The objective of the DARPA Young Faculty Award (YFA) program is to identify and engage researchers in junior faculty positions at U.S. academic and non-profit research institutions and expose them to national security needs and DARPA’s program development process.
The YFA program provides funding, mentoring and industry and national security contacts to awardees early in their careers so they may develop their research ideas in the context of national security needs. The long-term goal of the YFA program is to develop the next generation of academic scientists, engineers, and mathematicians who will focus a significant portion of their career on national security issues.
The annual research announcement seeking YFA applications is typically posted to the grants.gov, and sam.gov websites between August and September.
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YFA Awardees (2006 - 2025)
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Since the program’s inception in 2006, we have nurtured the careers of more than 500 researchers from universities and nonprofit institutions across the nation.
2025
| Principal Investigator | Institution | PM Mentor | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sebastian Kube | University of Wisconsin | Andrew Detor | OxyBot: Autonomous Platform to Develop Oxidation-Resistant Alloys for Defense Applications 100x Faster |
| Matthew Powell Palm | Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station | Keith Whitener | High entropy aqueous solutions for cryopreservation and beyond |
| William Putnam | University of California, Davis | Tabitha Dodson | Polaritoncatalyzed nuclear processes |
| Renee Zhao | Stanford University | Yannis Kevrekidis | SMART Spatiotemporal Metamaterials for Al guided wave Regulation via Thermal programming |
| Sho Takatori | Stanford University | Yannis Kevrekidis | Optogenetic control of programmable selfpropelled agents |
| Tuba Yavuz | University of Florida | Daniel Wallach | Constraint-Guided Local Fuzzing of Binaries |
| Bramwell Brizendine | The University of Alabama in Huntsville | Derek Bernsen | BEAST Binary Emulation and Analysis Simulation Technology for Advanced Malware Analysis and Anti-Forensic Countermeasures |
| Gioele Zardini | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Erica Briscoe | CHORDATE Categorical Hierarchical Optimization for Robust Design of Adaptive Technologies |
| Yuxiong Wang | University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign | Howard Shrobe | Agentic Multimodal Video Understanding with Unified Reasoning, Perception, and Generation |
| Andrea Bajcsy | Carnegie Mellon University | Matthew Marge | Unifying Uncertainty and Safety for Embodied Al Agents |
| Nicola Bezzo | The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia | Matthew Marge | LLM Embodiment for Collaborative Autonomy |
| Alexander Marder | Johns Hopkins University | Michael Lack | ASSURE Avoiding Sophisticated Surveillance on User equipment through Real-time Evaluation |
| Francesco Restuccia | Northeastern University | Nathaniel Bastian | RADAR Resource Aware Dynamic Adaptation for Resilient DNNs in Low SWaP Tactical Systems |
| Ryan Shandler | Georgia Institute of Technology | Victoria Romero | Combating Downstream Information Confidence Effects (CODICE) |
| Arun Mannodi Kanakkithodi | Purdue University | Anna Tauke-Pedretti | Accelerated Atomistic-Level Prediction of Material Synthesizability and Defect Behavior |
| David Burghoff | University of Texas at Austin | Justin Cohen | FLASHES Frequency Locked Arrays for Scalable High Energy Sources |
2024
| Principal Investigator | Institution | PM Mentor | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yang Lin | University of Rhode Island | Jeffrey Zaleski / Adam Willis | Precision in Miniature: Revolutionizing MPS with Digital Acoustofluidics and Nanoscale 3D Printing |
| Jinghua Li | The Ohio State University | Pedro Irazoqui / Adam Willis / Joeanna Arthur | Spatially resolved, non-genetic optoelectronic modulation of neuronal activities with a monolithic photoelectrode |
| Samuel Oliveira | North Carolina A&T State University | Tiffany Prest / Christopher Bettinger | Spatial-temporal Dynamics for Predictive Multiscale Models of Multi-cellular Circuit |
| Aashish Manglik | University of California San Francisco | Michael Feasel | Targeting allosteric sites for seek and destroy countermeasures for opioid poisoning |
| Craig Wilen | Yale University | Tiffany Prest | Rapid Identification of Viruses and Ligands (RIVAL) |
| Laura Kim | University of Florida | Mukund Vengalattore | Room-Temperature Strong Coupling in Intercalated 2D Plasmonic Systems |
| Maria Sakovsky | Stanford University | Andrew Detor | Embodied Structural Computing for Real-Time Stiffness Adaptation |
| Yiyang Li | University of Michigan | Keith Whitener | EMI-resilient nonvolatile memory using oxygen ion devices |
