CU Innovators News

New NAI Fellow Xuedong Liu leads in research and medical innovation

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 21:49:39 +0000

New NAI Fellow Xuedong Liu leads in research and medical innovation Daniel Corbin … Tue, 11/11/2025 - 14:49

Heather Hansen

��ɫ��Ƶ biochemistry professor Xuedong Liu was inducted into the National Academy of Inventors this year, recognizing a career of pioneering discoveries and real-world impact. His research on cellular communication has fueled four startups advancing novel treatments for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

Since he was in grade school, Xuedong Liu (��ɫ��Ƶ Biochemistry) has been intrigued by ‘how the world works.’ But becoming a biologist mostly involved memorizing, classifying and observing–all important skills—and Liu was curious about how organisms are put together, their inner workings and how they progress in a predetermined manner. So he looked to chemistry and physics for laws and rules and ways to predict activity. Ultimately, by combining the disciplines, he saw the best chance to advance science and discovery in a meaningful way. Liu thought, “There’s so much unknown and there’s so much promise–and there’s great opportunity there.”

Fast forward to Atlanta, Georgia in June 2025 when Liu—whose innovations have now led to the creation of four startup companies bringing novel disease therapies to the world—received a medal for being inducted into the elite ranks of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). NAI fellowship is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to inventors.

“These academic inventors have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation, and their inventions have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development and welfare of our society,” said Coke Stewart, acting undersecretary of commerce for intellectual property and acting director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, who presided over the ceremony.

The NAI chooses “people that have really done something of huge value with their patents,” said Hannah Nelson, associate director of licensing at Venture Partners at ��ɫ��Ƶ and biosciences team lead. “You are not recognized by the NAI unless you are in the very top tier of inventors,” she said. “It’s a prestigious designation that shows that you have contributed again and again in a really substantial way to innovation.”

While Liu knew he had been nominated for the distinction, “it was a very nice surprise,” he said. Liu was deeply honored by the recognition and credited his colleagues and collaborators, who have contributed to a collective effort to solve tough problems in fighting disease. The honor has fanned the flames of Liu’s work. “It’s motivated me even more to do things that change the world,” he said.

Hitting the target, from lab to marketplace

Liu’s lab at ��ɫ��Ƶ is focused on decoding how cells communicate with each other—a process called cell signaling and fundamental to many aspects of human health. Disruptions in these communication pathways can lead to serious diseases, including cancer. Liu’s research team works on creating pioneering therapies for both cancer and neurodegenerative disorders, like Parkinson’s disease. To do that, they work at the intersection of sciences with an approach Nelson describes as both visionary and practical. “Within his lab, there is expertise in chemistry and biology, so they are really able to bridge that gap, which is so necessary for making new drugs,” says Nelson. “It’s an important combination of skills.”

Liu’s career is also defined by a rare knack for drawing together cutting-edge science and real-world applications. “He is definitely one of our most prolific inventors on campus,” said Nelson, who has managed much of the intellectual property emerging from Liu’s lab over the past several years. She has also seen Liu excel in taking research from the bench to the wider world in hopes of making a profound difference in disease treatment.

OnKure Therapeutics Inc. (OKUR)

Discovering and developing the next generation of oncology precision medicines.

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Among Liu’s influential ventures is OnKure Therapeutics (Nasdaq: OKUR), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company he co-founded with Tony Piscopio in 2011 based on novel oncology therapies originally developed at CU. Since then, OnKure has expanded their pipeline to pursue inhibitors of PI3Kα, a protein complex whose mutation is a key driver in the development and progression of specific breast cancers. Late last year, OnKure merged with Reneo Pharmaceuticals, and the company now has three PI3Kα inhibitor programs, including one currently in clinical development.

Opening the gate

Liu hasn’t stopped there, instead turning his attention to developing a new precision delivery system. The platform is based on using gectosomes, small membranes that can transport molecules within and between cells to deliver therapeutic agents to specific locations in the body. Liu said this type of system—which he calls “opening the gate”—has many advantages, including targeting specific cells which can make a drug more effective and minimize overall side effects.

