Department of Defense Announces 2022 Fellows of Laboratory-University Collaboration Initiative

The Department of Defense has announced its latest cohort of fellows under the Laboratory-University Collaboration Initiative, a pilot program aimed at introducing university scientists and students into the Pentagon’s research environment.

LUCI was launched in 2016 and has since supported basic research in areas such as applied mathematics, cognitive neuroscience, engineering biology and quantum information science, according to the Basic Research Office.

For the 2022 class, the DOD selected 12 fellows supporting 10 projects that will each receive $200,000 within the year. The fellows were selected following a review of 61 white papers and 20 applicant interviews, the DOD said Wednesday.

Experts from the military services, the Office of the Secretary of Defense and defense contractors conducted the review process.  

The awardees are from the City University of New York, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Maryland, Brown University, University of California San Diego, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Arkansas, Cornell University and Harvard University.

Each collaborator will work with a principal investigator from the Naval Research Laboratory or the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Heidi Shyu, the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, said that the Pentagon’s investment in science and technology is critical for national security.

“The groundbreaking research by our LUCI awardees is supporting, maintaining, and advancing our scientific and technological advantage,” added Shyu, a member of the Potomac Officers Club and a two-time Wash100 winner.