commerce target sectors. These features make it easier for prospective collaborators, companies, community organizations and economic development leaders to identify the expertise they need. Each profile includes the expert’s name, title and department alongside a short biography, and relevant areas such as teaching, research and scholarship, and engagement, so a prospective partner can quickly gauge fit before reaching out.
The directory also helps faculty and staff identify colleagues with complementary expertise, supporting interdisciplinary research, grant development and new partnerships across the university.
Wildcat Scholar reflects a partnership with the Kansas Department of Commerce and is supported through a combination of Department of Commerce funding and One K-State Fund investments. That alignment with the state's economic development priorities is built directly into the directory, helping industry and economic development partners connect with K-State experts working in priority sectors.
Built on trusted research data
In February 2026, the university announced the rollout of Wildcat Scholar alongside Dimensions, the world's largest linked research database. Dimensions connects publications, grants, patents, clinical trials, datasets and policy documents in a single searchable platform, helping researchers explore the broader global research landscape.
Wildcat Scholar builds on that foundation by highlighting K-State's own expertise and accomplishments. The platform pulls information from systems already in use across higher education and research, including Dimensions, helping reduce duplicate data entry while maintaining comprehensive and current profiles.
One of Wildcat Scholar's core components, Symplectic Elements, went live in May 2026. Symplectic provides a central home for K-State-specific scholarship and activity data, enabling faculty and staff to capture, organize and showcase the full scope of their work and impact.
A complete picture
Wildcat Scholar was designed to go beyond publications alone. Faculty and staff can use the platform to highlight teaching, service, extension activities, community engagement, leadership roles, creative works, grants, research interests and other professional accomplishments.
Profiles serve as a dynamic showcase of expertise and can help users identify collaborators across colleges, departments and disciplines.
The platform also supports profile creation via automated data imports and a CV upload feature, allowing faculty and research staff to upload a PDF of their curriculum vitae to populate their profiles more quickly.
To see how information is displayed, faculty and staff can view the Willie Wildcat demonstration profile on the Experts site.
For faculty and research staff
With profiles now publicly visible, faculty and staff are encouraged to review their information, add a professional photo and ensure their expertise and accomplishments are accurately represented.
While profiles are now public by default, users can revert their profiles to internal-only visibility if desired.
Faculty and research staff who have not yet created a profile are encouraged to do so now to ensure their work is represented in the university's public expertise directory.
Faculty and research staff interested in learning more can participate in ongoing training workshops and support sessions.
Additional resources, including FAQs, training materials and profile guidance, are available on the Wildcat Scholar website.
As Wildcat Scholar continues to grow, it will serve as a front door to K-State expertise, helping people discover researchers and scholars, explore their work and connect with the ideas and innovations shaping the future.
At its core, Wildcat Scholar is about bringing together discovery, expertise and impact, creating a place where discovery meets the world's greatest needs.