Research Groups and Opportunities

Research faculty have vibrant groups that include undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Participating in undergraduate research is an ideal way to gain professional development and learn cutting edge techniques.

Faculty with active research groups recruit undergraduates and graduate students to their group on an on-going basis and are always interesting in talking to interested students.

Research & Grants

Current Grants

Hai Lin (PI) and Emilie Guidez (co-PI)

  • NSF 2022: Adaptive multi-layer simulations of NarK transport protein

Scott Reed (PI) and Doris R. Kimbrough

  • NIH 2020: Rocky Mountain summer research education experience

Emilie Guidez 

  • ACS Petroleum Research Fund 2021: Computational investigation of thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters for syngas production

Jung-Jae Lee

  • NIH 2025: Development of near-infrared photothermal chemiluminescent gold nanoprobes by utilizing retro Diels-Alder reaction of trapped singlet oxygens
  • Cancer League of Colorado 2025: Precision surgery in head and neck cancer with advanced chemiluminescent nanoprobes
  • NIH 2024: Body heat activated, storable, near-infrared, self-illuminating nanoprobes for chemiluminescence imaging of cancer
  • Wings of Hope 2025: Enhancing precision surgery in pancreatic cancer using advanced luminescent nanoprobes 

Woonghee Lee

  • NSF 2024: Artificial intelligence-assisted integrative biomolecular NMR platform

Scott Reed

  • NIH 2023: Identifying genetic contributions to adverse drug reactions

Marino Resendiz

  • NIH 2024: Exploring the 5'-GUAC- sequence as an important RNA-motif
  • NIH 2023: 8-Oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine in aptamer development and its impact on RNA structure

Haobin Wang

NSF/CMTC: PI- “Developing the multilayer multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree theory”

Liliya Vugmeyster

  • NIH 2021: Variant-specific dynamics of amyloid-b fibrils

Past Grants (since 2009)

Jeff Knight (PI) and Hai Lin (co-PI)

  • Research Corporation for Science Advancement, 2013: Hydrophobic and electrostatic driving forces for protein-membrane docking: A combined experimental and computational approach

Scott Reed (PI) and Liliya Vugmeyster

  • NSF 2017: MRI: Acquisition of high-sensitivity, solids capable 400 MHz NMR for research and undergraduate training at the University of Colorado at Denver

John (Nick) Fisk

  • NSF 2018: M13 phage: a model system for complex control of multicomponent processes in biology
  • NSF 2015: Sense codon reassignment: evaluating the plasticity of the E. coli genetic code
  • Colorado Bioscience Association Bioscience Discovery Evaluation Grant Program (BDEGP) 2012: Biosensor platform development with protein assembly engineering and device integration
  • Boettcher Foundation Webb-Waring Biomedical Investigator 2011: Transformative improvements in biomedical sensors through protein assembly engineering
  • Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Explorations Grant 2010: Non-invasive phage particle-based sensors for active TB infection

Emilie Guidez

  • Vera Chem LLC 2020: Statistical mechanics with quantum potentials: Applications to protein-ligand binding affinities

Doris R. Kimbrough

  • Department of Defense 2020: Cooperative agreement with United States Department of Defense, U.S. Air Force Academy appointment as Distinguished Visiting Professor
  • NSF 2017: Robert E. Noyce Program, CU Denver Noyce Track 1
  • NSF 2011: Robert E. Noyce Program, Promoting Undergraduate Licensure through Science Education (PULSE)

Jeff Knight

  • Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation 2018: Chemistry of interfacial protein-membrane interactions central to insulin secretion
  • NIH 2018: Administrative Diversity Supplement Award 
  • NIH 2017: Administrative Diversity Supplement Award    
  • Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program 2017: Using NMR spectroscopy to determine the structure of a unique calcium-inhibited C2 doma  ​
  • NIH 2016: Ca2+-independent and Ca2+-inhibited membrane binding by synaptotagmin-like proteins.
  • NIH 2013: Molecular mechanisms of protein-membrane interactions driving insulin secretion.