“We can move those machineries precisely into the cell type we want and target them without bothering other non-relevant cells. It’s a great unmet medical need,” said Liu. “We believe we have a great opportunity to really target the Achilles heels of cancer cells and the delivery system could be actually a very broad application, not only cancer but many chronic diseases, genetic diseases.”

Vesicle Therapeutics Inc.

Pioneering programmable extracellular vesicles to deliver therapeutic proteins and nucleic acids to intracellular targets.

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Building upon that research from his lab, Liu recently founded Vesicle Therapeutics. “This was always a goal in my mind, and I was always interested in this area,” said Liu. “And CU gave me a lot of opportunities to pursue it.” Working with Nelson and others at Venture Partners, Liu was able to test market feasibility of this new delivery system with programs including Lab Venture Challenge, PHAST (Pandemic Hyper Accelerator for Science and Technology, a program launched in 2021 to help fight the COVID pandemic) and the Research-to-Market Discovery Program.

Liu is grateful to now have a robust support system for spinouts at the university. When he started at CU in 2000, there was no Venture Partners with the broad suite of entrepreneurial programs currently offered. “Nowadays, it’s evolved so much that it really powers the ecosystem for entrepreneurs in the Boulder and Denver areas,” said Liu.

“I personally benefited tremendously from that support, where you can grow your idea with this proof of concept and test your idea and see if it has potential to grow into something bigger and be commercialized,” he said. “Venture Partners are really phenomenal for the university, I think they’re truly a catalyst for innovations and invention here.”

Liu sees himself as a lifelong learner, in the lab and the business world, with a lot still to contribute. He knows there will be ups and downs and unforeseen problems that will impede his progress to some extent. But even if success is not immediate, he believes, “There’s a lot of hope for the future.”

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Kristi Anseth named Forbes "50 over 50" for "Innovation"

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 16:39:04 +0000

Kristi Anseth named Forbes "50 over 50" for "Innovation" Daniel Corbin … Tue, 10/21/2025 - 10:39

Forbes—Professor Kristi Anseth is known for developing tissue substitutes that improve treatments for conditions like broken bones and heart valve disease. She recently made key discoveries about sex-based differences in cardiac treatment outcomes. Anseth is also among the few innovators elected to all three national academies: Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

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Frugal engineering innovator Saad Bhamla headed to ��ɫ��Ƶ

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 17:04:55 +0000

Frugal engineering innovator Saad Bhamla headed to ��ɫ��Ƶ Daniel Corbin … Fri, 10/10/2025 - 11:04

��ɫ��Ƶ Chemical and Biological Engineering—Georgia Tech associate professor and 2025 Schmidt Polymath Saad Bhamla will join ��ɫ��Ƶ’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the BioFrontiers Institute this August. Known for pioneering ultra-low-cost scientific tools and bio-inspired devices, Bhamla plans to collaborate across campus and spin out new companies leveraging ��ɫ��Ƶ’s innovation ecosystem.

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��ɫ��Ƶ professor joins global commission on indoor air quality

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 16:04:37 +0000

��ɫ��Ƶ professor joins global commission on indoor air quality Daniel Corbin … Mon, 09/29/2025 - 10:04

Mark Hernandez is serving as a commissioner of the newly launched Global Commission on Healthy Indoor Air to elevate indoor air as a critical public health priority and drive coordinated global action and solutions.

Announced at the United Nations during Climate Week, the Commission brings together more than 170 global leaders from over 30 countries, including a former U.S. Surgeon General, global health authorities, senior scientists and researchers from leading universities as well as executives and sustainability leaders across design, real estate, technology and manufacturing.

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Partnership Opportunities for CU Climate, Energy and Sustainability

Climate, energy and sustainability innovations are shaping the most urgent frontier of science and society—transforming how we power our world, manage resources and respond to environmental change. At the University of Colorado, groundbreaking research is driving not just new insights, but practical solutions to the global climate crisis.