| Jairo Alberto Diaz Amaya | Rochester Institute of Technology | Keith Whitener | Osmotic Signalers for Functional Materials |
| Alexandra Paterson | University of Kentucky | Keith Whitener / Susan Swithenbank | Converting underwater noise pollution into electricity: Acoustic sensors to make informed decisions for unmanned underwater vehicles |
| Saad Bhamla | Georgia Tech Research Corporation | Kevin Sloan / Susan Swithenbank | Squid-Inspired Nozzles for Enhanced Efficiency and Thrust in Rotary Propulsors |
| Stephanie Gil | Harvard University | Nathaniel Bastian | Characterizing and Mitigating Adversarial Impacts on Multiagent Reinforcement Learning |
| Mahdi Hosseini | Northwestern University | Sunil Bhave | Coherent Levitation of Macroscopic Sensors |
| Patricia Alves-Oliveira | Regents of the University of Michigan | Thomas Schenkel | Authenticity Markers in Artist-Robot Interaction |
| Haizhao Yang | University of Maryland College Park | Yannis Kevrekidis | Theoretical and Algorithmic Foundation of Interpretable Reinforcement Learning for Intelligent Computation and Modeling |
| Peng Bai | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Yannis Kevrekidis | Deep Learning for Discovering Optimal, Synthesizable Inorganic Porous Materials |
| Shaofeng Zou | Arizona State University | Nathaniel Bastian/ Alvaro Velasquez | Continual Reinforcement Learning: Forgetting, Generalization and Robustness |
| Jia (Kevin) Liu | Ohio State University | Nathaniel Bastian/ Alvaro Velasquez | Decentralized Sequential Decision Making in the Data-Limited Regime: A Self-Supervised Pretrained Foundation Model Approach |
2023
| Principal Investigator | Institution | PM Mentor | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weinan Xu | University of Akron | Catherine Campbell | Hierarchical Biocomposites with Exceptional Thermal Conductivity from Synergistic Microbial Biosynthesis |
| Ryan Truby | Northwestern University | Catherine Campbell | Biocompatible Soft Batteries via Bundles of Axon-Inspired, lonogel Composite Fibers |
| Aaron Morris | University of Michigan | Christopher Bettinger | Implantable Tissues with Engineered Cells to Detect and Fight Sepsis |
| Joerg Werner | Boston University | William Mounfield / Leonard Tender | Ultrathin Sorbent Coatings with Bio-inspired Multi-ligand Binding Sites for Energy-efficient Capture and Release of Carbon Dioxide |
| Timothy Balmer | Arizona State University | Roozbeh Jafari | The Role of Descending Auditory Signals in Neuronal Hyperactivity and Tinnitus |
| Hongyu Zhou | University of Tennessee, Knoxville | Tiffany Prest | Moss-Embedded Living Building Materials for Acre-scale Landscape Cooling |
| Andrew Gross | University of South Carolina | Andrew Detor | Extraction of many Material Properties from Analysis of a few data rich experiments |
| Ian McCue | Northwestern University | Andrew Detor | Learning Material Properties Through High-Speed Image Acquisition During Subtractive Machining |
| Justin Little | University of Washington | Tiffany Prest / Michael Nayak | Power Extraction from Mini-Magnetosphere Polarization Fields |
| Mattias Fitzpatrick | Dartmouth | Mukund Vengalattore | Non-Reciprocal Lattices of High-Q Microwave cavities for Enhanced Magnetometry |
| Rahim Esfandyarpour | University of California, Irvine | Sunil Bhave | Wireless, self-powered, triboelectric-nanogenerator-resonance force sensing array |
| Talia Ringer | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Nathaniel Bastian / Alvaro Velasquez | Relation Learning for Proof Automation - PRICELESS |
| Priyadarshini Panda | Yale University | Howard Shrobe | µMAS: Micro-Macro Hardware-Algorithm Architecture Search for Edge Efficiency |
| Aatmesh Shrivastava | Northeastern University | Howard Shrobe | Nano-Watt Power Machine-Learning Hardware using Precision Analog Computing |
| Elias Bareinboim | Columbia University | Howard Shrobe | Causal Reinforcement Learning (CRL): Decisions, Explanations, and Generalizations |
| Shon Cook | SRI International | Nathaniel Bastian / John-Francis Mergen | Vehicular Reconfiguration and Rapid Repairs for Remote, Outlying Operations using ML (VRRRROOM) |
| Maria Gorlatova | Duke University | Matthew Wilding | Runtime Identification of Detrimental Augmented Reality (AR) Experiences through AR-specific Quality of Experience (QoE) Modeling and Monitoring |
2022
| Principal Investigator | Institution | PM Mentor | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jerzy Szablowski | Rice University | Linda Chrisey | Therapeutics for Rapid Cold Adaptation - Beyond the Natural Human Capability |
| Congrui Grace Jin | University Nebraska-Lincoln | Matthew Pava | Creating a Synthetic Lichen |
| Yun Chen | Johns Hopkins University | Matthew Pava | Fibrosis, Inflammation, Revascularization, and Migration (FIRM) Modulation for Muscle Regeneration |
