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Building a better tomorrow

Our researchers make discoveries that positively impact people and communities across Colorado, the nation and the world.

Research and Creative Work

Research at CU Boulder encompasses thousands of scholarly, scientific and creative endeavors at any given time, resulting in new knowledge, technologies and creative work that advance the economy, culture and health of Colorado, the nation and the world.

Research Administration

2,000+

undergraduates directly
involved in research

#1

public university recipient
of NASA research

650

faculty and students involved in
interdisciplinary bioscience research

Top 3%

worldwide for scholarly
research citations

Research Focus Areas

Discover how research at CU Boulder is changing the world. Our faculty and students are pioneering innovations in aerospace, biosciences, energy, Earth and environmental sciences, fundamental sciences and other major areas.
 

MAVEN floating over planet

Aerospace & Space Sciences

Aerospace Research

#1 public university recipient of NASA research awards

The University of Colorado Boulder has created an environment in which our aerospace engineering and Earth and space sciences faculty, students and industrial researchers work together to solve complex problems, envisioning and creating the future for space and Earth systems.

Stemcell under a microscope

Bio/Health Sciences

Biosciences Research

Translating science into healthier living

Biosciences at the University of Colorado Boulder aim to understand processes underlying behavior, function, disease and health at the molecular, cellular and whole-systems levels to develop interventions that improve human health.

Wind park at sunrise

Climate, Energy & Sustainability

Energy Research

Transforming energy through discovery and innovation

Energy research at the University of Colorado Boulder aims to advance basic and applied energy science, engineering and analysis through research, education and partnerships.

Latest Research News

Surface of Earth as seen from space

New NASA grant to support quantum sensors in space

In a new, multi-university project, researchers from CU Boulder will help to design incredibly-sensitive quantum sensors that can detect changes in Earth's climate from space. Read more
Brian DeDecker

New ‘magic beans’ produce ingredients for cancer treatments, vaccines and more

Tens of thousands of sharks are killed each year to harvest a key ingredient for vaccines, while old growth trees are slashed to obtain chemotherapy ingredients. Soybean farmer-turned molecular biologist Brian DeDecker has a better idea. Read more
Microscope view of many small worms swimming in a well of liquid

New ‘gym-on-a-chip’ for worms may lead to new Parkinson’s treatments

The Acoustic Gym, designed by a team of biologists and engineers at CU Boulder, is about the size of a quarter and uses sound waves to generate small whirlpools—the perfect place for tiny worms to get in their laps. Read more
Read more at CU Boulder Today

For Media

In-Depth Research Stories

Neighborhood after the Marshall Fire

Wildfire brings devastation, then rebirth

Researchers converge in the wake of Colorado’s Marshall Fire to advance understanding and approaches to disaster resiliency Read more
View of the Tunnel Fire seen from Bonito Park on April 19, 2022

A ‘revolution’ in environmental data science

New national center at CU Boulder will tackle pressing socio-environmental challenges with big data analytics and more Read more
Drone above fields, buildings

The future of autonomous airborne drones

Smead Aerospace will house a new NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) on autonomous air mobility and sensing Read more
Read more Stories

Research Reports

HyperSpectral Imager for Climate Science (HySICS)

2021-22

Engineers at CU Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) perform last-minute inspections of the Hope Probe spacecraft before its shipment to Dubai and the Tanegashima launch site in Japan.

2020-21

Researcher with COVID-19 test results

2019-20

CU Boulder researchers walking across the arctic to study climate

2018-19

Specdrums musical technology

2017-18

Aurora Borealis

Grand Challenge

From storm-chasing drones to fire-tracking satellites, Grand Challenge projects are boosting our understanding of an evolving planet. 

Lightbulbs handing from ceiling

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

CU Boulder provides opportunities for students, faculty, staff, industry partners and the community to engage in and be exposed to innovative and entrepreneurial experiences and mindsets.

Impact Through Research

Students doing research

Undergraduate Research

Explore your passions–no matter what your major. Our undergrad students work with faculty members to participate in ground-breaking research.

  • Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
    supports research partnerships between faculty and undergraduate students from numerous academic areas.
  • Biological Sciences Initiative (BSI) Scholars in STEM Undergraduate Research
    provides an hourly wage to undergraduate students who want to gain research experience.
  • Discovery Learning Apprenticeship Program
    undergrad engineering students can earn hourly wages while engaging in research with faculty and grad students.
Grad student in lab

Graduate Programs

Graduate students are integral to our research endeavors. Each of our nine colleges and schools provides an array of research opportunities for graduate students. We encourage students interested in graduate studies to reach out to a department to learn about specific programs and research opportunities. 

Graduate Programs

The Graduate School serves as the intellectual crossroads of the university, a place where we work to educate the next generation of teachers, scholars and researchers and to develop the fields of knowledge and research within which those leaders will pursue their work.

Graduate School

Research group

Research Institutes & Centers

With more than 900 researchers, students and supporting staff, CU Boulder's 12 research institutes account for more than half of all sponsored research dollars at the university, making a major contribution to the university's research and education missions as well as the local and area economy.

Research Institutes

CU Boulder is home to over 75 research centers housed within academic departments or as subsets of the research institutes themselves. They can be found in all fields of the university, including humanities and the arts, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, business and law.

Research Centers

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