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��ɫ��Ƶ Environmental Engineering Program—Mark Hernandez is serving as a commissioner of the newly launched Global Commission on Healthy Indoor Air to elevate indoor air as a critical public health priority and drive coordinated global action and solutions.

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Watch: Mapping neural activity to detect brain disorders

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 18:47:54 +0000

Watch: Mapping neural activity to detect brain disorders Daniel Corbin … Thu, 09/25/2025 - 12:47

CUbit Quantum Initiative—Svenja Knappe (��ɫ��Ƶ Mechanical Engineering) is collaborating with scientists from the CU Anschutz Medical Campus to advance the use of quantum sensors into real-world health applications. These quantum sensors could aid in more effective diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of brain disorders.

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AI helps spot 1,000 “questionable” journals

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 18:55:44 +0000

AI helps spot 1,000 “questionable” journals Daniel Corbin … Wed, 09/24/2025 - 12:55

Daniel Acuña, a ��ɫ��Ƶ computer scientist and founder of ReviewerZero, led development of an AI tool that analyzed ~15,200 open-access journals and flagged roughly 1,400 as potentially problematic, with over 1,000 confirmed to exhibit questionable publishing practices.

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The University of Colorado Connection

ReviewerZero AI, founded by Daniel Acuña (��ɫ��Ƶ Computer Science) in 2023, is working with publishers to deploy an artificial intelligence technology suite, including tools to detect plagiarism and statistical inconsistencies, to ensure research integrity in scientific publications. The company won the 2023 Lab Venture Challenge (LVC), receiving a $125,000 grant from Venture Partners at ��ɫ��Ƶ and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries Program.

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Technology Networks—Daniel Acuña, a ��ɫ��Ƶ computer scientist and founder of ��ɫ��Ƶ startup ReviewerZero, led development of an AI tool that analyzed ~15,200 open-access journals and flagged roughly 1,400 as potentially problematic, with over 1,000 confirmed to exhibit questionable publishing practices.

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Get a front-row seat to the University of Colorado's next big ideas competing for $750,000

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 18:08:08 +0000

Get a front-row seat to the University of Colorado's next big ideas competing for $750,000 Daniel Corbin … Wed, 09/24/2025 - 12:08

Eleven teams of University of Colorado entrepreneurs, faculty researchers and graduate student innovators will compete for a combined $750,000 in startup funding grants in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) Showcases at the Dairy Arts Center. Judges from Venture Partners at ��ɫ��Ƶ’s entrepreneurial network will hear Shark Tank-style pitches across two nights, one for innovations in biosciences and another for physical sciences and engineering.

2025 Lab Venture Challenge Showcases

Physical Sciences: Wednesday, Oct. 22, 6 p.m.

Biosciences: Thursday, Oct. 23, 6 p.m.

Dairy Arts Center (2590 Walnut St, Boulder, CO 80302)

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Through LVC, top innovators from ��ɫ��Ƶ, Denver and Colorado Springs compete for grants of up to $125,000. LVC supports projects that address a commercial need, have a clear path to a compelling market and have strong scientific support. The LVC grants are funded by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries Program, as well as Venture Partners and the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund.

LVC is run by Venture Partners, one of the university’s commercialization arms and a central resource for researchers who wish to translate their work into impactful business and social ventures. LVC finalists are working and collaborating with Venture Partners on their path to commercialization.

“At this early stage, funding is essential, but can be a challenge to obtain,“ said Joshua Bennett, director of LVC and assistant director of licensing at Venture Partners. “All of these teams have promising innovations ready to launch new businesses. LVC is a unique opportunity for those innovators to receive that vital funding, and we’re proud to work with the State of Colorado to make it happen.”

To date, LVC has funded 117 projects through 64 new deep-tech startup companies, which collectively have raised over $349 million in follow-on financing including Darwin Biosciences, Manifest Technologies (prev. Vitro3D) and Mesa Quantum.

