Letter from the Senior Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation 2025-26

Colleagues and friends,

Research, scholarship and creative work have always required curiosity, persistence and a willingness to adapt. Those qualities continue to define our research enterprise. Our faculty, students and staff continue to meet this moment with creativity, collaboration and a commitment to discovery. 

CU Boulder attracted more than $726 million in research funding this year. In a changing research landscape, that support reflects the talent, partnerships and perseverance driving innovation across CU Boulder. Our work in aerospace, health, quantum, environmental science, the social sciences and the arts and humanities is shaping new knowledge, expanding opportunity and improving lives far beyond campus. 

These stories illustrate how research, scholarship and creative work are improving lives, strengthening communities and creating opportunities for Colorado and beyond. LASP instruments heading toward the Moon on NASA’s Artemis IV mission and the one-of-a-kind plasma tunnel that will help protect spacecraft from the extreme conditions of reentry show how CU Boulder is advancing aerospace research at the frontiers of exploration. 

Quantum researchers are taking atomic clocks to new heights to advance precision measurement, while research on Colorado snowpack is providing communities with tools to prepare for water scarcity and wildfire. 

From health breakthroughs to research reducing youth violence and examining workforce and pay inequities, and from innovative ventures to the creativity in the arts and humanities, this year's report reflects the many ways CU Boulder research translates discovery into meaningful public benefit. 

I’m grateful to everyone whose work helps CU Boulder pursue discovery with purpose, and to the many partners who make that possible. Together, we are adapting to a changing world—and helping build a stronger one.

Best regards,

Massimo Ruzzene
Senior Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation
Dean of the Institutes
Research & Innovation Office
University of Colorado Boulder