Single Investigator Basic Research

Material Sciences: Will explore ferroelectric material nanostructures for new capabilities in secure communication, computing, and electronics; examine precursory ceramic materials for extreme temperatures and pressure applications; investigate complex severe plastic deformation pathways for robust electronic and optoelectronic devices…

Computing Sciences: Will explore data fusion for enhanced mobile sensing; investigate hardware-software interfaces for improved computing resilience; analyze reinforcement learning algorithms for autonomous decision-making. Mathematical Sciences: Will analyze algorithms for data fusion and prediction; validate mathematical tools for…

Chemical Sciences: Will explore polymer synthesis approaches for multi-dimensional architectures; identify novel material coatings for protective materials. Energy Sciences: Will examine the hydrocarbon conversion for more reliable, portable power sources; investigate ion conduction for higher energy density batteries. Mechanical…

FY2027 planned work Will investigate neural mechanisms for improved learning and retention; conduct research on nucleic acid repair to assess impacts of stress on endurance; study protein synthesis for production of new materials and sensing paradigms; validate protein self assembly for scalable catalysts and protective materials.

FY2026 to FY2027 change This is not a new start effort. FY 2027 funding increase reflects the consolidation of other ongoing efforts within this project from Basic Research for Life Sciences to support the creation of Life Sciences. Funding decrease reflects the strategic reallocation of resources to support evolving priorities and objectives.

FY2027 planned work Will expand a research base of partner institutions among ranked and HBCU performers including studies to explore artificial intelligence systems for decision-making; continue supporting faculty immersion program to grow organic research capabilities at the HBCU/MI institutions; continue to increase research support to establish partnerships and expand capacity at HBCU/MI institutions to address Army priorities.

FY2026 to FY2027 change This is not a new start. FY 2027 funding reflects the consolidation of ongoing efforts within this project from HBCU/MI Single Investigator and HBCU/MI Early Career Award for Science and Engineering to support the creation of HBCU/MI Outreach.

FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects realignment to Life Sciences within this project.

FY2026 plans — current year Will investigate a mechanistic model of incremental learning based on biological architectures that if successful will inform how the brain leverages previous learning to quickly adapt to novel tasks; analyze the similarities between traditional morphology (shape) based plant pollen identification with newer DNA-based methods on a previously unheard of scale, to generate fast, reliable, and validated methods for identifying where a sample was collected from for forensic purposes; explore the impact of manipulation of ion concentrations in a model bacteria, which, if successful, will result in new methods to manipulate and direct cell growth in synthetic biology applications; conduct…

FY2025 accomplishments Will examine control of cellular envelope and deoxyribonucleic acid supercoiling by cellular magnesium in pathogenic species to determine mechanisms by which cellular growth can be manipulated and controlled; investigate the directed evolution of thiamine-dependent proteins into artificial metalloenzymes to enable new-to-nature chemical transformations, which may yield to novel catalytic routes for synthesis of Army-relevant energetic materials, material precursors, polymers, and composites; study the impact of gut microbial metabolites, particularly short chain fatty acids, on key cognitive and behavioral core functions (e.g., working memory, cognitive flexibility, and response and…

FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects realignment to Mechanical Sciences within this project.

FY2026 plans — current year Will explore the synthesis of novel electrocatalysts through the creation and high-throughput screening of mega-libraries of novel nanomaterials to accelerate the discovery of catalysts with improved efficiency and stability; examine the structure-function relationship within two-dimensional organic frameworks with electron transfer functionalities that if successful will enable synthesis of novel semiconductors with tunable properties; conduct experiments on nanoporous multifunctional membrane sorbents to identify high capacity and high affinity solutions that will enable the capture of toxic chemicals and materials for portable water purification devices; validate the use of a new…

FY2025 accomplishments Will investigate the adsorption of biomolecules and their reaction and transformation pathways on different mineral surfaces (i.e., oxides, clays, and carbonates) to better understand how surface-biomolecular interactions impact biomolecule transformations; design and synthesize novel two-dimensional (2D) high entropy materials capable of catalyzing both oxidation and reduction reactions for electrochemical energy conversion and storage; develop new supramolecular approaches and scaffolds that enable the ability to predictably activate chemical reactivity in response to specified external cues; design and synthesize a new class of mechanically robust adaptive polymeric materials, that if…

FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects realignment to Physical Sciences within this project.

FY2026 plans — current year Will examine the ground-state properties of materials ultrastrongly coupled with vacuum electromagnetic fields in a terahertz cavity to realize, analyze, and control the spontaneous appearance of ordered phases of field-matter hybridized states; conduct research into the development of a theoretical and computational framework for the interaction of optical vortices with quantum systems such as atoms, ions and their arrays, quantum dots, and color centers; investigate emergent non-equilibrium topological phenomena and entanglement in systems of polar molecules and trapped ions, generated by harnessing and controlling dipolar and phonon mediated interactions; explore a new method to study…

FY2025 accomplishments Will investigate meso-scale magnonic topological insulator materials and explore their utility to enable the first-ever assessment of topological magnon edge states and topological magnon devices; study the interplay between complex light fields and metamaterials and explore the physical properties of 3-Dimensional (3D) structured light, which if successful, may enable new paradigms in optical devices and communication systems; examine measurement-induced phase transition as a means of discovering and characterizing entanglement dynamics in quantum many-body systems; investigate magnet-less ring-resonator-based isolators and circulators for superconducting quantum devices to enable ultralow…

FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects realignment to Physical Sciences within this project.