Members of the entrepreneurial and university communities are invited to attend the LVC Showcases to enjoy good food, network and see which teams will walk away with $125,000 of funding.

This year’s LVC showcases were additionally made possible by Berg Hill Greenleaf Ruscitti LLP, Johnson & Johnson, Holland & Hart LLP, Paralex and Thermo Fisher Scientific

2025 Physical Sciences Finalists

Breakthrough Analog Domain Jamming Suppression for UAVs

Multi-Domain Anti-Jamming Technology (MDAT) provides real-time interference suppression for military UAVs. With 400x size reduction via analog domain processing, MDAT deploys as 6x6-inch, sub-5lb plug-and-play modules for retrofitting tactical drones, ensuring mission continuity in contested RF environments. The team has formed BoldRF LLC to bring their innovation to market.

Laila Marzall (��ɫ��Ƶ Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), PI, CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Zoya Popovic (��ɫ��Ƶ Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Co-PI
Marisha Parikh (��ɫ��Ƶ Lockheed Martin Engineering Management Program), Head of Business
Sarah Johns (Student: ��ɫ��Ƶ Leeds School of Business), Business Strategist
Stephanie Torres (Student: ��ɫ��Ƶ Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Product Strategist.
Gary Dolsen (Fmr: ��ɫ��Ƶ Leeds School of Business), Advisor

Magnetically Enhanced Electrolysis for H₂ Production

Magnetically Enhanced Electrolysis (MEE) improves hydrogen generation efficiency by enhancing bubble release and energy transfer. Adapted from space technology, MEE offers scalable, cost-effective clean hydrogen for transportation, industry and off-grid power. The team has formed a startup, Agami Zero, to bring their innovation to market.

Oana Luca (��ɫ��Ƶ Chemistry), PI
Ankur Gupta (��ɫ��Ƶ Chemical and Biological Engineering), Co-PI
Hunter Koltunski (Student: ��ɫ��Ƶ Chemistry), Scientific Lead
Richard Noble (��ɫ��Ƶ Chemical and Biological Engineering), Scientific Advisor
Jafar Makrani, Co-Founder and CEO/CPO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Lyle Antieau III, Co-Founder and CTO/COO, LVC Pitch Presenter

Novel Synergistic Catalysis for Clean Water and Fuel

SynForce is developing a modular photo-thermo-catalysis device that rapidly activates a wide range of stubborn chemical bonds, enabling carbon-free fuel production at high reaction rates and the destruction of toxic PFAS in water, while reducing energy use and operating costs. The team has formed a startup, Synforce, to bring their innovation to market.

Longji Cui (��ɫ��Ƶ Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), PI, LVC Pitch Presenter
Dishan Chooi (Student: ��ɫ��Ƶ Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Technical Co-Lead
Sarang Gosavi (Student: ��ɫ��Ƶ Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Technical Co-Lead
Yunxuan Zhu (Postdoc: ��ɫ��Ƶ Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering), Director of R&D
Karen Crofton (��ɫ��Ƶ College of Engineering and Applied Science), Advisor

Next-Generation Holographic Materials for AR Displays

A thiol-ene holographic materials platform delivers low-haze, high-refractive-index photopolymers for sharper, more immersive AR displays. This versatile and scalable step-growth method overcomes shrinkage, scattering and supply-chain constraints of existing chain-growth materials for holographic optics.

Christopher Bowman (��ɫ��Ƶ Chemical and Biological Engineering), Co-PI, LVC Pitch Presenter,
Robert McLeod (��ɫ��Ƶ Department of Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Co-PI
Yunfeng Hu (Postdoc: ��ɫ��Ƶ Chemical and Biological Engineering)
John Rynk (Student: ��ɫ��Ƶ Materials Science & Engineering Program)

A Language-Driven Engine to Deploy Robots Like Software

BoBoRobo’s agentic AI engine turns plain English specifications into ready-to-deploy robotics—validated in a digital twin and safety-checked across OEMs. It outputs layout, BOM, install plan and robot-specific code, cutting deployment timelines from six months to ten days and reducing costs by up to 50%. The team has formed a startup, BoBoRobo, to bring their innovation to market.

