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The University of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ 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 ŷ���ڱ���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 ŷ���ڱ���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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The University of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder's College of Engineering and Applied Science continues to establish itself as a leader in innovation, with 22 startups emerging from its research labs in the past fiscal year. This achievement reflects the college's commitment to translating transformative research into solutions that address real-world challenges.

“ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Engineering bridges the gap between research and application by fostering collaboration and creating pathways for impact," said Keith Molenaar, dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science. "Through mentorship, funding opportunities and state-of-the-art facilities, we empower our scholars to transform discoveries into technologies that benefit humanity.”

ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Engineering’s entrepreneurial ecosystem moves research beyond the lab and into the world, nurturing concepts from inception to market. Educational programs, workshops, and events help students and faculty develop entrepreneurial and problem-solving skills to explore and validate ideas in the early stages of product and company discovery. Access to cutting-edge research labs, maker spaces, and entrepreneurial hubs enables them to move from concept to creation, prototyping and refining their work to develop real-world applications.

Collaboration with entities like Venture Partners at ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Boulder ensures researchers have access to critical commercialization resources, including funding, licensing expertise and industry connections. The college recently strengthened its entrepreneurial initiatives with the appointment of Wil Srubar as the first Deming associate dean for innovation and entrepreneurship in 2024.

"Innovation doesn’t end in the lab—it thrives when it can be applied to real-world challenges," said Wil Srubar, Deming associate dean for innovation and entrepreneurship. "At ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Engineering, we are building a culture where researchers and students don’t just ask ‘what if’ but take steps to turn those questions into solutions."

The success of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Engineering’s ecosystem reflects the diversity and impact of its startups. 

Over the past year, these ventures have tackled critical challenges in renewable energy, water purification, advanced manufacturing and biomedical devices. Each startup represents a blend of cutting-edge research, interdisciplinary effort and entrepreneurial vision.

This year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) exemplifies the strength of ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Engineering’s entrepreneurial pipeline. The LVC awarded $875,000 to seven engineering-led ventures supporting innovative technologies with market potential.

With 22 startups launched this past year and more to follow, ŷ���ڱ���Ƶ Engineering’s entrepreneurial efforts reflect its dedication to innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration. By preparing students and researchers to bring ideas to market, the college is shaping future leaders in engineering and advancing workforce development. These efforts foster connections across disciplines and industries, building a foundation for continued progress.

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