Building a Research Career in Colorado: Insights from an Inaugural Boettcher Investigator
For Robin Dowell, D.Sc., Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at the University of Colorado Boulder BioFrontiers Institute, Colorado offers the right environment for a bold, interdisciplinary scientific career. Her research merges genetics and computer science to investigate transcriptional regulation.
Dowell was part of the inaugural class of Boettcher Investigators, supported through Boettcher Foundation’s Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards Program. The award arrived early in her career and provided meaningful momentum. “Receiving the Webb-Waring Biomedical Research award was great, it was my first grant of any substantial size,” says Dowell. “It was a nice pat on the back in terms of, ‘Yes, you can do this. Let’s get going!’”
The program opened new possibilities for her lab. “I think it enabled us to go in some directions we might not have done otherwise,” says Dowell. The award also helped her gain critical grant-writing experience and extend research beyond what initial funding typically supports. That foundation paved the way for later success with the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
Dowell maintains close ties to Boettcher Foundation, encouraging junior faculty members to apply for the Webb-Waring Biomedical Awards program and offering guidance shaped by her own experience. She has also mentored several undergraduate Boettcher Scholars in her lab. “That is one of the great rewards of the Boettcher program over long term is providing those undergrads with incredible research opportunities in some of the best labs in the state,” she says.
Her academic work also helped spark Arpeggio BioSciences, created with Joey Azofeifa, Ph.D., after developing new computational methods for analyzing nascent transcription. CU Boulder’s licensing support and incubator space created early runway for the company, showcasing the advantages of launching science-driven startups in Colorado.
Dowell’s collaborations with fellow research leaders at the BioFrontiers Institute and commitment to mentoring and supporting researchers at all stages of their careers reinforces the depth, generosity, and scientific rigor that define Colorado’s life sciences community.
