Menu
University research directory
Research labs at
Colorado State University, Fort Collins.
Compare 5 listed faculty-led profiles, explore their research interests, and follow the evidence in their selected work. These listings are a starting point for discovery and do not establish recruiting availability.
Explore the research before reaching out
Review each lab’s official website and recent publications. Compare the methods used, the questions being asked, and the practical requirements of any published opening. Unclaimed profiles are independently curated; the university has not approved or endorsed them.
How to compare research labs ↗Official university website ↗5 research-led lab profiles
Browse labs by their listed college affiliationChristopher Snow Research Group
Colorado State University, Fort Collins
Christopher Snow · Professor
Snow uses computation to guide the design of proteins and the structures they assemble into. His group investigates both individual proteins or enzymes and crystalline molecular assemblies, combining protein structure prediction with directed evolution, crystallography, and computational engineering algorithms. Applications described by CSU include catalysis, information storage, biosensors, therapeutic delivery materials, intracellular imaging, and affinity reagents. The distinguishing research question is how molecular design can produce a chosen function reliably. This connects software and structural biology with experiments that test whether designed molecules behave as intended in a useful system.
Eugene Chen Research Group
Colorado State University, Fort CollinsEugene Chen · University Distinguished Professor
Chen investigates how polymers can be designed for useful performance and a more sustainable life cycle. His research includes intrinsically recyclable and biologically derived polymers, chemical synthesis of biodegradable microbial plastics, and precise control of polymer structure. Catalysis provides a key tool, with work on Lewis-pair polymerization, metal-catalyzed coordination polymerization, and organocatalytic conversion of biomass into fuels, chemicals, and materials. The group connects molecular-level reaction design with larger sustainability questions: how can the chemistry used to make a plastic also shape the options available when that material reaches the end of its use?
Jorge Rocca Research Group
Colorado State University, Fort CollinsJorge Rocca · University Distinguished Professor
Rocca investigates what extremely intense light can reveal and create. His research develops compact soft X-ray lasers and high-power laser systems, while studying how intense laser pulses interact with matter. Related directions include laser-generated dense plasmas, extreme ultraviolet sources, and ultra-high-field nanophotonics. CSU’s Laboratory for Advanced Lasers and Extreme Photonics connects source development with experiments in these demanding regimes. The research spans physics and electrical engineering, offering a setting where building advanced laser technology and probing unusual states of matter are closely linked scientific activities.
Kenneth Reardon Research Group
Colorado State University, Fort CollinsKenneth Reardon · Professor
Reardon combines microbial engineering with measurements of how biological systems operate. His group uses bioreactor analysis, proteomics, applied microbiology, and microbial ecology to investigate bacteria and algae for producing biofuels and other chemicals. Projects also include biosensors and proteomic approaches to understanding microbiomes. His wider research interests connect food, energy, and water production, treating those systems as interdependent. For prospective researchers, the group offers a bridge from molecular measurements to engineered biological processes, where understanding an organism or community supports decisions about sustainable production and monitoring.
Translational Materials and Biointerfacial Research Laboratory
Colorado State University, Fort CollinsMelissa Reynolds · Professor
Reynolds designs materials for the complicated interface between a medical device and the body. Her group develops biomimetic polymers, molecular materials, and extended frameworks with therapeutic functionality, then measures their properties and biological effects. Research includes nitric-oxide-releasing materials, glucose sensing, and metal-organic frameworks for sensing, catalysis, and separations. Methods described by CSU include electrospun nanofibers and analytical measurements such as fluorescence and mass spectrometry. The work connects chemical synthesis with device fabrication and preclinical evaluation, making the material’s interaction with its biological environment a central design question.
Showing 1–5 of 5 labs