FY2026 plans — current year Will explore room-temperature tunable broadband photodetection via the construction of two-dimensional heterojunctions that can enable the development of a new generation of detector technology for sensing under poor visibility conditions; investigate the advantages of combining nanostructures with epitaxial ridge-waveguides that if successful will enable high power output and low threshold current in mid and deep wave laser diodes; analyze real-time cell physiology measurements to develop an artificial intelligence language model capable of translating biological signals into bi-directional, human-understandable communication systems for hybrid biological/computational top-down control of…

FY2025 accomplishments Will investigate the design, arrangement, and structural/optical properties of Aluminum Gallium Nitride (AlGaN) quantum dot epitaxial nanoridge waveguide laser structures, and assessment lasing operation in the mid and deep ultraviolet (UV) spectrum; investigate and design a bioelectronic synaptic system capable of neuromorphic computing capabilities to examine dynamic physiological profiles in stress response, that if successful will enable a novel mechanism for stress classification and human performance monitoring; study the underlying mechanisms of shift current generation in real-world materials to enable shift-current based ultrafast photodetectors capable of operating at room…

FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects realignment to Physical Sciences within this project.

FY2026 plans — current year Will investigate the creation of novel photoactive metal-organic chalcogenolate semiconductors and tuning their optical and electronic properties to create unusual and transformational capabilities that if successful will yield a new field of optoelectronic devices; explore the ability of a photon avalanche upconversion technique to create nanostructures within the volume of soft materials without the use of expensive high powered femtosecond lasers and with structural resolution below the diffraction limit of light; examine the relationships between interface structure, strain mediating interfactial line defects, and their activation energy during sintering to better understand…

FY2025 accomplishments Will explore a new class of amorphous coordination polymers with tunable and programmable electronic and magnetic properties; design and synthesize liquid crystal elastomer materials with embedded photonic crystals and local head control, and study the ability of these materials to dynamically change color and/or surface texture; study the influence of electromagnetic fields on the crystallization process during ceramic material formation to better understand how crystal nucleation influences the final ceramic properties; investigate neuromorphic metasurfaces capable of performing computations using both elastic and inelastic mechanical loads, that if successful will enable materials…

FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects realignment to Mechanical Sciences within this project.

FY2026 plans — current year Will investigate the underlying physics of wind-particle-blade interactions and assess the impact of air-sand two phase flows on the aerodynamic performance of rotor blades in different operational conditions via laboratory experiments and theoretical interpretation; explore the role of astrocytes in neural circuits to design energy efficient brain-like machine learning algorithms and hardware for autonomous control of complex dynamic mechanical systems; examine the use of fractional-order calculus to describe multiscale and multi-physics fatigue dynamics to understand material lifetime and improve the reliability of vehicles and structures; conduct research to improve understanding of…

FY2025 accomplishments Will develop a new random probability distribution modeling framework that enables the systematic description and integration of model uncertainties in molecular dynamics simulations, that if successful will provide simulation-based predictive capabilities for robust material design and multiscale mechanistic studies; investigate the principles of dissipative self-assembly and space-time synchronization in collections of self-spinning motors that may enable new concepts in topological active matter; develop network theoretic methodologies and models to better understand the fundamental and dominant pathways of energy transfer and the inter-connectedness of energy transfer interactions in…

FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects realignment to Computational and Information Sciences within this project.

FY2026 plans — current year Will explore new algorithms to quantify uncertainty in machine learning, employing rigorous theoretical guarantees and complex, realistic datasets to efficiently verify and improve calibration and identify anomalies; examine a novel framework for relational reinforcement learning, which leverages learning by inducing logical relationships from the environment and agent actions, to better develop human-assisted machine learning without overburdening the human involved in the training; investigate an information-theoretic framework and systematic tools to ensure generalization of learning algorithms for novel data and the robustness of these algorithms to adversarial attacks in a federated…

FY2025 accomplishments Will develop machine learning algorithms capable of accurately processing highly uncertain data and mathematically guaranteeing well-calibrated predictions under practical conditions; create robust machine learning models that can analyze and learn relationships across data input components and develop methods for enforcing consistencies when making inferences relating to security, that if successful will significantly harden data models for better cyber resiliency; develop new estimation methodologies and algorithms for learning a model of dynamic decisions with hidden states, that if successful could improve predictions of the state of the environment and the human decision makers…

FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects realignment to Computational and Information Sciences within this project.

