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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![James Johnson and Danielle Nachman in APL’s PFAS research laboratory.]()
Learn more about Eliminating Forever ChemicalsEliminating 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." -
![Climate Security]()
Learn more about Climate SecurityClimate 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. -
![Johnny Matheny uses APL's Modular Prosthetic Limb (MPL) to take a drink]()
Learn more about Revolutionizing ProstheticsRevolutionizing 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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![APL neuroscience and connectomics researchers Caitlyn Bishop and Daniel Xenes examine data.]()
Learn more about Johns Hopkins APL Awarded NIH BRAIN CONNECTS Research Funding to Map Brain Circuits at the Resolution of a Single SynapsePress 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. -
![Radiative coolers]()
Learn more about Johns Hopkins APL Researchers Develop Advanced Material for Efficient Thermal ManagementNews
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. -
![Brain]()
Learn more about Awakening Interest in an Under-studied Brain SystemNews
Sep 28, 2023Awakening Interest in an Under-studied Brain System
Johns Hopkins APL scientists are working to advance our understanding of the glymphatic system — an under-studied waste clearance system for the brain — and the role it plays in sleep, memory consolidation, degenerative illnesses and more. -
![Peter Thielen touches a floating piece of ice]()
Learn more about Expanding eDNA Research and Physical Oceanography Into Critical Polar RegionsNews
Sep 12, 2023Expanding eDNA Research and Physical Oceanography Into Critical Polar Regions
On an exploratory trip to Antarctica, Johns Hopkins APL researchers delivered environmental DNA samples and physical oceanographic data that could provide insights into ecosystem dynamics in and around Earth’s southernmost continent. -
![Duran Keefe]()
Learn more about Human-Computer Interactions at Center of One Johns Hopkins APL Internship ExperienceNews
Aug 29, 2023Human-Computer Interactions at Center of One Johns Hopkins APL Internship Experience
Duran Keefe, a 2023 summer intern at APL, knows that people are a key part of any information system.
