Collage of three different researchers

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 C. Merkle

Andrew Merkle Department Head, Research and Exploratory Development

Learn more about Andrew C. Merkle
Joan Hoffmann

Joan Hoffmann Mission Area Executive, Research and Exploratory Development

Learn more about Joan Hoffmann
Morgan M. Trexler

Morgan Trexler Research Program Area Manager

Learn more about Morgan M. Trexler
Jeffrey Maranchi

Jeffrey Maranchi Exploration Program Area Manager

Learn more about Jeffrey Maranchi
Highlights
A researcher experiments in APL’s biomanufacturing lab. (Credit: Johns Hopkins APL)

Advancing Biomanufacturing for National Security

Making supply chains more secure, strengthening the defense industrial base, and producing materials wherever and whenever


Learn more about Advancing Biomanufacturing for National Security
Visualization of machine learning

Revolutionizing Materials Discovery for National Security

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

Agile and Intelligent Robots

Developing novel controls for robotic systems operating safely in complex environments


Learn more about Agile and Intelligent Robots

Recent News

Furnace in APL's TETRA facility (Credit: Johns Hopkins APL)
News

Sep 17, 2025

An Accelerated Paradigm for Developing Mission-Critical Materials

Scientists and engineers at Johns Hopkins APL are applying artificial intelligence and robotics to dramatically accelerate the process of designing, testing and optimizing metallic components for the defense industrial base.
Learn more about An Accelerated Paradigm for Developing Mission-Critical Materials
Cornucopia program
News

Sep 3, 2025

Provisions From Pond Water? Researchers Leverage Biomanufacturing to Produce Food

Johns Hopkins APL researchers are exploring ways to produce food on demand by using readily available water to grow edible microbial products — an effort that could have significant implications for deployed military.
Learn more about Provisions From Pond Water? Researchers Leverage Biomanufacturing to Produce Food
CHESS materials
Press Release

Aug 21, 2025

Johns Hopkins APL’s Next-Generation Solid-State Refrigeration Technology Wins 2025 R&D 100 Award

APL researchers won a 2025 R&D 100 award for their nano-engineered materials called CHESS that significantly improve the efficiency of thermoelectric cooling devices. Their breakthrough nearly doubles the performance of traditional materials at room temperature, opening the way to much better cooling systems and energy-saving technologies.
Learn more about Johns Hopkins APL’s Next-Generation Solid-State Refrigeration Technology Wins 2025 R&D 100 Award
Illustration of a quantum algorithm (Credit: Johns Hopkins APL/Zac Swanson)
News

Aug 7, 2025

Johns Hopkins APL Takes a Quantum Approach to Tracking Online Trends

APL researchers have demonstrated that a quantum algorithm can be used to speed up an information analysis task that classical computers struggle to perform.
Learn more about Johns Hopkins APL Takes a Quantum Approach to Tracking Online Trends
Eyal Bar-Kochba, principal investigator of POSITRONIC, uses digital holographic microscopy to noninvasively monitor cellular injury without fluorescent tagging.
News

Jul 3, 2025

Johns Hopkins APL Develops Innovative Platform for Traumatic Brain Injury Research

A team of researchers from APL and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is developing next-generation brain organoid platforms to better understand the effects of mild blast-induced traumatic brain injuries caused by repeated low-level blasts.
Learn more about Johns Hopkins APL Develops Innovative Platform for Traumatic Brain Injury Research

Let’s Solve the Nation’s Challenges Together

Contact Us