FY2026 plans — current year Will explore artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to dynamically model social networks and the connections across such networks that if successful will enable predictive models of support and influence; analyze multiple-input multiple-output dynamic metasurface antennas for signal processing algorithms, acquisition, and design to improve ad hoc wireless communications; investigate the mathematical basis of machine learning with neural networks from geometric and algebraic perspectives that will inform the creation of robust and interpretable machine learning systems; explore the concept of controller-attacker games and the development and inclusion of cost models into the…

FY2025 accomplishments Will develop new models, based on algorithmic game theory and machine learning, capable of strategic decision making in adversarial environments marked by uncertainty and information asymmetry; identify metrics, tools, and methods to enhance network resilience that accounts for scenarios with different amounts of knowledge and leverages variable actuation and network topologies, that if successful will provide insights into mechanisms for hardening and securing communication networks; design both supervised and unsupervised advanced machine learning algorithms to solve the optimal allocation problem in fragmented mobile networks; examine the combination of fundamental insights and models of…

FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects realignment to Computational and Information Sciences within this project.

FY2026 plans — current year Will investigate the evolution and maintenance of cooperation and collaborative intelligence in natural (i.e., animal) and designed (i.e., robot swarm) systems under dynamic conditions to develop comprehensive mathematical foundations for balancing the trade-offs, where they exist, between optimizing individual and holistic group performance; investigate a spacetime adaptive multi-resolution wavelet method for predictive science, focusing on verified simulations of partial differential equations with multiple spatial and temporal scales that if successful will create precise and predictive modeling frameworks; explore a new paradigm for nonlinear dimensionality reduction and manifold…

FY2025 accomplishments Will develop mathematical models to study the information processing capability of coupled guanosine triphosphate hydrolase enzyme (GTPase) switches which will enable critical insights into the biochemical and/or mechanochemical events that enable precision in cellular decision-making; explore the integration of statistical mechanics with physics-informed machine learning to enable learned coarse-grained non-equilibrium macroscale models with enhanced accuracy and extrapolative power; employ ideas and techniques from noncommutative geometry to advance the understanding of quantum transforms, explore new avenues of constructing new periodic and non-periodic systems, and investigate the…

FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects realignment to HBCU/MI Outreach within this project.

FY2026 plans — current year Will expand research capabilities at HBCU/MI institutions to enable the study of multi-phase, multi-component flows, that if successful will provide new capabilities ranging from more efficient injection, vaporization, and combustion of liquid fuels to ablative shape change effects for hypersonic vehicles; explore protein conformational structure to enable the study of higher-order assembly processes of fiber formation that is expected to provide the foundation for a new class of tough biomaterials that controllably switch between highly flexible and rigid based on hydration status; enable the Army to engage underrepresented partners in basic scientific research relevant to Army-determined…

FY2025 accomplishments Will expand the research base of partner institutions particularly among R2 and HBCU performers, targeting principal investigators new to the Army to provide increased knowledge and understanding in fields related to long-term future force needs; continue supporting faculty immersion program where HBCU/MI faculty are aligned with R1 universities and Army research laboratories in order to grow organic research capabilities at the HBCU/MI institutions and contribute to the long-term Army modernization priority needs; continue to increase infrastructure and research support to establish true partnerships and expand capacity at HBCU/MI institutions.

FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects realignment to Mechanical Sciences within this project.

FY2026 plans — current year Will examine the fundamental mechanisms of two-dimensional high entropy oxides utilizing a multi-disciplinary approach to identify new electrocatalysts that if successful could increase performance and functionality of electrochemical energy conversion devices; explore the mechanisms for the high conductivity observed in double perovskite materials that if successful would provide a framework to identify and tailor mixed ion-electron conducting ceramics applicable to high temperature energy conversion applications; investigate the underlying mechanisms behind ionic storage and pseudocapacitive phenomenon for aqueous zinc ion batteries through a combined experimental and theoretical approach…

FY2025 accomplishments Will explore the synthesis and characterization of new materials, taking advantage of the multi-pathway conductive nature of rare earth oxides towards novel single-phase oxides suitable for electrode and electrocatalytic applications such as novel batteries and fuel cells; conduct research on reversible non-passivated electrodeposition of highly reducing multi-electron redox couples to enable use of these materials to achieve high-capacity systems; investigate mechanisms to achieve half-life modification of materials that allow for energy release on demand by understanding how to manipulate those materials by electron interactions affecting their energy states.

FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects realignment to HBCU/MI Outreach within this project.

FY2026 plans — current year Will continue supporting basic research contributing to Army modernization needs conducted by outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their careers at HBCU/MI institutions, through HBCU/MI Early Career Awards with a duration of five years.

FY2025 accomplishments Will continue supporting basic research contributing to Army modernization needs conducted by outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their careers at HBCU/MI institutions through HBCU/MI Early Career Awards at a cost of $1.1875M each over a duration of 5 years.

FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects the strategic reallocation of resources to support evolving priorities and objectives.

FY2026 plans — current year Will explore the benefits of semantic foundations and formal methods for the synthesis and formal analysis of evolutionary system-of-system decision models related to institutional governance and organizational trust; examine the impacts of territorial and maritime expansion to inform theoretical and empirical insights on the dynamics between global actors.

FY2025 accomplishments Will support fundamental research to understand and model the cross-level influences ranging from individuals to small groups to large populations on emergence and sustainment of factors predictive of nation-state and non nation-state characteristics (such as stability, interests, and potential for conflict).