Man in lab coat crouching.

Division of Research News

UNLV's Division of Research creates a campus environment that supports and promotes superior research, creative, and scholarly pursuits. This ensures that our students and faculty can recognize their full intellectual potential.

Current Research News

UNLV Science and Engineering Building at night
Research |

Interdisciplinary team will perform computational modeling, experimental design, and develop AI database to identify natural materials for rapid construction in challenging environments.

Dice on a craps table
Research |

Report reveals operators and regulators with high ambitions but significant gaps in governance, oversight, and AI maturity.

Taylor Garson in Wing lab using research equipment
Campus News |

New Ph.D. graduate Taylor Gerson credits faculty for putting her on the path toward graduate research.

Eliza Wiggins in office with view of Las Vegas Strip
People |

For IGI's community programs manager, the answer is always 'YES' when it comes to supporting career development in youth.

Artist depiction of cosmic black hole merger
Research |

The mergers, measured one month apart in 2024 by LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration, advance scientific understanding of the nature of black hole formation and fundamental physics; offer evidence of "second-gen" black holes.  
 

Ayan Sengupta stands next to MRI machine
People |

Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences professor brings expertise and cultural pride to UNLV’s new neuroimaging facility.

Research In The News

Business of Cannabis

Nevada forfeits an estimated US$80 million in annual cannabis tax revenue because state regulations impose a 1,500-foot buffer between cannabis retailers and gaming venues, preventing sales in and around the Las Vegas Strip, according to a UNLV Cannabis Policy Institute report published on Thursday.

Hemp Gazette

The findings emerged from the 3rd Annual Gaming & Cannabis Policy Discussion, hosted by the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) Cannabis Policy Institute and International Gaming Institute. Lawmakers and officials at the event discussed the implications of regulations that prevent the full integration of the licensed cannabis sector with the state’s established gaming industry.

Casino Reports

UNLV Cannabis Policy Institute reports state losing tons of money from keeping them separated

iGaming Business

According to data from a University of Nevada study, 70% of US adults support allowing cannabis consumption spaces in casinos.

KNPR News

As of two weeks ago, marijuana belonged to the same controlled-substance classification as heroin and LSD. But on April 23, the U.S. Department of Justice reclassified medicinal and FDA-approved cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III, the group that also includes lower-risk, less-abused drugs such as ketamine and steroids. What does this mean for Nevada’s commercial marijuana industry? That part remains unclear, at least in the short term.

UPI

The final rule from the Office of the Attorney General places all drug products that contain marijuana and are federally approved in Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. The move shifts cannabis from Schedule I, alongside substances like heroin and LSD, to Schedule III, with the likes of codeine and ketamine.

Research Experts

An expert on gaming and society, Bernhard has been featured on CNN, The Discovery Channel, the BBC, and The History Channel.
A longtime industry executive and leading international expert on responsible gaming. 
An expert in commercializing intellectual property.
An expert in high performance computing.
An expert in research infrastructure, electrochemistry, chemistry, and radiochemistry.   
An expert in sports betting, gaming policy and regulation, legislative affairs, and workplace sexual harrassment. 

Recent Research Accomplishments

Shane Kraus (Psychology), Tiange Xu (International Gaming Institute), and Andrea Dassopoulos (International Gaming Institute) have been awarded $312,239 from the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission's Responsible Gaming Grant program for their project "The Causal Impact of Sports Betting Promotional Offers." The research will provide…
Brett Abarbanel (International Gaming Institute; Hospitality) moderated a panel titled, "Game Integrity in Esports," at the International Association of Gaming Advisors annual Summit in Berlin, Germany. Joined by four experts from DACH countries, Abarbanel discussed the ways esports integrity is similar to sports integrity, and how its digital…
For the second year in a row, professor Seyhmus Baloglu has been recognized as one of the top 2% of Sports, Leisure, and Tourism Scholars in the world based on Scopus data provided by Elsevier. Now in its sixth iteration, this prestigious list identifies the world's leading researchers, representing approximately 2% of all scientists…
Kasra Ghaharian (International Gaming Institute) presented his research on AI ethics in the gambling sector at the National Conference on Gambling Addiction and Responsible Gambling on July 18, 2024, in San Diego, California.
Craig Schwartz and colleagues (Nevada Extreme Conditions Lab) were recently awarded two grants from the Department of Energy: 1.) Next generation solar cells probed at the interface with exceptional precision (PIE): Towards new device design – Summary: Generating solar energy via photovoltaic (PV) devices is one of the most promising routes…
Marta Soligo (International Gaming Institute and Sociology) delivered a keynote speech earlier this month at the webinar “Film Tourism: Destination Branding and Experience” organized by the Bali Dwipa University in collaboration with the Bali Tourism Board. Soligo’s presentation centered around film-induced tourism, focusing on tourism planning,…