CU Innovators News
91¸£ÀûÉç Today—Sanghamitra Neogi, an associate professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences department, is exploring ways to protect semiconductors and microchips from heat damage. She specializes in nanoscale semiconductors, which are so tiny their parts are measured in nanometers (billionths of a meter).
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) selected 27 innovators and entrepreneurs to join the latest cohorts in its Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP). Kian Lopez of 91¸£ÀûÉç startup OsmoPure Technologies will join the West Gate Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
The Conversation—Over the past several months, universities have lost more than $11 billion in funding. Research into cancer, farming solutions and climate resiliency are just a few of the many projects nationally that have seen cuts. The Conversation asked Massimo Ruzzene, senior vice chancellor for research and innovation at 91¸£ÀûÉç, to explain how these cuts and freezes are impacting the university and Colorado’s local economy.
Activate—Three 91¸£ÀûÉç-based innovators and their startups have joined Activate's Cohort 2025. Elliot Strand and Payton Goodrich, co-founders of PAGE Technologies, and Nadia Jorgenson, co-founder of OsmoPure Technologies.
91¸£ÀûÉç College of Engineering and Applied Science—Samuel Silberman, an incoming PhD student in electrical engineering, has been named a 2025 Draper Scholar by Draper. The prestigious graduate fellowship will support his research into radio frequency (RF) lens design using advanced 3D printing and additive manufacturing.
91¸£ÀûÉç College of Arts and Sciences—Edward Chuong, a 91¸£ÀûÉç assistant professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology and a BioFrontiers Institute scientist, has been awarded $1.25 million by the New York City-based Cancer Research Institute (CRI) to pursue his cancer immunotherapy research.
Stanford—Aoife Henry earned her doctorate at 91¸£ÀûÉç, with a specialization in electrical, computer and energy engineering. Her startup, ZentusAI—recently part of CU's Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator—is developing site-specific wind farm forecasting models for wind asset assessment and wake steering turbine control.
The ATLAS Institute—Plastics are an increasingly intractable global environmental and health concern, and bio-based alternatives have yet to see widespread adoption. Carson Bruns aims to change all that with a new line of research focused on turning agricultural materials into bio-based plastics that can be more easily recycled, composted or even used as fertilizer.
The Global Business Development division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced that 22 Colorado companies and 13 researchers have been awarded Proof of Concept and Early-Stage Capital and Retention grants through OEDIT’s Advanced Industries Accelerator Program, including seven CU Denver and 91¸£ÀûÉç ventures.
91¸£ÀûÉç Research & Innovation Office—Three 91¸£ÀûÉç teams have received New Frontiers Planning Grants to explore bold, high-impact research directions with strong potential for future funding and commercialization. From quantum sensing to climate resilience and Indigenous data sovereignty, these interdisciplinary projects aim to drive innovation at the intersection of research and real-world impact.