| Shelly Zhang | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Roozbeh Jafari | Wireless Magnetic Robot for Precise Hierarchical Control of Next-Generation Mechanotherapy for Tissue Regeneration and Injury Repair |
| Hang Yu | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | Andrew Detor | Autonomous Solid-State Additive Repair of Aerospace Grade Aluminum Through In Situ Laser Acoustic Resonance Spectroscopic Measurement of Interface Strength |
| Owen Miller | Yale University | Jinendra Ranka | Fundamental limits to electromagnetic nonreciprocity via generalized conservation laws |
| Farnaz Niroui | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Keith Whitener | Mechanical Neuromorhpic Metamaterials for Multifunctional Nanosystems |
| Maxim Shcherbakov | University of California, Irvine | Mukund Vengalattore | Strongly Correlated Material Systems and Sensors |
| Yan Shoshitaishvili | Arizona State University | Derek Bernsen | Shining Light on Occluded Vulnerabilities |
| Yinzhi Cao | Johns Hopkins University | Derek Bernsen | Abstract Modeling of Control- and Data-flow Guards of Inactive Vulnerabilities via Symbolic Object Graph |
| Ankur Mehta | University of California, Los Angeles | Howard Shrobe | Printable Mechanical Autonomy |
| Dorsa Sadigh | Stanford University | Matthew Marge | Learning and Influencing Conventions in Human-Machine Collaboration |
| Mohsen Lesani | University of California, Riverside | Matthew Wilding | Information and Vulnerability Flow Type Systems |
| Amir Houmansadr | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Mike Lack | Towards Theoretical Foundations for Information Controls |
| Syed Rafiul Hussain | Pennsylvania State University | Tejas Patel | Automated Reasoning and Repairing Framework for Systematic Assurance of 5G RAN Systems |
| Ying Wang | Stevens Institute of Technology | Tejas Patel | 5G Causality, Formal Reasoning and Resilience |
| Cody Buntain | University of Maryland College Park | Victoria Romero | M31 - Maps, Models, and Metrics for Influence Efforts by State/Non-State Actors |
| Tim Horn | North Carolina State University | Andrew Detor | Electron Interactions with Microstructures and Defects During Additive Manufacturing |
2021
| Principal Investigator | Institution | PM Mentor | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Medina | The Pennsylvania State University | Christopher Bettinger | Enhancing the Ambient Stability of Biologics through Fluorous Dispersion |
| Johnatan Aljadeff | University of California San Diego | Gopal Sarma | Electrical coupling between sensory receptor neurons: a shortcut mechanism for swift execution of a motor program |
| Achuta Kadambi | The Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles | JP Chretien | MMHEALTH: Multimodal Health Sensing to Identify COVID-19 Signatures |
| Todd Gaines | Colorado State University | Kristen Jordan | RNA-targeting to control invasive plant species |
| Deva Chan | Purdue University | Lenny Tender | Microbiome Regulation of Glycosaminoglycan in the Synovial Joint |
| Jie Fu | University of Florida | Jinendra Ranka | Game-Theoretic Reasoning and Synthesis of Defense with Strategic Deception and Counter-Deception |
| Katerina Fragkiadaki | Carnegie Mellon University | Lael Rudd | From 3D Perception to Spatial Intelligence: Self-supervising Hierarchical Neural 3D Perceptual Simulators for Transfering Learned Physics and Policies across Views, Objects, Scenes and Tasks |
| Jason Lo | The University Corporation at CSUN | Lael Rudd | A homological approach to machine reasoning |
| Ayaskanta Sahu | New York University | Mukund Vengalattore | Exploiting strong coupling between colloidal quantum dots and avalanche amorphous-selenium for high performance hybrid mid-wave infrared sensors and detectors |
| Jie Gao | Missouri University of Science and Technology | Rohith Chandrasekar | Upconversion photoluminescence from 2D materials with strain-enabled broadband operation |
| Thomas J. Kempa | Johns Hopkins University | William Carter | Multifunctional Exoskeletons from Robust and Responsive 2D Molecular Frameworks |
| Rachel Cummings | Columbia University | Daniel Wallach | Guarding Against User Misperceptions of Differential Privacy |
| Hao Zhang | Colorado School of Mines | John-Francis Mergen | Autonomous Group Introspective Learning and coopEitition (AGILE) for Cross-Capability Multi-Robot Adaptation |
| Paul Gazzillo | University of Central Florida | Mark Flood | Tracking Corporate Relationships at Scale |
| Georgios Portokalidis | Stevens Institute of Technology | Sergey Bratus | Effective Software Monitoring Leveraging Hardware Debugging Extensions |
| Mark Finlayson | Florida International University | Victoria Romero | Computational Narrative Representations for Information Operations |
| Tingyi Gu | University of Delaware | Anna Tauke-Pedretti | Chiral exceptional point manifested active tuning in intergrated photonics |
| Kai Ni | Rochester Institute of Technology | Jason Wo0 | A Material-Device-Circuit Co-Design of Reliable and Logic-Compatible Hfo2 based Ferroelectric FET |