Alessandro Roncone (��ɫ��Ƶ Computer Science), PI, CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Anuj Pasricha (Student: ��ɫ��Ƶ Department of Computer Science), CTO
Claire Chen (Postdoc: ��ɫ��Ƶ Computer Science), CSO

Low SWaP Frequency Comb for Quantum applications

Our Gen-III low-SWaP frequency comb, built on thin-film lithium niobate nanophotonics, delivers octave-spanning spectra with ultra-low power. Compact, scalable and robust, it enables deployable quantum clocks, sensors and communication systems beyond the lab. The team has formed a startup, Chi3 Optics, to bring their innovation to market.

Scott A. Diddams (��ɫ��Ƶ Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), PI
Tsung-Han Wu (Postdoc: ��ɫ��Ƶ Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering), Founder, CEO
Peter Chang, CTO
Nathan Brooks, Principal Scientist, LVC Pitch Presenter

2025 Biosciences Finalists

Metabolite-Based Therapeutics for Obesity

Pythons exhibit dramatic metabolic plasticity with feeding, increasing organ size and activity by up to 40% after consuming large prey. From this biology, the team discovered a novel feeding-induced metabolite that was upregulated by 1,000-fold and acts as a natural appetite suppressant through modulating satiety. The team has formed a startup, Arkana Therapeutics, to bring their innovation to market.

Leslie Leinwand (��ɫ��Ƶ Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), PI
Thomas Martin (Postdoc: ��ɫ��Ƶ Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), CSO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Jack Gugel, CEO
Yuxiao Tan (Postdoc: ��ɫ��Ƶ Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), Co-Founder

Bioadhesive Patches That Seal Where Sutures Fail

DuraPatch provides rapid closure of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks during neurosurgery, eliminating the need for sutures. Engineered with high-resolution 3D printing and advanced biomaterials, DuraPatch strongly adheres to wet tissues to create a watertight seal while supporting and promoting healing. The team has founded a startup, Entangl3d, to bring their innovation to market.

Matt Davidson (��ɫ��Ƶ BioFrontiers Institute), CEO and Founder, LVC Pitch Presenter
Jason Burdick (��ɫ��Ƶ Chemical and Biological Engineering and BioFrontiers Institute) Co-Founder, PI
Peter Lennarson (CU Anschutz Medical Campus), Advisor

Vaporizable Droplets for Proton Beam Visualization

Vaporizable exoskeletal droplets provide in vivo visualization of beam placement during proton therapy, a rapidly growing treatment approach for cancer. Using this image-guided therapy, clinicians can make real-time adjustments to the treatment, reducing harmful side effects and improving patient outcomes. The team has formed a startup, Radiosensitive VEDs, to bring their innovation to market.

Mark Borden (��ɫ��Ƶ Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering), PI
William Frantz (Student ��ɫ��Ƶ Biomedical Engineering), LVC Pitch Presenter
Barry Marston, Advisor

Computationally Designed IL-18 binders to Treat Sepsis

Enabled by recent advances in AI-driven protein design, minibinders are being engineered to target IL-18, a key driver of sepsis. These compact, stable proteins penetrate tissues efficiently and can be precisely dosed to avoid prolonged immune suppression, offering a next-generation therapeutic for sepsis. The team has formed a startup, iMembrane Therapeutics, to bring their innovation to market.

Jingshi Shen (��ɫ��Ƶ Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), PI
Suzhao Li (CU Anschutz Medical Campus), President, LVC pitch presenter
Charles Dinarello (CU Anschutz Medical Campus), Advisor

Nanorobotic Synthesis of Oligonucleotides

Modern DNA synthesis suffers from low overall yields due to the accumulation of errors for longer strands. The team has designed a nanorobotic synthesis platform which can detect and correct errors during synthesis, enabling ultra-high fidelity synthesis of gene-length DNA for single-cell omics and genomics application. The team has formed a startup, Nanosynth, to bring their innovation to market.

