Dr. Hans has been in the Department of Family Sciences at UK since 2004, and has served as Department Chair (2021-2023), Director of Graduate Studies (2011-2015), and Director of Undergraduate Studies (2022). He was Editor of Family Relations (2015-2020), which is commonly regarded as the premier applied journal of family science, and he has authored numerous scholarly publications. Dr. Hans has also served as editor of the Family Index Database and Graduate and Undergraduate Study in Marriage and Family, and held leadership positions at both the state and national levels within the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR), such as serving as President of a statewide affiliate council, Chair of a national focus group of directors of graduate study, and a member of NCFR's Future of Family Science Task Force.

A McNair Scholar (1998-1999) and two-time Fulbright Scholar to Ukraine (2010-2011 & 2017-2018), Dr. Hans has been recognized with numerous awards and honors. He received the 2009 United States Department of Agriculture's Excellence in Teaching Award, the 2008 Provost's Outstanding Teacher Award at the University of Kentucky, the 2013 Award of Excellence in Human Environmental Sciences for teaching, and has been recognized three times (2011, 2012, 2015) by the Teachers Who Made a Difference program at the University of Kentucky. In 2002 he was awarded the National Council on Family Relations Outstanding New Professional Award in recognition of his outstanding potential for contribution to family science, and the Rollins Society inducted him as a member in 2003 for his contributions to the family science community. Dr. Hans is the only student to receive awards as both the most outstanding graduate instructor (2002) and researcher (2004) at the University of Missouri, and he is also the only two-time recipient of the University of Missouri Parents Association Teaching Award (2002, 2004). The American Council on Consumer Interests Applied Consumer Economic Award was awarded to him in 2013 for his research article titled "Social Security survivors benefits: The effects of reproductive pathways and intestacy law on attitudes."
 
In 2014, Dr. Hans was invited to write about his career path as a family scientist for a special issue of Family Science Review, which he titled "Pathways and Turning Points in My Career as a Family Scientist." In recognition of his career accomplishments, Dr. Hans received the 2015 Citation of Merit Award from the College of Human Environmental Sciences at the University of Missouri.

Research

The majority of Dr. Hans’ research has focused on three content areas — reproduction, sexuality, and divorce — and he also has methodological expertise using multiple-segment factorial vignettes.

Reproduction
His primary research interest in the area of reproduction is posthumous reproduction, which has been described as “the most challenging, difficult, and sensitive [ethical conundrum] in the field of medicine” (Bahadur, 2002, p. 2769). Past work has primarily been based on experimental design methods to examine attitudes toward posthumous reproduction, drawing implications for policy and medical decision-making, but his work in this area is now transitioning toward using qualitative methods to examine motivations, meanings, and experiences associated with posthumous reproduction. Dr. Hans has also done research on abortion attitudes, reproductive technology, and birthing practices (e.g., midwifery).

Sexuality
His research on sexuality has been varied, but has included studies on the meanings associated with various sex terminologies, sexual self-disclosure within swingers' marriages, attitudes toward and correlates of various types of sexual behavior and orientations, sexting, infidelity, and the relationship between love styles and sexual behavior.

Divorce and Stepfamilies
His research on divorce and stepfamilies has often centered on issues associated with money that arise in the years following a divorce. For example, he has examined child support issues in the context of remarriage, as well as filial obligations among adult children following parental divorce and remarriage. Other studies have focused on child custody issues, such as custody evaluations in the context of domestic violence, coparenting following divorce, and stepparents’ roles and responsibilities following divorce.

Multiple-Segment Factorial Vignettes (MSFVs)
MSFVs are true-experiment survey designs wherein key circumstances are embedded and randomly manipulated within an extended vignette to test the effects of those manipulations on attitudes, beliefs, decisions, or judgments. Dr. Hans has used this method extensively in his research and is often sought out by both students and colleagues for his experience and expertise implementing this design to examine a wide array of issues.