2020
| Principal Investigator | Institution | PM Mentor | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warda Ashraf | The University of Texas at Arlington | Catherine Campbell | Recreated Roman concrete (RRC) using alkali-activated Calcined Clay |
| Daniel Kulp | The Wistar Institute | Kristen Jordan | A machine learning algorithm to accelerate development of in vivo DNA-vectored antibody countermeasures for the warfighter |
| Mehdi Javanmard | Rutgers University | Leonard Tender | Lab-on-a-Microparticle: Injectable Wirelessly Powered Label-free Nanowell Sensors for In Vivo Quantification of Protein and Small Molecules |
| Mark Blenner | Clemson University | Linda Chrisey | Embedding bio-sentinels in the indoor microbiome to remediate airborne threats |
| Ishan Chattopadhyay | The University of Chicago | Bartlett Russell | Quantification of Cognitive Dissonance via Recursive Decision Forests |
| Andrew Schwartz | Stony Brook University | Bartlett Russell | DiReCCT Dissonance: Quantifying Relations in Human Beliefs using Deep Learning and Computational Linguistics. |
| Pierluigi Nuzzo | University of Southern California | Jinendra Ranka | Scalable Exploration of Al-Enabled, Reliable, and Cost- Effective Architectures (SEARCH) |
| Edmon Perkins | North Carolina State University | Vishnu Sundaresan | Flexible Reservoir Computing Tensegrity Robots |
| Jordan Raney | University of Pennsylvania | Vishnu Sundaresan | Distributed intelligence in kirigami-inspired flexible architectures |
| Meredith Silberstein | Cornell University | Vishnu Sundaresan | Theory and Realization of Bioinspired Polyelectrolyte-Based Soft Matter Circuits |
| Hang Ren | Miami University | William Carter | Nanoscale revelation of the nucleation of corrosion |
| Florian Schaub | Regents of the University of Michigan | Joshua Baron | Enabling Comparative Analysis of Privacy Expectation-Risk Misalignments in Exposure-sensitive Populations |
| Michelle Mazurek | University of Maryland | Joshua Baron | Generalizing to Understudied Populations Through the Lens of Key Privacy Challenges |
| James Fairbanks | Georgia Tech Research Institute | Joshua Elliott | Model Aware Computing with Scientific Categories |
| Benjamin Gyori | President and Fellows of Harvard College | Joshua Elliott | Collaborative scientific discovery with semantically linked machine-built models |
| Julian Rrushi | Oakland University | Tejas Patel | A Quest for the Physics of Cyberspace |
| Wenjuan Zhu | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Benjamin Griffin | Advanced Tandem Gate Dielectrics for High-Temperature Electronics |
| Jon Ihlefeld | University of Virginia | Benjamin Griffin | Resilient epitaxial gate oxides for high performing |
| Yahya Tousi | Regents of the University of Minnesota | James Wilson | Wideband and interference-resilient mixed mode time transfer for distributed radios |
| Quntao Zhuang | Arizona Board of Regents, University of Arizona | Joe Altepeter | Distributed quantum sensor networks enhanced by quantum error correction |
2019
| Principal Investigator | Institution | PM Mentor | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colleen Doherty | North Carolina State University | Blake Bextine | Strategic Design and Development of a Plant Bio-mining System to Sustainably Harvest Rare Earth Elements from Domestic U.S. Sources |
| Parijat Bhatnagar | SRI International | Eric Van Gieson | Remote Regulation of Cellular Medicine with Extracorporeal Devices |
| Yu Yao | Arizona State University | Lori Adornato | Underwater Polarization Navigation Based on Chip-integrated Full-stokes Polarization Imaging System |
| Keriann Backus | University of California, Los Angeles | Tristan McClure-Begley | Covalent Modulators of Proteostasis |
| Nick Vamivakas | University of Rochester | Joseph Altepeter | Quantum Concepts in Classical Optics |
| Denys Bondar | Tulane University | Joseph Altepeter | Quantum Reservoir Engineering Inspired Classical Optical Technology |
| Pierre-Emmanuel Gaillardon | University of Utah | Mark Wrobel | Smart City Threat Detection Using Integrated Chemical Sensing and Machine Learning |
| Corie Cobb | University of Washington | William Carter | Additive Manufacturing for High-Energy-and-Power Multi-Functional 3D Batteries |
| Tudor Dumitras | University of Maryland | Joshua Baron | Transferable Factors of Updating Behavior for Predicting Vulnerability of Patching and Exploitation |
| Simon Garnier | New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) | Joshua Elliott | Ant Colonies as an Animal Model to Understand the Economic, Environmental and Conflictive Drivers of Mass Migrations |
| Walter Lasecki | University of Michigan | Joshua Elliott | Hybrid Intelligent Agents for Deploying Robust Al Systems |
| Matthew Hicks | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | Keith Rebello / Lok Yan | Digital Techniques for Exposing and Eliminating Information Hidden in SRAM's Analog Domain |
