2026 Seed Grant Winners

The 2026ÌýResearch & Innovation Seed Grant program awarded approximately $872K across 16 new projects.

2026ÌýFunded Projects

PI NamePI DepartmentProject Title
William ChapmanAtmospheric and Oceanic SciencesIf Forecasts Could Talk: Prithvi WxC–LLM Downscaling for Actionable Predictions
Ramin AyanzadehComputer ScienceApplication Runtime and Resource Estimation in a Novel Quantum Architecture
Danna GurariComputer ScienceVision Canceling Technology for Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injuries
Valerie McKenzieEcology and Evolutionary BiologyRefining a New Wildlife Trafficking Forensics Tool Using Microbiome Profiling
Taylor BartonElectrical, Computer and Energy EngineeringMicrowave System Design for Green Plasma Catalysis
Sara TabatabaieEnvironmental DesignShade Planning for Sun Safety and Heat Resilience: Institutional Roles and Policy Pathways
Riley MulhernEnvironmental StudiesBackcountry Water Purifiers as Sentinels for PFAS in the Environment: Partnering with the Outdoor Recreation Industry to Test and Deploy a Novel Method for Water Quality Monitoring in Remote Areas
Patrick GreaneyGermanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures and the Humanities ProgramHow to Keep an Artist Alive
Amir BehzadanInstitute of Behavioral ScienceHuman-AI Interaction in Disaster Communication: A Multimodal Framework for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (D/HH) Community
Jillian TuranovicInstitute of Behavioral Science / SociologyThe Safer Colorado Initiative: Leveraging Government and University Partnerships to Reduce Violence
Nicholas WeadockMaterials ScienceDeveloping Advanced Electron Probes for Nanoscale Engineering of Emergent Materials
Nicole XuMechanical EngineeringEngineering Functional Sea Sponges: Biophysical and Biochemical Regulation of Sponge Stem Cells for Tissue Morphogenesis and Whole-Body Regeneration
Maureen LynchMechanical EngineeringMechanically-Activated Breast Cancer Signaling Impairs Osteocyte Mechanosensing in a Subtype-Specific Manner
Gang CaoPhysicsChiral Orbital Currents:Ìý Engineering a New Platform for Quantum Transport and Orbitronics
Ryan BachtellPsychology and NeuroscienceUnraveling the Gene Transcriptional Basis of Sex Differences in Oxycodone Use
Emmanuel DavidWomen & Gender StudiesPenitensya: Documenting Folk Religion in the Philippines

Research and expertise across CUÌýBoulder.

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Our 12Ìýresearch institutes conduct more than half of
the sponsored research at CUÌýBoulder.

More than 75 research centers span the campus,
covering a broad range of topics.

ÌýÌýResearch ComputingÌý

A carefully integrated cyberinfrastructure supports CUÌýBoulder research.

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