Jung-Jae Lee

  • Cancer League of Colorado 2022: Body heat activated, storable, near-infrared, self-illuminating nanoprobes for in vivo optical imaging of cancer
  • Wings of Hope 2019: Targeted luminescent nanoprobes for in vivo optical imaging of pancreatic cancer
  •  NIH 2018 (co-PI): Contact lens to remove zinc ions for corneal melting.
  • Head and Neck Cancer 2018: Near-infrared chemiluminescent nanoparticles (CNPs) for in vivo optical imaging of head and neck cancer
  • Research Foundation of Korea 2018: development of photothermal nanodiamond based on permeableness through blood brain barrier and brain targeting for glioma therapy
  • Cancer League of Colorado 2017: storable, thermally activated, self-illuminating nanoparticles optical imaging of cancer
  • American Cancer Society 2017: near-infrared self-illuminating nanoparticles for in vivo optical imaging of cancer

Hai Lin: PI

  • NIH 2021 "Operation mechanism of CLCF fluoride/proton antiporter
  •  Research Corporation for Science Advancement 2018: Combining artificial neural networks and quantum chemistry for simulations of proton transfer through channels and transporters.
  •  NSF 2016: Adaptive QM/MM methods for proton transfer in complex environments.
  •  Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation 2014: Open-boundary QM/MM methods for multiscale modeling and simulations of chemical reactions in complex environments.
  •  National Renewal Energy Laboratory (Subcontract) 2013: Catalytic conversion of biomass
  •  NSF 2010: CAREER: Multiscale simulations of chloride transport proteins by combined quantum and classic mechanical approaches.
  •  NSF 2009 (Subcontract) Institute for Mathematics and its Applications: Mathematics and Chemistry.

Yong Liu

  • Research Corporation for Science Advancement 2011:

Scott Reed

  • NIH 2013: Interactions of C-reactive protein with highly curved lipid membranes
  • NSF 2010: Collaborative research: A nanostructured model of the apoptotic cell surface
  • NSF 2009: Collaborative: Spider fluorescence as a potential visual signal; IOS-0920768; PI: Scott Reed; 09/01/2009; $55,947
  • NIH 2009: Interactions of C-reactive protein isoforms with oxidized lipid membranes

Xiaojun Ren

  • NIH 2019: Spatial organization of epigenetic complexes and chromatin.
  • NIH 2015: Molecular mechanisms of chromosomal segregation by epigenetic regulators.
  • American Cancer Society 2014 (subaward): Polycomb group protein Cbx2 controls chromosome stability by coordinating with chromosome segregation proteins.

Marino Resendiz

  • NIH 2024: Exploring the 5'-GUAC- sequence as an important RNA-motif
  • NIH 2023: 8-Oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine in aptamer development and its impact on RNA structure.
  • Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation 2021: Structure-function relationships of chemically modified RNA: The quest to retain students in chemistry.
  • Organic Syntheses, Inc. 2020: Organic Syntheses Research Grant for Faculty at Principally Undergraduate Institutions: Diastereoselective formation of mono-, di-, tri-, and tetra-substituted cyclobutyl rings via photochemical approaches in the solid-state and in solution.
  • NIH 2019: Design of apatmers of RNA containing 8-oxo-7, 8-dihydroguanosine: Function and selection of aptamers with novel properties.

Haobin Wang

  •  NSF 2020: Developing the multilayer multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree theory.
  •  NSF 2014: Developing the multilayer multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree theory.
  •  NSF 2010: Quantum dynamics study of ultrafast electron transfer reactions.
     

Liliya Vugmeyster

  •   NIH 2018: Dynamics of disordered regions of amyloid fibrils
  •   NIH 2014: Contributions of hydrophobic residues into thermodynamics and kinetics of amyloid.
  •   NSF 2011: RUI: Probing the free energy landscape of protein hydrophobic cores by solid-state NMR
  •   NIH 2011: Investigation of dynamics of headpiece proteins using NMR relaxation experiments