| Omar Haider Chowdhury | University of Iowa | Raymond Richards | A Principled Approach to Identifying Cellular Network Attacks |
| Jeff Huang | Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station | Sergey Bratus | SmartScript: A Learning-based Approach to Static Type and Semantic Inconsistency Analysis of Dynamic Scripts (and Other Semi-Structured Code) |
| Jeehwan Kim | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Whitney Mason/ Anna Tauke-Pedretti | Dislocation-free heteroepitaxy of IR devices by remote epitaxy |
| Amir Safavi-Naeini | Stanford University | Gordon Keeler | A General and Ultra high-performance Platform for Nonlinear Photonics |
| Qing Li | Carnegie Mellon University | Gordon Keeler | Visible and mid-infrared frequency comb generation in wide-bandgap photonic materials |
| Chung-Tse Michael Wu | Rutgers University | James Wilson | Metamaterial Integrated Ultra-Broadband Antenna Array with Embedded Reconfigurable Non-Foster Circuits |
2018
| Principal Investigator | Institution | PM Mentor | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrea L'Afflitto | University of Oklahoma | Phillip Root | A bio-inspired approach to fly undetected in cluttered environments |
| Chuanhua Duan | Boston University | Paul Sheehan | Replicating Neurotransmission Using 3D Nanofluidic Devices with Nanoparticle Blockage Enabled Voltage Gated Nanopore Arrays |
| Daniele Schiavazzi | University of Notre Dame | Peter Erbland | Unified Bayesian Networks for Uncertain Inputs and Partial Model Ensembles |
| Ehsan Elhamifar | Northeastern University | Jennifer Roberts | RAISS: Robust, Adaptive, Interactive and Scalable Summarization for Big Data |
| Elizabeth Sattely | Stanford University | Blake Bextine | Engineering a Plant Chassis for Rapid and Scalable Production of Small Molecule Therapeutics |
| Evgueni Filipov | University of Michigan | Ronald Polcawich | Functional Small Scale Actuation with Origami Inspired Assemblages |
| Haori Yang | Oregon State University | Mark Wrobel | Nanocrystalline Semiconductors for Radiation Detection |
| Heather Kulik | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Anne Fischer | Adaptive-focus topological features for machine-learning-driven discovery of 2D coordination polymers |
| Hua Wang | Georgia Institute of Technology | Timothy Hancock | MAXIMA: Multi-Mode Hybrid Power Amplifier with EXtreme Instantaneous Bandwitdth and Recursive Scalable Marchand-Doherty Load Modulation Network |
| Hun-Seok Kim | University of Michigan | Neil Fox / Michael Fiddy | Hyper-Dimensional Modulation for Robust Low-Latency Low-Power IoT Networks |
| Hyung Bae | Howard University | Hava Siegelmann / Michael Fiddy | Polymer based replicated multi-modal fiber Bragg grating (FBG) for Fentanyl detection |
| Jeremy Munday | University of Maryland | Michael Fiddy | Engineering the Quantum Vacuum |
| Jonathan Klamkin | University of California, Santa Barbara | Gordon Keeler | Attojoule Sources for Photonic Integrated Circuits (ASPIC) |
| Juejun Hu | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Gordon Keeler | Reconfigurable Energy-efficient Chip-scale Optical Network: Beyond the Classical Figure-of-merit (RECONFig) |
| Seth Caliga | SRI International | John Burke / Thomas Ehrenreich | Integrated Magnetic BEC Formation and Loading of an Optical Waveguide Trap for Atomic Inertial Sensing |
| Kaushik Sengupta | Princeton University | Timothy Hancock | Generalized Assymetrical Multi-port mm-Wave Power Amplifier Architecture for Simultaneous Frequency and Back-off Re-configurability |
| Mac Schwager | Stanford University | Paul Zablocky | Decentralized Tactical Modular Teaming for Real-World UAS Networks |
| Markita Landry | University of California, Berkeley | Alfred Emondi | Brain Chemical Signaling: A New Input Signal for Brain-Computer Interfaces |
2017
| Principal Investigator | Institution | PM Mentor | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maren Vitousek | Cornell University | Adam Russell | Uncovering the mechanistic links between stressor exposure, the social environment, and future performance |
| James Watson | Oregon State University | Adam Russell | Comparing Micro-Macro Dynamics and Control Across Social-like Systems Using Equation Free Modeling |
| Liang Guo | The Ohio State University | Al Emondi | Implantable, Programmable Integrated Cellular Circuits |
| Andrew Nuss | University of Nevada, Reno | Anne Cheever | Development of strategies to target key mosquito host-seeking factors governing human host preference |
| Shelley Claridge | Purdue University | Anne Fischer | Translating Molecular Assembly in the Cell Membrane to nanoscopic Graphene Devices |
| David Cook | Kansas State University | Blake Bextine | Transcriptome engineering for enhanced agronomic defense, response and performance |
