Mission Area
Research and Exploratory Development
Inventing the Future for APL and Our Nation
The Research and Exploratory Development (RED) Mission Area is Johns Hopkins APL’s research engine. We conduct pioneering research targeting game-changing breakthroughs to benefit national security missions. While each program within the RED Mission Area has a specific research focus, we recognize that innovation often happens at the intersection of technical disciplines. Therefore, we bring together multidisciplinary teams of talented scientists and engineers to tackle difficult challenges and invent the future for APL and our sponsors.
Research Programs
Leadership
Highlights
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Climate Security
Climate change is reshaping nearly every aspect of life on our planet, with significant implications for national security. APL is bringing all of its core competencies to bear on this critical challenge area, exploring strategic opportunities to make the greatest impact on climate change. -
Eliminating Forever Chemicals
Multiple studies have linked PFAS exposure to harmful health effects in humans and animals, and without a natural way to break them down, the chemicals persist in soil and contaminate the environment — including water. APL scientists are developing several technologies to capture and destroy these "forever chemicals." -
Revolutionizing Prosthetics
Revolutionizing Prosthetics is an ambitious multiyear program—funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)—to create a neurally controlled artificial limb that will restore near-natural motor and sensory capability to upper-extremity amputee patients.
Recent News
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Press Release
Mar 8, 2024Johns Hopkins APL Joins National AI Safety Consortium
APL has joined the U.S. AI Safety Institute Consortium, the first such group dedicated to promoting the development and deployment of artificial intelligence technologies with an emphasis on safety, reliability and ethical standards. -
News
Jan 30, 2024Using Artificial Intelligence, Better Pollution Predictions Are in the Air
As the global climate warms, wildfires are increasing in severity and frequency, and consequently releasing more smoke-borne contaminants into the air. To better predict how and where those pollutants are traveling, APL researchers are using artificial intelligence to simulate atmospheric models and improve the resolution and speed of air quality forecasts. -
Press Release
Jan 4, 2024Johns Hopkins APL Supports Climate TRACE’s Expanded Database of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
In continued support of the Climate TRACE coalition, APL used a combination of machine learning, satellite imagery and localized emissions data to advance its accurate, scalable and easily configurable greenhouse gas monitoring framework for road transportation. -
Press Release
Nov 14, 2023Johns Hopkins APL Awarded NIH BRAIN CONNECTS Research Funding to Map Brain Circuits at the Resolution of a Single Synapse
The National Institutes of Health has awarded funding for two projects supported by APL that will accelerate neuroscience research, illuminate foundational principles governing the neural circuit basis of behavior, and inform new approaches to the treatment of human brain disorders. -
News
Oct 26, 2023Johns Hopkins APL Researchers Develop Advanced Material for Efficient Thermal Management
Researchers at APL have made a significant breakthrough in the development of advanced technology that can change a material’s behavior depending on the temperature, potentially revolutionizing energy-efficient thermal management.