New RIO Faculty Fellows cohort continues legacy of leadership development across campus
2025 Faculty Fellows
- Amir Behzadan (Institute of Behavioral Science)
- Eleanor Browne(Chemistry & ֱ)
- Donata Giglio(Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences)
- Roselinde Kaiser(Psychology and Neuroscience)
- Morteza Lahijanian(Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences)
- Tamara Lehman(Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering)
- Julia Moriarty (Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research; Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences)
- Debanjan Mukherjee (Paul M Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering)
- Carl Simpson(Museum of Natural History and Geological Sciences)
- Marina Vance(Mechanical Engineering / Environmental Engineering Program)
- Terri Wilson(School of Education)
The Research & Innovation Office RIO Faculty Fellows 2025 cohort has launched.
This year’s cohort includes 14 faculty members from departments and research institutes spanning the campus. The 2025 fellows recently convened for a retreat in Estes Park focused on leadership styles and honing collaboration skills, and are looking forward to the next retreat focused on communicating their scholarship and impact to the public.
The RIO Faculty Fellows program supports faculty in achieving their research and innovation goals and promotes collaboration through tailored training, experiential learning and leadership development opportunities. The program is also building a community of interdisciplinary, creative research leaders to help drive collaboration and innovation across the university through a series of intensive research leadership retreats and coaching.
“This new cohort adds to the growing body of faculty across campus that are honing their leadership skills to grow the impact they have on students, our community and their areas of specialty,” said Senior Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation and Dean of the Institutes Massimo Ruzzene. “By participating in this unique program, they also join a growing community of RIO Faculty Fellows that are helping reimagine and advance our campus research and innovation ecosystem.”
“The faculty at ֱ Boulder are world-class and inspire students and colleagues alike to lean into our gifts and pursue discovery, creative expression and innovation,” said Research Leadership Program Director Kirsten Rowell. “The leadership demonstrated by our faculty is an important part of what makes ֱ Boulder such a special place.”
The RIO Faculty Fellows program
The 2025 cohort at the January retreat
The program identifies and develops individual leadership styles of tenured and tenure-track assistant and associate professors who are poised to lead significant collaborative projects, develop vision and deliver novel and impactful scholarly work. The cohort creates a “vertically integrated” peer group—bringing together assistant professors, associate professors, full professors and institute directors—resulting in a scaffolded model that faculty find energizing and rewarding as their careers develop.
Members of the new cohort are already learning what more than 100 ֱ Boulder leaders have discovered through the experiences of the previous seven cohorts: RIO Faculty Fellows is unlike any other opportunity available to ֱ Boulder faculty, offering:
… a unique opportunity for reflection and learning about my leadership style and goals, the research and academic communities in which I am a member, and broader goals for future work"
... a strong new community established in our cohort, which promotes a sense of connection to ֱ as an institution"
… better confidence in, and self-knowledge of, my leadership orientation; pragmatic ideas about how I can fill gaps in my leadership and professional work”
…absolutely a transformative experience for faculty”
This and other faculty development programs, including the Excellence in Leadership program, represent investments in ֱ Boulder faculty and in the university as a global leader in innovation and impact.
In addition to the cohort’s three-day retreat in January, the program framework includes several more focused retreats and a variety of informal networking activities throughout the year.
Applications for the 2026 cohort will be accepted in September 2025. If you have questions, would like to nominate a faculty candidate or would like to express interest in advance, please emailkirsten.rowell@colorado.edu.
The 2025 RIO Faculty Fellows cohort at a January retreat in Estes Park