Joshua Johnson (��ɫ��Ƶ ATLAS Institute), CEO, LVC Pitch Presenter
Mirela Alistar (��ɫ��Ƶ, ATLAS Institute), PI
Curtis Woodard, Advisor

Eleven teams of University of Colorado entrepreneurs, faculty researchers and graduate student innovators will compete for a combined $750,000 in startup funding grants in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) Showcases at the Dairy Arts Center. Judges from Venture Partners at ��ɫ��Ƶ’s entrepreneurial network will hear Shark Tank-style pitches across two nights, one for innovations in biosciences and another for physical sciences and engineering.

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Power electronics researchers awarded $1.5M to advance energy technologies

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 16:49:04 +0000

Power electronics researchers awarded $1.5M to advance energy technologies Daniel Corbin … Thu, 09/11/2025 - 10:49

��ɫ��Ƶ College of Engineering and Applied Science—Imagine a future where electric vehicle charging stations or AI data center power supply systems can be built like LEGO bricks—small, stackable units that can expand as demand grows. Luca Corradini, associate professor in the ��ɫ��Ƶ Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, is embarking on such a project.

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The coolest technology in the universe

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:24:08 +0000

The coolest technology in the universe Daniel Corbin … Mon, 09/08/2025 - 06:24

Heather Hansen

Updated Sept. 8, 2025: Infleqtion and Churchill Capital Corp X, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, announced that they have entered into a definitive business combination agreement to accelerate Infleqtion’s mission to commercialize quantum products. Upon closing, the combined company will operate as Infleqtion and is expected to be listed on a leading North American exchange under the ticker “INFQ.” Valued at $1.8 billion, Infleqtion is now the tenth "unicorn" to spin out of ��ɫ��Ƶ.

Infleqtion’s star continues to rise as Colorado’s quantum hub grows. The company of firsts, spun out of ��ɫ��Ƶ as ColdQuanta, seems to be everywhere these days, including outer space, while commercializing pioneering research to address needs across several critical markets including positioning, navigating and timing, global communication security and efficiency, resilient energy distribution, and accelerated quantum computing.

Dana Anderson, Glenn L. Murphy Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Professor of Physics and JILA Fellow, 2024

It was decades ago but Dana Anderson (JILA, ��ɫ��Ƶ College of Arts and Sciences and College of Engineering and Applied Science) still recalls well the day his research took a major turn. “I started to do atoms instead of photons,” he said. While Anderson makes it sound like a subtle shift–focusing on atoms and subatomic particles instead of particles of light (lasers)–that move has contributed significantly to the present and future of quantum technologies worldwide.

Anderson, now Infleqtion’s chief technology officer, then began focusing on cold atom inertial sensing, a process in which ultra-cold atoms (cooled to near absolute zero) are used to precisely measure forces like rotation and acceleration. That unprecedented accuracy is based on leveraging atoms’ wave-like nature in a controlled quantum state. It was groundbreaking work also built on a strong foundation of quantum innovation at ��ɫ��Ƶ spanning decades and (up to that point) two Nobel Prizes.

That was the mid-1990s and, around the same time, Anderson’s JILA colleagues, NIST fellow Eric Cornell and ��ɫ��Ƶ physicist Carl Wieman, created a never-before-seen state of matter called the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), in which ultracold atoms coalesce into a single “superatom” with uniform properties. They received the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics for that work, shared with MIT physicist Wolfgang Ketterle and 70 years after Albert Einstein predicted BECs could exist based on the work of Satyenda Bose. “Boy, that’s going to be useful,” Anderson recalls thinking at the time, imagining BEC being used to dramatically boost the performance of various devices, including accelerometers, gyroscopes, gravimeters and magnetometers. “I felt that it would change the world,” he said.

Following the BEC breakthrough, the trio went on to guide cold atoms through hollow core optical fibers, leading to Anderson and Cornell’s “atom chip” work and Anderson’s group demonstrating the first ultracold atom chip “portable vacuum system” in 2004. Those innovative techniques created a controlled environment for Anderson and others to study and manipulate atoms, a critical step in developing technologies like atomic clocks, quantum sensors and quantum computers.

