Bradford Wiles
Associate Professor;
Extension Specialist
Contact Information
319 Justin Hall
(785) 532-1939
bwiles@k-state.edu
Education
- Ph.D. in Human Development, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA (2013)
- Master of Public Health, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS (2026)
- Association for Gerontology in Higher Education Graduate Certificate in Gerontology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA (2013)
- M.S. in Human Development, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA (2008)
- B.S. in Psychology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN (1997)
Credentials or Certifications
Master Trainer – Better Brains for Babies
Areas of Specialization
- Health, Risk, and Resilience in Rural Families
- Community Capacity Building for Early Childhood Systems
- Access to Quality, Affordable Child Care
- Early Childhood Brain Development and Emergent Literacy
- Physical Activity and Health in Early Childhood Settings
- Community-Based Needs Assessment, Program Evaluation, and Applied Research Translation
Research, Scholarship, and Creative Endeavors
Dr. Wiles’ program of research focuses on building health and resilience in rural and underserved families with young children. Grounded in human development and public health, his work emphasizes community-engaged research, evaluation, and translation to strengthen early childhood systems and improve population-level outcomes.
A central component of his scholarship is his leadership and participation in the multistate research project Rural Families Speak about Systems (NC1171), where he contributes to understanding how rural, low-income, ethnically, and racially diverse families navigate risk, access resources, build resilience, and access external systems. His research integrates mixed and applied methods to ensure findings are meaningful to both scholars and community stakeholders.
Dr. Wiles also conducts extensive applied research through community-based needs assessments, market studies, and evaluations focused on early care and education systems across Kansas. These projects support locally driven decision-making related to childcare access, workforce sustainability, health promotion, and economic development.
Professional Biography
Originally from Noblesville, Indiana, Bradford grew up on a small farm and was a ten-year member of 4-H. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Indiana University Bloomington in 1997. After working in Silicon Valley in genomics and biotechnology, he returned to graduate school and completed an MS and PhD in Human Development at Virginia Tech, along with a graduate certificate in Gerontology.
Dr. Wiles joined Kansas State University as an Extension specialist and faculty member in 2013, integrating research, Extension, and service. He later completed a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Physical Activity, strengthening his interdisciplinary approach to early childhood health and community systems.
Personal Information
Bradford enjoys outdoor activities including fishing, hiking, canoeing and kayaking, astronomy, fossil hunting, and especially golf. He values time with his wife, Danielle, and their children, Hannah Rose and Hunter James.
Bradford also has a small recording studio where he serves as recording engineer, mixer, masterer, equipment modification and repair technician, and even as the talent. Few things beyond his family make him as happy as he is when playing, recording, or listening to music. An avid Indycar fan, Bradford has missed only one Indy 500 since he began attending with his father in 1983. He was on sabbatical in Norway for the 2025 race.