Johns Hopkins APL

Johns Hopkins APL and Intuitive Machines Advance the Nation’s Cislunar Communications and Navigation Since formalizing a partnership last fall, APL and Intuitive Machines have made marked progress toward building communications and navigation systems to enable a sustained U.S. presence on and around ...

APL and Intuitive Machines are advancing lunar infrastructure to support NASA’s Artemis program and future national security operations. This joint work on communications and navigation systems will help sustain U.S. presence in cislunar space. https://jhuapl.link/95d

Johns Hopkins APL Names Watkins First Chief Mission Engineering and Integration Officer In the newly created role of APL chief mission engineering and integration officer, Christopher R. Watkins will lead efforts to strengthen cross-Laboratory collaboration, integrate multidisciplinary c...

APL has appointed Christopher R. Watkins as its first chief mission engineering and integration officer. He will lead Laboratory-wide efforts to strengthen collaboration and accelerate innovation for the nation’s most pressing security challenges. https://jhuapl.link/d8e

Johns Hopkins APL and Microsoft’s AI Agent Orchestrates Robotic Teams APL and Microsoft recently demonstrated an AI agent that can coordinate heterogeneous robot teams using large language models. The September demo highlighted how APL’s expertise in autonomy software a...

APL and @microsoft.com recently showcased MAESTRO, an agentic AI planner that coordinates diverse robot teams. The demo highlighted how large language models can help robotic systems collaborate in complex environments. https://jhuapl.link/976

APL building exterior with fall foliage, accompanied by a festive message on an orange gradient background saying 'APL wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving.'

Happy Thanksgiving from Johns Hopkins APL.

Standardizing Cyber Analytics to Secure Critical Infrastructure A Johns Hopkins APL team has developed a framework for standardizing alerts transmitted by cybersecurity systems defending critical infrastructure, dramatically improving the efficiency with which the...

APL developed BAS/CS, a framework that standardizes alerts across cybersecurity tools protecting critical infrastructure. It can integrate with existing security and event-management systems to help mitigate control-system cyber threats in real time, and at no cost. https://jhuapl.link/f47

Stadter Named Mission Area Executive for Theater Defense at Johns Hopkins APL Patrick Stadter has been appointed mission area executive for Theater Defense within the Air and Missile Defense Sector at APL. In this role, Stadter will lead efforts to deliver innovative solutions ...

Patrick Stadter has been named mission area executive for Theater Defense within APL’s Air and Missile Defense Sector. His extensive expertise in aerospace systems and national security will guide Lab teams currently developing technologies that protect U.S. and allied forces https://jhuapl.link/rsg

Johns Hopkins Team Breaks Through Quantum Noise A team from Johns Hopkins APL and Johns Hopkins University has broken new ground in understanding quantum noise — a major source of error in quantum computing. Their findings, published in Physical Re...

A team from Johns Hopkins APL and @jhu.edu has achieved a breakthrough in noise characterization in quantum systems, advancing efforts to manage errors in quantum computing and paving the way for more reliable quantum devices. https://jhuapl.link/11a

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 d...

Researchers at Johns Hopkins APL, in collaboration with DARPA, are developing methods to grow edible microbial food using nonpotable water, advancing future sustainment options for deployed personnel. https://jhuapl.link/1f5

New Robotic Arm Opens Doors to Explore Future of Maritime Repair Johns Hopkins APL has installed a state-of-the-art robotic arm to advance repair and manufacturing for the maritime industrial base. Using wire arc additive manufacturing and advanced sensing technolo...

Johns Hopkins APL has installed a new robotic arm that will enable research to advance maritime repair and manufacturing. The system could help strengthen fleet readiness, expand opportunities for future innovation in maritime industrial agility and reduce costs. https://jhuapl.link/u9j

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 ...

Johns Hopkins APL is applying AI and robotics to improve domestic manufacturing. With TETRA, developing new alloys for defense now takes days instead of months. https://jhuapl.link/078

Johns Hopkins APL Establishes AI Wargaming Lab to Boost Strategic National Security Analysis and Planning Support APL is fusing its analytic and cutting-edge AI capabilities into a forward-leaning incubator, known as GenWar Lab, that leverages advanced AI and large language model capabilities to support the warga...

APL is bringing the power of AI and advanced analytics to wargaming. GenWar Lab leverages advanced AI and LLM capabilities to support the wargames and tabletop exercises that enable military decision-makers to explore dynamic and wide-ranging mission scenarios. https://jhuapl.link/598

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.

APL researchers are applying quantum algorithms to accelerate complex analysis tasks that challenge classical computing, advancing next-generation approaches to information operations. https://jhuapl.link/06t

Journals and Conference Proceedings Research from APL experts is published in a number of peer-reviewed journals and in conference proceedings. Explore some highlights of our work.

Researchers from APL and Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering discovered that conventional image quality metrics don't reliably predict AI performance. The team developed a framework to enable the creation of metrics that better explain AI performance. https://jhuapl.link/published

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 tra...

