The University of Colorado Boulder’s College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) has announced the recipients of its inaugural class of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) Fellows, a new program designed to support faculty, postdoctoral researchers and graduate students in advancing cutting-edge research with commercial potential. The fellowships are supported by the CEAS I&E initiative and Venture Partners at ��������Ƶ Boulder. 

Launched in 2025, the fellowships include two tracks: the Faculty & Postdoc/Graduate Student Team Fellowships and the ASCENT Deep Tech Accelerator Fellowships. Both are designed to foster a culture of entrepreneurship within the college by helping researchers translate academic discoveries into real-world impact.

“This inaugural cohort represents the remarkable breadth and depth of innovation within the College of Engineering and Applied Science,” said Wil Srubar, Deming associate dean for innovation and entrepreneurship. “By providing targeted support through these fellowship programs, we aim to empower researchers to transform their groundbreaking ideas into impactful solutions for society.” 

Faculty & Postdoc / 
Graduate Student Team Fellowships

The Faculty & Postdoc/Graduate Student Team Fellowships support collaborative teams of faculty members and graduate students or postdoctoral researchers. It provides funding, mentorship and access to entrepreneurial resources to help translate new technologies and innovations that have a strong commercialization potential.

The inaugural recipients are:

Max Saffer-Meng, graduate student, and Assistant Professor Anthony Straub (Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering - CEAE)

William Franz, graduate student, and Professor Mark Borden (Department of Biomedical Engineering - BMEN)

Grace McFassel, postdoctoral researcher, and Assistant Professor Kaushik Jayaram (Department of Mechanical Engineering - MCEN)

Yunxuan Zhu, postdoctoral researcher, and Assistant Professor Longji Cui (Department of Mechanical Engineering - MCEN)

Maxwell Conway, graduate student, and Professor Nikolaus Correll (Department of Computer Science - CS)

Tsung-Han Wu, postdoctoral researcher, and Professor Scott Diddams (Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering - ECEE)

These interdisciplinary teams are commercializing several new technologies in areas such as advanced materials, robotics, biomedical devices and carbon capture.

ASCENT Deep Tech Accelerator Fellowships

The ASCENT Deep Tech Accelerator Fellowships support individual researchers working on transformative technologies aimed at addressing complex societal challenges. Fellows receive funding and tailored entrepreneurial support through ��������Ƶ Boulder’s ASCENT Deep Tech Accelerator to advance the development and commercialization of their innovations.

The first ASCENT Fellows are:

Sanghamitra Neogi, associate professor (Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences - AES)

Kian Lopez, graduate student (Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering - ChBE)

Aoife Henry, graduate student (Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering - ECEE)

Laila Fighera Marzall, research faculty (Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering - ECEE)

Jason Rivas, graduate student (Department of Materials Science and Engineering - MSE)

Dhiman Nandi, graduate student (Department of Chemistry)

Subrata Pal, graduate student (Department of Chemistry)

These fellows are advancing technologies in areas such as energy systems, advanced manufacturing and materials science.

Learn more about the CEAS Innovation & Entrepreneurship Fellowship programs.

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