AEDRI (Arts Emergency and Disaster Research Initiative), led by Dr. Leah Hamilton, is the University of Kentucky's research lab in the Department of Arts Administration within the College of Fine Arts. AEDRI is dedicated to developing research to enhance disaster resilience and emergency readiness in the arts sector. The research lab centers on the intersections of arts administration, emergency management, and disaster sociology.

AEDRI is currently engaged in the following nationally and university-sponsored initiatives:

• Kentucky Heritage Emergency Response Network (KHERN), funded by LYRASIS (Performing Arts Readiness Project), the Foundation of Advancement in Conservation, and the Sustainable Futures Design Lab with UK Trust Hub.

• Between Two Rivers: Safeguarding the Future of Greenup County’s Arts and Culture, a project supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts

• Arts and Cultural Heritage in Protected Areas: Management Strategies, Sustainable Tourism, and Crisis Impacts, with research partners at the University of Perugia and University of Macerata (Italy), funded by the UKinSPIRE Fellowship program.