| Mykel Kochenderfer | Stanford University | Hava Siegelmann | Modular Representations and Coordination for Lifelong Learning |
| Mohit Bansal | The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Hava Siegelmann | Dynamically Revising Neural Networks via Commonsense and Conversational Feedback |
| Mark Fuge | University of Maryland | Jan Vandenbrande | Topology and Synthesis of Design Manifolds |
| Stefanie Jegelka | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MAJ Charlton Lewis | The Promise of Diversity: Geometry, Probability, Optimization and Machine Learning |
| Amir Ali Ahmadi | Princeton University | MAJ Charlton Lewis | Exploiting Geometry in the Design of Scalable Algebraic Relaxations for Nonconvex Polynomial Optimization |
| Lizhen Lin | University of Notre Dame | MAJ Charlton Lewis | Topological, Geometric and Statistical Foundations of Dynamic networks |
| Paul Bogadan | University of Southern California | MAJ Charlton Lewis | Data Driven Modeling Inference and Control of Complex Time Varying Networks A Statistical Physics Approach |
| Howard (Ho Wai) Lee | Baylor University | Michael Fiddy | Ultrafast nonlinear epsilon-near-zero optics in active conducting oxide metasurfaces |
| Zubin Jacob | Purdue University | Michael Fiddy | Reasonance Energy Transfer Model of No-Harmonic Light |
| Zongfu Yu | University of Wisconsin, Madison | Michael Fiddy | Physics-guided Machine Learning for the Inverse Design of Metasurfaces |
| Alexander Green | Arizona State University | Paul Sheehan | Artificial Ribosomes for Fully Programmable Synthesis of Nonribosomal Peptides |
| Yaniv Erlich | Columbia University in the City of New York | Renee Wegrzyn | Resistant and scalable storage using semi-synthetic DNA |
2016
| Principal Investigator | Institution | PM Mentor | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sumeet Kumar Gupta | Pennsylvania State University / (Sub) Purdue | Kerry Bernstein | Ultra-Low Power Non-Volatile Processors Enabled by Ferroelectric Transistors |
| Hanna Cho | Ohio State University | Ronald Polcawich | Tailoring structural nonlinearity to manipulate mechanical resonances |
| James Manimala | Oklahoma State University | Ronald Polcawich | Metamaterials-Inspired Nonlinear and Inertant MEMS Devices |
| Jennifer Kitchen | Arizona State University | Timothy Hancock | Hybrid Silicon/GaN-Based Digital Transmitter Hardware for Realizing Wideband Transmitter-to-Antenna Interfaces |
| Jacob Adams | North Carolina State University | Troy Olson | Modeling and Characterization of Wideband Communications Via Narrowband Channels Using Direct Modulation |
| Jing (Jane) Li | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Linton Salmon | Liquid Silicon: A New Computing Paradigm Enabled by Monolithic 3D cross-point memory |
| Dae Hyun Kim | Washington State University | Linton Salmon | Design of High-Performance Multi-Tier Monolithic 3D Microarchitecture |
| Matthew Hirn | Michigan State University | Fariba Fahroo | Deep Wavelet Scattering for Quantum Many Body Physics |
| Imre (Risi) Kondor | University of Chicago | Fariba Fahroo | Multiresolution Machine Learning for Molecular Modeling |
| Suchi Saria | Johns Hopkins University | Hava Siegelmann | A Novel Modular Probabilistic Architecture for Individualized Reasoning |
| Amin Karbasi | Yale University | Hava Siegelmann | Efficient Learning of Human Intent from Observations |
| James Boedicker | University of Southern California | Jim Gimlett | Robustness of collective behavior in heterogeneous microbial networks |
| Xiang Cheng | University of Minnesota | Jim Gimlett | Studying the emergent collective flows of active fluids using engineered bacterial strains |
| Shu Jia | Stony Brook University, State University of New York | Michael Fiddy | Wavefront-Engineered, High-Speed Super-Resolution Microscopy for Nanometer-Scale, Live-Tissue Imaging |
| Fang Huang | Purdue University | Michael Fiddy | 3D Super-resolution Imaging of Intact Animals |
| Alon A. Gorodetsky | University of California, Irvine | Jan Vandenbrande | Reconfigurable Cephalopod-Inspired Smart Materials for Soldier Health |
| Emilio Ferrara | University of Southern California Information Sciences Institute (USC ISI) | Adam Russell | Modeling Individual Trajectories and Incentives in Gamified Techno-social Environments |
| Casper Harteveld | Northeastern University | Adam Russell | Personalized and Crowdsourced Scenario Generation |
| Zhimin Xi | University of Michigan | Jan Vandenbrande | New Theory in Model-Based Design: A Design Foundation Driven by Probability of Design Errors |
2015
| Principal Investigator | Institution | PM Mentor | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swaroop Ghosh | University of South Florida | Kerry Bernstein | Threshold-Defined Switches for Novel Logic Engines |
| Caleb Fulton | University of Oklahoma | Troy Olsson | A Multi-Tiered, Systematic Approach to Digital Array Interference Mitigation |
