Interdisciplinary Research Themes

In 2018, faculty defined six unique themes that built off our strengths, aligned with future opportunities, and could provide transformational societal impact. These themes have since helped guide college investments in faculty hires, shared research facilities and seed funding thanks to the leadership of the directors and participation of the faculty, staff and students.

This initiative is ongoing and evolving, with each theme being reviewed across several metrics every two years. This page hosts information about current and former teaming efforts, with links to ongoing projects and seed grant funded projects.

The scope of the theme includes research in engineering and computing education and assessment, as well as AI/machine learning and the convergence between those areas. One key goal is to develop the theories, technologies, and know-how for advancing student-centered learning and creating next-generation learning environments in K-16, graduate, and professional engineering and computing education. 

Co-Director: Angela Bielefeldt, Engineering Plus and Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering
Co-Director: Alessandro Roncone, Computer Science

Engineering Education and AI-Augmented Learning

Illustration of two heads in silhouette sharing ideas with cogs

NEW: Resilient Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity 

Explores holistic actions to address the many drivers of urban disaster risk worldwide, while simultaneously addressing environmental sustainability and social equity challenges. Specifically, this IRT will converge and leverage new developments and world-class expertise in disaster resilience, sustainable design, and social justice across engineering and the CU Boulder campus to facilitate a paradigm shift in research and education related to engineering urban resilience. 

Director: Shideh Dashti, Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering
Co-Director: Abbie Liel, Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering
Co-Director: Shelly Miller, Mechanical Engineering 

Resilient Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity

An urban area struck by a natural disaster

NEW: Hypersonic Vehicles 

Hypersonic vehicles are used for space exploration, national security, and perhaps for passenger transport in the future. The design of these flying vehicles involves consideration of a number of complex, closely interrelated areas including aerodynamics, propulsion, materials, structures, controls and optimization. 

Director: Iain Boyd, Aerospace Engineering Sciences
Co-Director: Kurt Maute, Aerospace Engineering Sciences

Hypersonic Vehicles Website

Hypersonic vehicle in space illustration

Autonomous Systems

Investigates how smart, safe, and secure autonomy can expand and exploit the full capabilities of these networked systems. This theme convenes faculty with expertise in robotics, cyber-security, verification and validation, control theory, artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, machine learning, formal methods, and human-robot interaction.

Director: Eric Frew, Aerospace Engineering Sciences


Autonomous Systems Website

Autonomous Systems

Multi-Functional Materials

Aims to establish the science of integration of materials that metabolize energy into distributed sensing, actuation, and computation. This theme will develop artificial systems with biological properties by bringing together campus researchers from across the domains of biology, physics, computer science, material science, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering with open access to industry.

Director: Nikolaus Correll, Computer Science 


Multi-Functional Materials Website
 

Multi-Functional Materials

Imaging Science

Aims to change society through medical, industrial, and several other applications of imaging.

Precision Biomaterials

Aims to integrate biomaterials design with drug and cell-based technologies, engineer/validate new combinational health care products and translate clinical needs into therapies.

Precision Biomaterials Website

Quantum Integrated Sensor System

Focuses on translating quantum technologies, in particular quantum sensors, towards practical applications.

Quantum Website

Water Energy Nexus

Address the pressing challenges surrounding water, energy, and associated systems such as food, land, air quality, and climate.

Water Energy Nexus Website

Water droplet off a leaf illustration

Notable IRT results

DOE water hub
The college鈥檚 portion of this $100 million interdisciplinary partnership is led by former Water-Energy Nexus Director Karl Linden. 

DARPA SubT competition
CU鈥檚 team is a $4.5 million collaboration led by the College of Engineering and Applied Science through the Autonomous Systems Interdisciplinary Research Theme.

CUbit Quantum Initiative
Leadership from our interdisciplinary theme transitioned to key roles in this campus wide project and many of our researchers have seed grants within it currently.

  PDF Report on IRT Activity in 2018