Glenn Sterner III
Associate Professor
Areas of Expertise
- CJ 123: Introduction to Criminal Justice
- CJ 323: Criminal Justice Foundations
- CJ 429: Research Methods
- CJ 435: Criminal Justice Capstone Research Project
Highlighted Publications
- Chen, Q., Sterner, G., Rhubart, D., Newton, R., Shaw, B., & Scanlon, D. (2024). Creating a robust coordinated data and policy framework for addressing substance use issues in the United States. International Journal of Drug Policy, 134.
- Sterner, G., Russell, G.E.H., &Ferrara, A.M. (2025). The Pennsylvania interactive gaming assessment
- Online gambling report 2025. Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. Available:
- Sterner, G., Verdery, A., Monnat, S., Yabiku, S., Zajac, G., Forster, P., Rhubart, D., & Nur, S. (2021). Identifying and informing strategies for disrupting drug distribution networks: An application to opiate flows in Pennsylvania
- National Institute of Justice, United States Department of Justice. Available:
Current Projects
- Developing Early Warning Systems for Emerging Epidemics of Illicit Substances: A Data-Driven Modeling Approach; NSF funded project; Co-PI
- Annual Assessment of Online Gambling (Interactive Gaming) for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs funded project; Co-PI
- The Elevate Pennsylvania Initiative: A Collaborative Effort to Maximize the Opioid Settlement Funding; Co-Coordinator
Student & Research Availability
- Accepting Students in Programs: Bachelors | Doctoral | Masters
- Research or Interest Area Key Words: Substance Use and Addiction, Illicit Markets, Gambling, Human Trafficking
Alma Mater
Michigan State University
Get to Know Glenn
Dr. Glenn Sterner is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice in the College of Social Work at the University of Kentucky. His main research agenda is focused on understanding issues at the intersection of community safety and public health, specifically in the realms of substance use, human trafficking, and gambling issues. Dr. Sterner has been awarded over $13.5 million in local, state, and federal grants to study and address these issues, including funding from the National Institute of Justice, Department of Justice, National Science Foundation, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). These initiatives include work across the country to evaluate substance use-related interventions, disrupt drug trafficking networks, develop intelligence-based interventions to address substance use, and reduce stigma associated with substance use. He also coordinates the annual assessment of online gambling (interactive gaming) for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Sterner collaborates extensively with law enforcement, public health, and other vital agencies on the local, state, and federal level in his work to address key community safety and health issues. He was a lead member of the team that assisted the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General to develop the method for distributing the 2022 Opioid Settlement funding, and he now coordinates an effort to measure the impacts of these funds, The Elevate Pennsylvania Initiative. He leads an NSF funded project to develop an early warning system state-based model for emerging drug threats using artificial intelligence. He co-lead a Pennsylvania Department of Health funded effort to evaluate the effectiveness of the Pennsylvania Coordinated Medication Assisted Treatment (PaCMAT) Model to expand access to medications for opioid use disorder throughout the Commonwealth. Dr. Sterner has excellent relationships with the National Institute of Justice, leading projects that helped to develop networks between rural law enforcement agencies to develop greater capacity for using data-oriented solutions for drug intelligence-focused investigations and also identifying illicit markets using local intelligence methods.
Dr. Sterner has presented his work locally, nationally, and internationally to organizations including the National Institute of Justice, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, The American Society of Criminology, The Stockholm Criminology Symposium, and The International Society for the Study of Drug Policy. His writings been featured by the Department of Justice, The Hill, CNN, and peer reviewed journals including The Millbank Quarterly, International Journal of Drug Policy, Substance Use and Misuse, among others.