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APL Campus

The Johns Hopkins University
Applied Physics Laboratory

We solve complex research, engineering, and analytical problems that present critical challenges to our nation. APL—the nation’s largest university affiliated research center—provides U.S. government agencies with deep expertise in specialized fields to support national priorities and technology development programs. We also serve as independent trusted technical agents to the government, providing continuity for highly complex, multigenerational technology development systems.

Our Purpose

Our Purpose

Our purpose is to make critical contributions to critical challenges. At APL, we feel it is our responsibility to try to solve these national challenges with the full measure of our dedication and expertise.

Our Core

Our Values

The Lab’s core values are unquestionable integrity, trusted service to the nation, world-class expertise, and game-changing impact—all in an environment that is collaborative, fulfilling (and even fun!).

Our Future

Our Goal

APL’s purpose and core values guide our future, and it is no less than to create defining innovations that ensure our nation’s preeminence in the 21st century.

Latest News

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Creating a New Cybersecurity Paradigm for a Cloud-Based World

Scientists, mathematicians and engineers at APL are building a new cybersecurity paradigm that’s suited to the realities of how computing and collaborating are done in the 21st century. Their work has applications in health care, weapons systems and space, as well as in protecting critical infrastructure and industry generally.

Scientists Following a Dusty Tail to Shape the Story of DART’s Impact

Since NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft intentionally slammed into the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos on Sept. 26 — altering its orbit by 33 minutes — the investigation team has been digging into the implications of how this planetary defense technique could be used in the future, if such a need should ever arise. DART team members provided a preliminary interpretation of their findings during the American Geophysical Union’s Fall Meeting on Thursday, Dec. 15, in Chicago.

Phil Larson Named Chief Government Relations Officer

Phil Larson has been named as Johns Hopkins APL’s chief government relations officer. He brings 15 years of science and technology policy experience to APL, having served in senior positions in the White House, industry and academia.

Making a Volcanic Splash: Tonga Eruption Blasted Water Vapor into Outer Space

The eruption of the mostly submerged Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano on Jan. 15, 2022, was among the most powerful in the modern era, creating a massive planet-sized shockwave that reverberated around the globe for days. A new Johns Hopkins APL study shows for the first time that the explosion also blasted water vapor past the boundary of outer space.

APL Celebrates 80 Years of

Game-Changing Impact

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80th anniversary