| Patrick Mercier | UCSD | Troy Olsson | A Dynamically Reconfigurable DC-RF Power Inverter Fully Integrated in CMOS |
| Srabanti Chowdhury | Arizona State University | Timothy Hancock | Ultimate high power vertical transistors for RF application using GaN and Diamond |
| Barry Rand | Princeton University | Troy Olsson | Compound Semiconductors for Transient Electronic and Optoelectronic Systems |
| Tengfei Luo | University of Notre Dame | Avram Bar-Cohen | Nanostructure Enabled Thermal Boundary Resistance Reduction across GaN-Substrate Interfaces |
| Kiersten Kerby-Patel | The University of Massachusetts, Boston | Dev Palmer | HIStrip: a Guided-Wave Framework for Low-Profile Antennas with High Impedance Ground Planes |
| Zhiru Zhang | Cornell University | Linton Salmon | Scale-Out Design Automation for Highly Productive Hardware Specialization |
| Janelle Ayres | The Salk Institute for Biological Studies | COL Matthew Hepburn, MD | Discovery of tolerance mechanisms: New therapeutics for infectious diseases |
| Amanda Jamieson | Brown University | COL Matthew Hepburn, MD | Influence of the lung microbiome on tolerance to pulmonary infections |
| Semiha Ergan | New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering | Justin Gallivan | Neuroscience for Architecture: Quantification of Human Responsiveness in Static and Responsive Built Environments |
| Xue Han | Boston University | Al Emondi | New Tools and Principles for Understanding the Biophysical Mechanisms of Ultrasound Neuromodulation |
| David Borton | Brown University | Al Emondi | Restoring balance and locomotion via model-driven sensory stimulation within dynamic and diverse environments |
| Stephen David | Oregon Health and Science University | Brad Ringeisen | Representation of natural sounds in the active auditory system |
| Stefanie Tellex | Brown University | Hava Siegelmann | Reducing Errors in Human-Robot Communication with Real-Time Feedback |
| Stephen R. Niezgoda | Ohio State University | John Main | Computational Design Tools for Qualifying Uncertainty Due to Material Variability |
| George Konidaris | Duke University | Hava Siegelmann | Bridging the Gap between Low-level Robot Control and Flexible High-level Task Planning |
| Amy LaViers | University of Illinois | Hava Siegelmann | Choreography of Embodied, Platform-invariant Motion Primitives |
| Xiaobo Yin | University of Colorado | Anne Fischer | Super-resolution Photoacoustic Wavefront Shaping (SuperPAWS) |
2014
| Principal Investigator | Institution | PM Mentor | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panagiotis Artemiadis | Arizona State University | JC Lede | Optimizing human supervision of multi-agent systems |
| Spring Berman | Arizona State University | JC Lede | Specification and Control of Customizable Multi-Robot Systems for Distributed Sensing and Cooperative Manipulation |
| Emily Falk | University of Pennsylvania | Adam Russell | Neural mechanisms of influence, deterrence and message propagation |
| Necmiye Ozay | University of Michigan | Fariba Fahroo | Dynamics-based information extraction: a hybrid systems approach |
| Jarvis Haupt | University of Minnesota | Fariba Fahroo | Model-Based Matrix Completion: A Paradigm for Imputation, Fusion, and Inference from Multi-modal Data |
| Yang Jiao | Arizona State University | Michael Maher | Integrated Computational Scheme for the Characterization, Modeling and Prediction of Microstructure Evolution and Fatigue Response in Titanium Alloys |
| Michael Sangid | Purdue University | Fariba Fahroo | Predictive Materials Science and Fatigue Life Prognosis |
| Clair Sullivan | University of Illinois | Mark Wrobel | A New Approach to Stand-off Detection of Special Nuclear Material using Big Data Analysis |
| Carlos Romero-Talamas | University of Maryland Baltimore County | Vincent Tang | Simulations of spheromak formation and sustainment from multi-pulse helicity injection |
| Mikhail Shapiro | California Institute of Technology | Fariba Fahroo | Selective Ultrasonic Bioswitches for Precise Local Modulation of Physiology |
| Amin Arbabian | Stanford University | Fariba Fahroo | Highly Miniaturized Deep-Tissue Wireless Implants with Acoustic Power and Data Links |
| Christopher Bettinger | Carnegie Mellon University | Daniel Wattendorf / Douglas Weber | Orthogonal Parameterization of Bioinspired Peripheral Nerve Interface Materials |
| Andrea Tao | University of California, San Diego | Prem Kumar | Plasmonic Nanoprobes for Neuronal Monitoring |
| Rajesh Rao Nadakuditi | University of Michigan | Fariba Fahroo | Topological methods for uncovering hidden structure in neural activity and connectivity |
| Ovijit Chaudhuri | Stanford Unviersity | Tyler McQuade | Hierarchically Structured Hybrid Biopolymer Hydrogels for Treatment of Traumatic Injuries on the Battlefield and to Promote Long-Term Tissue Regeneration |
| Aaron Esser-Kahn | University of California, Irvine | Tyler McQuade | Morphogenetic systems for adaption in complex materials |
