Work beyond the ordinary

For Brad Shuck, the way the world works keeps changing. 

2026 marks 20 years of dedicated research and trials. At the University of Louisville, Shuck is focused on improving people’s lives through enriching work experiences. Three years ago, he started a new research interest focused on unraveling how employee engagement improved people’s lives at work. 

Now, his research interests have broadened to fully uncover the intersection of work and health, and how this impacts a person’s longevity. For Shuck, the way you handle yourself at work, the way you interact with coworkers and the way you rest after demanding workdays deeply influence our long-term health and how we age.

Shuck has elevated his research by collaborating with international institutions to understand how workplace experiences, particularly social and emotional ones, influence long-term health factors such as chronic diseases, memory, and mental health. In collaboration with the Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics in Portugal, which recently launched a Center for Longevity Research, Shuck is addressing the whole spectrum of effects that workplaces can generate in people. 

Addressing the “dysfunctional wellness” cycle, where individuals stress themselves at work without adequate recovery, is a priority for Shuck. Even when there is an intention to get well, setting boundaries that establish a healthy workload balance that allows time for rest is key to optimal health.

The psychology behind why someone does something has shifted over the years because “there’s value, purpose and meaning, and right now those are real currency. People want to feel that they work at places where they belong and their contributions are valued,” he said.

Shuck’s work has also expanded toward empowering UofL doctoral students through different projects, publications and dissertation work for several of these scholars. Helping young adults by supporting their voices as they gain confidence in the field and move on to their own areas of research is one of Shuck’s top priorities in 2026.

“Be curious and persistent”, is Shuck’s advice for the next generation, for the scholars who are committed to finding a workplace where they feel fulfilled, both professionally and emotionally. “Get into the arena, and when you get knocked out, get back up because it is okay”.

Shuck will be on sabbatical during Fall 2026, working on several different projects. Some of his goals are to work on a documentary exploring how modern work intersects with health, if funding is available,  and revisit Chile and Portugal during this time. “As work transforms in the future, the real question becomes who we are. We’ve optimized for productivity. Now we have to design for people. This documentary hopes to explore that gap by using lived experience and voices from around the world,” he said.

“I hope that everybody is able to work and do something where they feel a deep sense of purpose in their work and those things have reciprocal effects,” Shuck said.