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
Andrew Merkle Department Head, Research and Exploratory Development
Learn more about Andrew C. Merkle
Joan Hoffmann Mission Area Executive, Research and Exploratory Development
Learn more about Joan Hoffmann
Morgan Trexler Research Program Area Manager
Learn more about Morgan M. Trexler
Jeffrey Maranchi Exploration Program Area Manager
Learn more about Jeffrey MaranchiHighlights
Advancing Biomanufacturing for National Security
Researchers at APL are combining their technical expertise, creativity, and national security acumen to put biomanufacturing to work to make supply chains more secure, strengthen the defense industrial base, and produce materials wherever and whenever.
Learn more about Advancing Biomanufacturing for National Security
Revolutionizing Materials Discovery for National Security
APL is reimagining and accelerating the targeted discovery of materials tailored to withstand and perform in the most demanding conditions, ensuring enhanced capabilities in extreme environments.
Learn more about Revolutionizing Materials Discovery for National Security
Agile and Intelligent Robots
Developing novel controls for robotic systems operating safely in complex environments
Learn more about Agile and Intelligent Robots
Recent News
News
May 28, 2025
Johns Hopkins APL Celebrates Master Inventors as Beacons of Innovation
Kostas Gerasopoulos and Robert Osiander are APL’s newest Master Inventors — a select group of Laboratory staff members celebrated for careers focused on innovation and securing patents based on APL intellectual property.
News
May 27, 2025
Engineering Tomorrow’s Quantum Computers
Researchers have touted the revolutionary potential of quantum computers to take on otherwise intractable challenges, like modeling complex molecular behavior for drug discovery or factoring enormous numbers in use for cryptography schemes. But how such a computer would be created remains unclear. With help from Johns Hopkins APL, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is attempting to define, in practical terms, what a useful quantum computer looks like and how it must be built.
News
May 21, 2025
Nano-engineered Thermoelectrics Enable Scalable, Compressor-Free Cooling
Researchers at Johns Hopkins APL, in collaboration with Samsung Research, have unveiled a breakthrough in solid-state cooling technology, doubling the efficiency of today’s commercial systems. Driven by the Lab’s patented nano-engineered thin-film thermoelectric materials and devices, this innovation paves the way for compact, reliable and scalable cooling solutions that could potentially replace traditional compressors across a range of industries.
News
Apr 24, 2025
Accelerating Qubit Testing With Cosmic Rays on Demand
Scientists at Johns Hopkins APL have demonstrated a working capability that can radically accelerate the testing of critical quantum computing components, accomplishing in a matter of minutes what has previously taken days or even weeks.
News
Apr 3, 2025
Training Robots to Plan and React Like Humans
Johns Hopkins APL researchers are advancing robotic perception by using artificial intelligence to equip autonomous agents with the capacity to make sense of unstructured environments — and make plans just like humans.