Researchers at Johns Hopkins APL and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health are developing next-gen organoid platforms to study how repeated low-level blasts and other forms of brain trauma affect the brain, advancing protection and care for military personnel. https://jhuapl.link/026

Johns Hopkins APL engineers adapted battlefield-tested AI and upstream data fusion to enhance the precision and speed of breast cancer detection. Learn how combining multimodal data streams is revolutionizing diagnostic imaging.

Watch the full video: https://jhuapl.link/cjf

Standardizing Cyber Analytics to Secure Critical Infrastructure A Johns Hopkins APL team has developed a framework for standardizing alerts transmitted by cybersecurity systems defending critical infrastructure, dramatically improving the efficiency with which the...

APL’s BAS/CS framework is helping secure critical infrastructure by standardizing alerts across cybersecurity systems and vendors. The system is already in use by military operators. https://jhuapl.link/f47

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 ...

Researchers have touted the revolutionary potential of quantum computers to take on challenges from drug discovery to cryptography. With help from Johns Hopkins APL, DARPA‬ is working to define, in practical terms, what a useful quantum computer looks like. https://jhuapl.link/08s

NASA Launches IMAP Mission to Study the Heliosphere and Better Understand Space Weather NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:30 a.m. EDT.

NASA’s IMAP mission lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 at 7:30 a.m. EDT. Led by Princeton and operated by APL, IMAP will explore the heliosphere and provide critical data for space weather forecasting, which will help protect spacecraft, satellites and human explorers. https://jhuapl.link/d11

NASA’s IMAP Mission Passes Major Prelaunch Milestone NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) completed its Flight Readiness Review on Sept. 18, which certifies its readiness to initiate final launch preparation activities. IMAP is targ...

NASA’s IMAP mission has passed its Flight Readiness Review, which certifies its readiness to initiate final launch preparation activities. IMAP is targeting a launch date of Sept. 23 from Kennedy Space Center. IMAP will map the heliosphere and advance space weather science. https://jhuapl.link/85e

Today marks 78 years of service and dedication to advancing air and space superiority. Happy birthday to the United States Air Force.

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.

Johns Hopkins APL is revolutionizing metal manufacturing for defense. TETRA, an AI and robotics-driven effort at APL, is slashing the time it takes to design and test metallic components, cutting months of work down to days. https://jhuapl.link/078

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 ...

Researchers at APL and Samsung Research have unveiled a breakthrough in solid-state cooling, doubling the efficiency of today’s commercial materials. This 2025 R&D 100 Award-winning innovation could transform industries by replacing compressor-based refrigeration. https://jhuapl.link/ea6

Space Science Snapshots At APL, our space scientists and engineers strive every day to break new ground—through research, spacecraft and instrument designs, and much more.

Apollo 16 astronauts left footprints in unexpectedly fluffy lunar soil. APL’s Tyler Powell linked that to a thermal “cold spot” detected by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, showing how temp reveals hidden surface conditions & guides future human exploration. https://jhuapl.link/science-snapshot

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...

Researchers at Johns Hopkins APL are advancing robotic perception with agentic AI, enabling autonomous agents to make sense of unstructured environments and plan like humans, supporting warfighters and first responders in complex, off-road situations. https://jhuapl.link/b51

NASA’s Dragonfly Soaring Through Key Development, Test Activities NASA’s Dragonfly mission has cleared several key design, development and testing milestones and remains on track toward launch in July 2028.

NASA’s Dragonfly mission, built and managed by APL, is on schedule and on track for its 2028 launch. Each week brings progress: tests completed, hardware produced, software validated, analyses proven. The team is moving toward the 2026 start of integration and testing. https://jhuapl.link/4ac

Johns Hopkins APL has been recognized for the seventh consecutive year as one of @fastcompany.com’s Best Workplaces for Innovators. APL ranks in the top 50 worldwide for fostering innovation and bold ideas. https://jhuapl.link/47b

Mara Named Head of Force Projection Sector at Johns Hopkins APL Andrew Mara has been named head of the Force Projection Sector at APL. Mara joined APL in 2023 as the head of the National Security Analysis Department, where he led the development of advanced techni...

Johns Hopkins APL has named Andrew Mara as the new head of the Force Projection Sector. Mara is a widely recognized researcher and leader in defense, national security and related technologies. https://jhuapl.link/9e3

Thompson Named Mission Area Executive for National Security Analysis at Johns Hopkins APL Angela Thompson has been appointed National Security Analysis mission area executive at APL. Since joining the Lab in 2007, she has served in key leadership roles guiding programs that advance U.S. na...

Angela Thompson has been named mission area executive for National Security Analysis at Johns Hopkins APL. She brings years of strong leadership and technical expertise to this critical role. https://jhuapl.link/6b5

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 d...

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. https://jhuapl.link/1f5

At-Home ‘Retinal Selfies’ May Provide a Window on Health Researchers at Johns Hopkins APL and the Johns Hopkins Medicine Wilmer Eye Institute in Baltimore are designing a retinal imaging platform in the form of wearable eyeglasses that has the potential to ...

Researchers from Johns Hopkins APL and Johns Hopkins Medicine are creating a retinal imaging platform in the form of wearable eyeglasses. This work could increase access to imaging and generate data to improve diagnostic tools and accelerate research. https://jhuapl.link/qpx