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

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Morgan M. Trexler

Morgan Trexler Research Program Area Manager

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Jeffrey Maranchi

Jeffrey Maranchi Exploration Program Area Manager

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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


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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


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Agile and intelligent robots

Agile and Intelligent Robots

Developing novel controls for robotic systems operating safely in complex environments


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Recent News

Composite image of Kostas Gerasopoulos (left) and Robert Osiander (right)
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.
Learn more about Johns Hopkins APL Celebrates Master Inventors as Beacons of Innovation
Representation of quantum computing
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.
Learn more about Engineering Tomorrow’s Quantum Computers
A close-up look at the testing and ice build up on a CHESS-based thermoelectric device.
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.
Learn more about Nano-engineered Thermoelectrics Enable Scalable, Compressor-Free Cooling
Linear Accelerator Facility at APL (Credit: Johns Hopkins APL/Craig Weiman)
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.
Learn more about Accelerating Qubit Testing With Cosmic Rays on Demand
From left: Chris Korpela, Corban Rivera, Rohita Mocharla and Henry Phalen
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.
Learn more about Training Robots to Plan and React Like Humans

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