The Department of Chemistry has a long tradition of research in interdisciplinary areas and collaboration with multiple institutes and programs within the University of Colorado Boulder. This unique position offers incoming graduate students unparalleled opportunities for research and faculty the chance for increased collaboration. Several faculty members are fellows within the institutes and programs.
CIRES - Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences
At CIRES, the Cooperative Institute for Research In Environmental Sciences, hundreds of environmental scientists work to understand the dynamic Earth system, including people’s relationship with the planet. CIRES is a partnership of NOAA and the University of Colorado Boulder, and our areas of expertise include weather and climate, changes at Earth’s poles, air quality and atmospheric chemistry, water resources, and solid Earth sciences.
Mission - CIRES is dedicated to fundamental and interdisciplinary research targeted at all aspects of Earth system science and to communicate these findings to the global scientific community, to decision-makers, and to the public.
JILA - Research in the Physical Sciences
When JILA was formed in 1962 as a joint institute of CU Boulder and NIST, the acronym stood for "Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics". However, JILA's research quickly expanded to include fields like atomic, molecular and optical physics, as well as biophysics, quantum information, precision measurement, and more! So although the name "JILA" has stuck, we no longer spell out the acronym that we have outgrown. The wide-ranging interests of our scientists have made JILA one of the nation's leading research institutes in the physical sciences. Our scientists explore some of today's most challenging and fundamental scientific questions about quantum physics, the design of precision optical and X-ray lasers, the fundamental principles underlying the interaction of light and matter, and processes that have governed the evolution of the Universe for nearly 14 billion years. Research topics range from the small, frigid world governed by the laws of quantum mechanics through the physics of biological and chemical systems to the processes that shape the stars and galaxies. JILA science encompasses eight broad categories: Astrophysics, Atomic & Molecular Physics, Biophysics, Chemical physics, Laser Physics, Nanoscience, Precision Measurement, and Quantum Information.
JILA's faculty includes two Nobel laureates, Eric Cornell and John Hall, as well as three John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellows, Margaret Murnane, Deborah Jin, and Ana Maria Rey. JILA's CU members hold faculty appointments in the Departments of Physics; Astrophysical and Planetary Science, Chemistry and Biochemistry; and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology as well as in the School of Engineering. NIST’s Quantum Physics Division members hold adjoint faculty appointments at CU in the same departments.
RASEI - Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute
RASEI (pronounced RAY-see) is a joint institute between the University of Colorado Boulder (CU-Boulder) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) addressing important, complex problems in energy that require a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional approach.
Its mission is to expedite solutions that transform energy by advancing renewable energy science, engineering, and analysis through research, education, and industry partnerships.
RASEI benefits from the strengths of its partner institutions. CU-Boulder is a premier institution for research and education, and its broad spectrum of capabilities and disciplines contributed to its placement of eight in research citation output among U.S. institutions of higher learning (Science, Nov. 2010). NREL is the only national laboratory solely dedicated to advancing renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies from concept to commercial application.