2023 RIO Faculty Fellows

  • Kyri Baker (Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering; RASEI)
  • Cinnamon Bidwell (Institute of Cognitive Science)
  • Matthew Burgess (Environmental Studies; CIRES)
  • Amanda Carrico (Environmental Studies)
  • Laura Dee (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)
  • Paul Hayne (Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences; LASP)
  • Lori Hunter (Institute of Behavioral Science)
  • Dejun “Tony” Kong (Leeds)
  • Katherine Lininger (Geography)
  • Cresten Mansfeldt (Environmental Engineering)
  • Samira Mehta (Women & Gender Studies; Jewish Studies)
  • Aneesh Subramanian (Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences)
  • Scott Taylor (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; INSTAAR)
  • Will Taylor (Anthropology; Colorado Museum of Natural History)
  • Lizzy Trower (Geosciences)
  • Helanius J. Wilkins (Theatre & Dance)
  • Laura Winkiel (English)

The Research & Innovation Office has announced the 2023 RIO Faculty Fellows cohort, which includes 17 faculty members from departments and research institutes spanning the campus. The diversity of disciplines represented by this group highlights the range of excellence in research, scholarship and creative work taking place at CU Boulder.


The RIO Faculty Fellows program supports faculty in achieving their research and innovation goals and promotes collaboration through tailored training, experiential learning and leadership development opportunities. The program aims to build a community of interdisciplinary, creative research leaders to help drive collaboration and innovation across the university through a series of intensive research leadership retreats and coaching.  

“I’m pleased to welcome the fifth cohort of RIO Faculty Fellows in 2023,” said Acting Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation Massimo Ruzzene. “The addition of this group means more than 70 faculty will have benefited from this program. Our world-class faculty are the heart and soul of the research and creative work that drives innovation across our comprehensive institution, and we can already see the difference these leaders are making across and beyond our campus.”

“This year’s fellows exemplify the exciting breadth of scholarship being conducted across campus,” said Faculty Director Kirsten Rowell. “There is incredible enthusiasm as we bounce back from the challenges of the last few years, which we’ll respond to in part by adding emphasis on collaboration dynamics and managing teams of students and staff. And probably most importantly, how to maintain a sustainable practice of scholarship and productivity that supports the whole person.”

“This year’s selection process was especially robust due to our new advisory board, which helped with recruiting and selecting this year’s cohort,” said Rowell.

The RIO Faculty Fellows program

The RIO Faculty Fellows program identifies and develops individual leadership styles of tenured and tenure-track assistant and associate professors who are poised to lead significant collaborative projects, develop vision and deliver novel and impactful scholarly work. 

The program, along with other faculty development programs including the Excellence in Leadership program, is an investment in CU Boulder faculty and in the university as a global leader in innovation and impact. 

In addition to the cohort’s first intensive three-day retreat in January, the program framework includes several more focused retreats and a variety of informal networking activities throughout the year. Applications for the next cohort will be accepted in September 2023.