Join the NUI Lab

Thank you for your interest in joining the Natural User Interaction (NUI) Lab at Colorado State University. How you get involved depends on where you are today — find the section below that matches your situation.

Co-tutelle — a joint PhD with another university

You want a doctorate co-advised and jointly awarded by your home university and CSU.

A cotutelle is a formal arrangement in which two universities jointly supervise a single PhD, and the student graduates with a degree recognized by both. It suits students who have a doctoral home at another institution and want to carry out part of their research in the NUI Lab.

This works best when there is a clear research fit and an advisor at your home university who is willing to co-supervise with me.
Reach out early: a cotutelle is an agreement between two institutions, so it takes time to arrange.

Cotutelle success story

Lucas Plabst

Joint PhD — University of Würzburg (Germany) & CSU

Lucas earned a single doctorate co-advised and awarded by both universities. He is now an XR Researcher at MeasuringU (Denver, CO).

Future graduate students

You want to be admitted to CSU for a master’s or PhD and do research in the NUI Lab.

Admission to graduate study is decided by the CSU Department of Computer Science, not by an individual professor. The first step is a strong application to the graduate program.
In your application, say that you are interested in the NUI Lab (or any other lab in the department) and describe the kind of research you want to do.
For our lab, coursework in Human-Centered Computing, Computer Science, and Artificial Intelligence is always welcome — always with a human-centered perspective. Most importantly, publications in top Human-Centered Computing venues are a great sign.
Admission and funding are not always linked. Whether funding is available, and for how long, is determined at admission. I do fund students through grants, but those are typically students I already know, and only when funding exists. Please note that it is currently very difficult to take on new students given the state of funding in Colorado.
For more information, see the CS graduate program pages — graduate students (opens in new tab) and how to apply (opens in new tab) — and CSU’s Graduate School application site (opens in new tab) .
I am unlikely to have time to reply to the large volume of requests I receive — sometimes this page is the reply. For me to respond, your email has to be original, specific to the research I do, and show a genuine connection to it. Many of the emails I receive are generic, with a few words changed to reference one of my lab’s papers — often generated with AI, and with little real information. Remember that I do not make admission decisions, and if we have not worked together, it is unlikely I can offer grant funding, as I already have a pipeline of students. However, if a colleague of mine at another university recommends you, or you have worked with them in the areas I publish in, you are far more likely to hear back.

Current CSU undergraduates

You are already a CSU undergraduate and want to work or volunteer in the lab.

Email me at fortega@colostate.edu — you are always welcome to volunteer, with some basic information about yourself.
Having time to volunteer or work is a great start. Knowing a game engine will take you further, as will knowing agentic AI or other AI. Independence and a willingness to learn are essential, and courses in Human-Centered Computing can help.

Current CSU graduate students

You are already a graduate student at CSU and want to do research in the lab.

If you have guaranteed funding from the department, you are welcome to contact me for an in-person meeting — though it is harder to join the lab if I do not have openings. If you are self-funded (by yourself, a government, a fellowship, an employer, your home country, etc.), it is considerably easier.
Send me an email with your information. Please pick a paper you like from the past eight years of my research and tell me why you like it and how you would improve on it — or tell me your own idea.
If you would like to help me develop an idea for funding, and we secure it, you will have priority for the GRA position.

Internships for students at other universities

You study at another university and want an internship or research visit with the lab.

Email me with your interest and how you would cover your stay — especially if you are coming from another country. It is unlikely I will have funding, but I can support you with equipment and resources. We have hosted interns from around the world, including Japan, Germany, France, the United States, and India.