“Slowly building the technology”

Dana Anderson poses with a spectrum analyzer in a laboratory at JILA. Photo: JILA, 1980.

As a “born and raised physicist,” said Anderson, he’s always looking for practical applications for cutting-edge science. “I’m an applied physicist, so I like to do things that are useful,” he said. “They don’t have to happen tomorrow but be useful sooner or later.” In those earlier days of quantum research, making that transition meant landing grants from the U.S. Army and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). That funding, said Anderson, “allowed us to focus on developing the technology and getting it out into the world.” During that time, they solved many problems, said Anderson. “We were struggling and making mistakes like gangbusters and trying this and trying that, and slowly building the technology,” he said.

In 2007, Anderson made the first critical leap from lab to market when he founded ColdQuanta with the goal of streamlining devices for BEC experiments using the technology discovered at CU. After receiving a $100,000 proof of concept investment from what was then the CU Technology Transfer Office (now Venture Partners at ��ɫ��Ƶ), ColdQuanta earned contracts from the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Josh Bennett, assistant director of licensing at Venture Partners, now manages much of the university’s portfolio of quantum technologies, and he sees Infleqtion’s success as key to both advancing quantum research worldwide and paving the way for new quantum spinouts from CU. “Since they were the first real quantum company out of Colorado to translate their research into a commercial entity, and they’ve become a leader globally in their research and in their work, I think it’s fair to say that without Infleqtion (or ColdQuanta), we wouldn’t be seeing all these other quantum spin-outs in the last two, three years,” he said.

Infleqtion laid the groundwork for several other ��ɫ��Ƶ quantum companies now working with Venture Partners, including Icarus Quantum, Flari Tech and Mesa Quantum. Today, through Venture Partners (the commercialization arm for ��ɫ��Ƶ, CU Denver’s physical sciences and UCCS), the entrepreneurs behind these startups have myriad programs to help get their ventures off the ground.

But what is "commercialization?"

The path to commercialization—also known as "research translation" or "tech transfer"—can be challenging, so Venture Partners unites industry partners, entrepreneurs and investors to help researchers, inventors and creators at the University of Colorado bring their groundbreaking discoveries into the marketplace.

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What distinguishes Infleqtion today, said Scott Sternberg, executive director of the CUbit Quantum Initiative, is their ability to combine the capabilities of quantum phenomenon with highly engineered platforms that focus on customer usability. “Infleqtion embodies the vibrant campus efforts to support the translation of fundamental discovery towards product realization and company growth,” said Sternberg. “We are fortunate to have such a great company, forged here in Boulder, that now leads the international quantum community.”

Beyond proving that quantum tech can lead to a compelling business entity, Infleqtion blazed the trail to Colorado becoming a national quantum hub, said Bryn Rees, associate vice chancellor for innovation and partnerships. He points to Anderson’s important role in boosting Elevate Quantum, a consortium of over 120 quantum-focused organizations in Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. “[Infleqtion] has become an international quantum success and sensation,” he said. “They're now a big-time player.”

Inflection points

Anderson recalls well how most people responded when he first started pitching the concept of commercializing quantum tech. Looking back on his first quantum-related NSF proposal nearly 20 years ago, he said, “Now those [concepts] seem right in the thick of things but back then most people said, ‘This is too unrealistic’. That’s what it was like.” Anderson knew that he was on the fringe, especially at a time when most people still used flip phones. “We were crazy people that were really gung-ho, and yet, we certainly didn't have a good business ‘story’,” said Anderson. “But I just believed that quantum was going to be important.”

Now quantum technology promises to revolutionize industries from computing, healthcare, defense, energy, finance and beyond. Building on decades of research from Anderson and others, Infleqtion is driving advances in that burgeoning ecosystem. The company now offers quantum hardware and software products—from quantum clocks and sensors, positioning components and glass cells containing cold atoms to quantum computers and quantum-enabled, AI-driven software.

