The Buff Innovator Insights podcast offers a behind-the-curtain look at some of the most ground-breaking innovations in the world, along with the personal journeys that made those discoveries possible.
Join Terri Fiez, Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation, for an up-close and personal look at how researchers, scholars and artists become global pioneers, why they are so dedicated to discovery, and their visions of the future in the wide range of fields they explore.
Subscribe to Buff Innovator Insights
Apple Podcasts Spotify Anchor Soundcloud Google Podcasts Breaker Pocket Casts RadioPublic
Your host
Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation
University of Colorado Boulder
March 18: Margaret Murnane
JILA; Physics; STROBE
In the first episode of Buff Innovator Insights, we meet Dr. Margaret Murnane, one of the world’s leading experts in ultrafast laser and x-ray science. Join us to learn about her improbable journey from growing up in the Irish countryside to developing the microscopes of the future and cultivating the world’s next generation of physicists.
March 25: Jun Ye
JILA; Physics; CUbit Quantum Initiative; Q-SEnSE
In this episode, we meet Dr. Jun Ye, director of the CUbit Quantum Initiative. We’ll talk with Dr. Ye about his formative years in China, his transformation into a leading researcher in the US, and how his work is helping to realize the vast potential of quantum science and technology.
April 1: Lori Peek
Sociology; Institute of Behavioral Science; Natural Hazards Center; CONVERGE
Hear from Dr. Lori Peek about her formative years in small-town Kansas, how her research is helping us learn from disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the COVID-19 pandemic, and her love for teaching and mentoring students.
April 8: Sona Dimidjian
Psychology and Neuroscience; Renée Crown Wellness Institute
Dr. Sona Dimidjian is director of the Renée Crown Wellness Institute, which seeks to promote the wellness of young people and the systems and adults who support them through interdisciplinary research-practice partnerships. Dr. Dimidjian’s research focuses on cultivating mental health and wellness among women, children, and families by engaging people’s capacities for learning to care for themselves and their communities.
April 15: Evan Thomas
Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering; Aerospace Engineering; Mortenson Center
In this episode, we meet Dr. Evan Thomas, a professor of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering and Aerospace Engineering Sciences, and director of the Mortenson Center in Global Engineering. Dr. Thomas shares how his family’s interests in journalism, engineering and entrepreneurship, as well as his experiences with Engineering Without Borders, inspired him to tackle global poverty through his work and teaching.
April 22: Jennifer Ho
Ethnic Studies; Center for Humanities and the Arts
Meet Dr. Jennifer Ho, professor in the department of Ethnic Studies and director of the Center for Humanities and the Arts. Dr. Ho tells us about how growing up in an Asian-American family, along with more recent societal and personal transformations, has influenced her scholarship and emboldened her efforts to end racism.
April 29: Sidney D’Mello
Psychology; Computer Science; Institute of Cognitive Science; Institute for Student-AI Teaming
In this episode, we meet Dr. Sidney D’Mello, Associate Professor at the Institute of Cognitive Science and the Department of Computer Science at CU Boulder. Dr. D’Mello describes how his unique combination of education and research experiences led to his leading-edge work at the NSF National Institute for Student-Agent Teaming, which is reimagining the role of artificial intelligence in the classroom to better serve both students and teachers.
May 6: Jennifer Balch
Geography; Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences; Earth Lab
Meet Dr. Jennifer Balch, associate professor of geography and director of Earth Lab—a project at CU Boulder and CIRES. We’ll learn about how her work in places like Kenya and Amazon rainforests shaped her interests in the relationships between fire, Earth systems and people, and how she’s working to transform data into insights to help solve some of the world’s most challenging problems.
Questions or feedback about this podcast can be directed to rio@colorado.edu.