How We’re Leading in Research and Creative Activities 

Five years ago, we declared our intention to be internationally known for our research and creative work in Goal Three of the Strategic Plan. We set out to do this by tackling the challenges of our time—and we’ve made great progress since then. From impactful environmental and energy work to inspiring accomplishments in the arts, our community is charging ahead in meeting our collective moment with collaborative innovation.  

That’s thanks, in part, to the meaningful support CU Denver has committed to its incredible thinkers through programs like the Research Grand Challenges Initiative. CU Denver’s newest Distinguished Professor Chris Weible, PhD, for example, is leading the Building Democratic Communities program, an effort to shine a light on threats to global democracies and provide solutions to some of society’s most pressing problems. In the sciences, Associate Professor of Biology Christopher J. Phiel, PhD, is collaborating with other faculty to gain a deeper understanding of the human genome and epigenome, including the role of mutations in diseases such as Alzheimer’s and diabetes, and leveraging technologies that only a handful of labs around the world have access to. 

CU Denver’s change-making visionaries in the arts are earning due recognition in their fields, too. In 2024, College of Arts & Media Senior Instructor Greg Garrison and Associate Dean Mark Rabideau were nominated for a Grammy for the Bluegrass album “Mighty Poplar,” for example. The year before, Associate Professor of English Nicky Beer won the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship for her accomplishments in poetry.  

Further contributing to our reputation, CU Denver remains an R1 research institution, a designation that showcases the strength of our research activities. And, we proudly have 18 of the most globally cited scholars among our faculty. 

Our faculty has brought impressive external funding to CU Denver, as well, including Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Linyue Gao, PhD, who is a 2025 NSF CAREER Grant recipient. The grant allows her to lead a team that will investigate how extreme weather affects wind turbines and find ways to improve their efficiency. Much of her research will directly involve students, a hallmark of CU Denver’s inclusive spirit.  

“Many of the Grand Challenges teams have initiated new research and scholarly work that further elevate CU Denver’s reputation,” said Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Phillip De Leon. “This work has not only had impact in terms of publications and grants, but also in supporting the students we serve by directly involving and collaborating with them in the research. In addition, some of the teams’ research has involved local government, communities, and industry. We are grateful to those team leaders and researchers who have made the Grand Challenges successful.” 

Many CU Denver students have been empowered to explore inventive, boundary-pushing areas of research that truly move the needle forward in their disciplines, like psychology major Kim-Phung (Kimmy) Van ’26. “CU Denver has enabled me to pursue research and creative work because it’s really encouraged me that research doesn’t have to be traditional,” said Van. “And, it’s really just a great way for you to take on creative challenges and solve grand challenges.”