Several years ago, Anderson famously took ultracold atoms (around 10 million of them) out of the lab and onto his own plane, to test the robustness of his team’s magneto-optical trap. Not long after that, it was deployed by NASA for use on the International Space Station, making it what could be called the ‘coolest’ tech in the universe. “When we commercialized a Bose Einstein condensation machine… including making things very small,” said Anderson, “NASA noticed and said, ‘Let's put it up into space’. And that was terribly important for our growing up.”

Research labs and commercial entities worldwide are now using Infleqtion’s products to generate high-value information and improve reliability and performance in quantum computing. Customers and collaborators include the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, the Japanese Moonshot Program, the UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre and the Defense Cyber Marvel 3, a global cyber defense competition..

Infleqtion is also now participating in the first round of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) newly formed Quantum & Space Collaboration. The collaboration aims to use quantum tech to move the needle forward in national security, energy/sustainability and economic interests.

Infleqtion's cloud-based quantum matter machine, “Albert, named TIME's Best Inventions. Photo: TIME, 2022

In 2022, ColdQuanta adopted the trade name Infleqtion to mark the company’s transition from research and development of quantum technology to deploying it for commercial uses. The company has now been through two successful rounds of funding, most recently raising $110 million in its Series B round in 2022. TIME magazine also named the company’s cloud-based quantum matter machine, dubbed “Albert,” as one of its 2022 Best Inventions. Infleqtion’s software platform recently secured a $1.15 million DOE grant, paving the way for energy-efficient computing.

Of all its latest advances, Anderson is most enthusiastic about Oqtant, a first-of-its-kind quantum innovation platform launched last year that democratizes quantum discovery and invention by giving researchers, innovators and students access to quantum matter via BECs where they can create, manipulate and study quantum phenomena—and all they need is internet access. “I’m extremely excited about Oqtant,” said Anderson. “Everyone having the building blocks of our universe at their fingertips points us toward a new age of exploration and discovery.”

Anderson is gratified to see that he and his colleagues' own 'eureka' quantum moments of long ago are finally being realized on a larger scale. Infleqtion’s readiness to meet that new understanding and demand has meant quantum leaps in the company’s recent growth. “We knew that BEC was going to be big, and we’re seeing that now,” he said.

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Infleqtion’s star continues to rise as Colorado’s quantum hub grows. The company of firsts, spun out of ��ɫ��Ƶ as ColdQuanta, seems to be everywhere these days, including outer space, while commercializing pioneering research to address needs across several critical markets including positioning, navigating and timing, global communication security and efficiency, resilient energy distribution, and accelerated quantum computing.

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The internal hardware of Infleqtion's neutral atom quantum computing platform. Photo: Infleqtion, 2025.

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The internal hardware of Infleqtion's neutral atom quantum computing platform. Photo: Infleqtion, 2025.

New quantum physics and AI-powered microchip design software awarded grants

Daniel Corbin Leonard — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 22:40:20 +0000

New quantum physics and AI-powered microchip design software awarded grants Daniel Corbin … Wed, 07/23/2025 - 16:40

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Semiconductors—substances that can selectively conduct or block electricity—have been dubbed the “brains of modern electronics.” They form the building blocks of the chips that power electronic devices from laptops to smartphones and tablets to sports watches.

But semiconductors generate heat when they’re working, and they can easily get too hot, which hurts their performance and can damage them. While smaller chips are denser and more efficient at processing, they are harder to keep cool because of their size.

Sanghamitra Neogi, an associate professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences department, is exploring ways to protect semiconductors and microchips from heat damage. She specializes in nanoscale semiconductors, which are so tiny their parts are measured in nanometers (billionths of a meter).

��ɫ��Ƶ Today—Sanghamitra Neogi, an associate professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences department, is exploring ways to protect semiconductors and microchips from heat damage. She specializes in nanoscale semiconductors, which are so tiny their parts are measured in nanometers (billionths of a meter).

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