New Frontiers awards $300,000 to advance ambitious interdisciplinary research
Selected projects harness geospatial AI to understand complex global phenomena and tackle barriers to geothermal energy development
Two 鶹ѰBoulder research teams will receive a combined $300,000 in New Frontiers Launch Phase funding to advance interdisciplinary projects focused on geospatial artificial intelligence and geothermal energy development.
The awards are part of the New Frontiers Grant Program, a Research & Innovation Office (RIO) initiative designed to cultivate new interdisciplinary research strengths at 鶹ѰBoulder by giving teams the resources and time to develop ambitious ideas that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries.
The two projects, led by Esther Rolf and Bri-Mathias Hodge, were among three teams selected for Planning Phase grants in 2025. Over the past year, the teams have developed their research directions, strengthened collaborations and conducted preliminary work to position their ideas for this next stage of development.
“These projects exemplify what we hoped to accomplish through New Frontiers—bringing together researchers with different expertise to pursue ambitious ideas that would be difficult to address within one discipline,” said Massimo Ruzzene, senior vice chancellor for research and innovation and dean of the institutes. “We are excited to see these teams build on progress made during the planning phase and pursue even greater impact through this next stage.”
Building on New Frontiers
New Frontiers was created to help researchers turn promising interdisciplinary ideas into larger research efforts by providing support for team development, preliminary research and pursuit of external funding. The Launch Phase represents the next step for projects that demonstrate strong potential to develop into broader, sustained research programs.
A new RIO initiative building on the momentum of New Frontiers will be announced later this fall.
Selected projects
New Frontiers in Physically-Grounded Geospatial AI for Understanding Complex Global Phenomena with Multi-Modal Data ($200,000)
- PI: Esther Rolf, Computer Science
- Co-PIs: Steve Nerem, Aerospace Engineering and Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES); Morteza Karimzadeh, Geography and Institute of Behavioral Science (IBS)
The team is developing new approaches that combine artificial intelligence with knowledge of physical processes to better understand complex phenomena across Earth and society. By bringing together multiple types of data and expertise, the researchers aim to make geospatial AI more useful, accurate and trustworthy for scientific discovery.
New Frontiers in Renewable Energy Transition: Technical and Social Barriers to Geothermal Energy Development ($100,000)
- PI: Bri-Mathias Hodge, Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering and Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI)
- Co-PI: Shae Frydenlund, Center for Asian Studies and Geography
The team is examining the technical and social barriers that have limited the development of geothermal energy. Bringing together engineering, social science and other expertise, the researchers aim to identify approaches that could help expand geothermal energy development and support the transition to renewable energy.