| Tak-Sing Wong | Pennsylvania State University | Douglas Weber | Mind-Controllable Interfacial Materials |
| Vivienne Sze | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Joseph Cross | Energy-Efficient Embedded Vision Systems |
2013
| Principal Investigator | Institution | PM Mentor | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Brustad | The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Justin Gallivan | Expanding Enzyme Catalysis Through Non-natural Amino Acids and Cofactors |
| Cullen Buie | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Justin Gallivan | Enabling Novel Chassis for Synthetic Biology |
| Bradley Bundy | Brigham Young University | Justin Gallivan | A Cell-free Synthetic Biology Approach to Expand the Language of Biology |
| Fuzhong Zhang | Washington University in St. Louis | Justin Gallivan | Biosynthesis of Non-Natural Fatty Acids for the Production of Chemicals and Advanced Biofuels |
| Sheng Shen | Carnegie Mellon University | Avram Bar-Cohen/ Joe Cross | Compliant and Thermally Conductive Ordered Nanostructures for Next Generation Thermal Interface Materials |
| Mustafa Akbulut | Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station | Avram Bar-Cohen/ Joe Cross | Next-Generation Solders Involving Dispersion of Soft Ligand Functionalized Boron Nitride Nanoribbons or Nanosheets in Alloys as Thermal Interface Materials (TIMs) |
| Konstantin Zeldovich | University of Massachusetts Medical School | Jim Gimlett | Robust Analysis and Prediction of Influenza Reassortment (RAPIER) |
| Hai (Helen) Li | University of Pittsburgh | Dan Hammerstrom | An Adaptive Information Processing System Resilient to Device Variations and Noises |
| Omer Oralkan | North Carolina State University | Lt.Col. Daniel Wattendorf | An Ultrasound-Based Noninvasive Neural Interface to the Retina |
| Elliot Hui | The Regents of the University of California, Irvine | Lt. Col. Daniel Wattendorf | Directed Evolution of Phytochrome Absorption Spectra for Multichannel Optogenetic Cellular Interfaces |
| Polina Anikeeva | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Lt.Col. Daniel Wattendorf | Nanoparticle-Enabled Sensitivity of Specific Neurons to Alternating Magnetic Fields for Targeted Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation |
| Pieter Abbeel | The Regents of the University of California | Gill Pratt | Supervised Autonomy for Robotic Manipulation |
| Andrea Thomaz | Georgia Tech Research Corporation | Gill Pratt | Object-Level Communication for Human-Robot Motion Generation |
| Edwin Olson | The Regents of the University of Michigan | Gill Pratt | Mutual Modeling for Human/Robot Teaming with Minimal Communications" |
| Sangbae Kim | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Gill Pratt | A Disaster Response Robot Capable of Power Manipulation |
| Walter Voit | The University of Texas at Dallas | Douglas Weber | Smart Polymer Devices for Chronic Multifascicular Microstimulation |
| Nuh Gedik | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Prem Kumar | Time, Energy and Momentum Resolved Probing of Ultrafast Dynamics in Quantum Materials |
| Chris Marianetti | The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York | Jim Gimlett | MicNovel functionality in Oxides via Jahn-Teller lons: a DFT+DMFT Study |
2012
| Principal Investigator | Institution | PM Mentor | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dirk Englund | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Prem Kumar | Chip-Integrated Timing and Inertial Measurement Using Electron Spins in Diamond |
| Harmut Haeffner | University of California, Berkeley | Prem Kumar | Interfacing Trapped lons With a Tank Circuit for Hybrid Quantum Devices |
| Benjamin Lev | Stanford University | Prem Kumar | Quantum Brazovskii Physics via Fully Emergent and Compliant Optical Lattices |
| Holger Muller | University of California, Berkeley | Prem Kumar | Cavity-based Atomic Rotation and Acceleration Sensor |
| Michelle Chang | University of California, Berkeley | Justin Gallivan | Synthetic Biology Approaches to Cellular Nanomaterials |
| Harvinder Singh Gill | Texas Tech University | Justin Gallivan | Pollen Grains as Novel Vaccine-Transporters for Oral Vaccination |
| Julius Lucks | Cornell University | Justin Gallivan | A Platform for Design and Global Characterization of Light-modulated RNA Networks |
| Georg Seelig | University of Washington | Dan Wattendorf | Nucleic Acid Circuitry for Point-of-Care Biomarker Detection and Analysis |
| Heather Clark | Northeastern University | Justin Gallivan | Lighting up the Chemistry of the Brain: Nanosciences Monitor Neurotransmitter Release |
| Michael McAlpine | Princeton University | Dan Wattendorf | Piezoelectric Nanoribbons for Interfaced Cellular Nanomechanics |
| Ryan Adams | Harvard University | Reza Ghanadan | Developing New Methods of Multi-Core Statistical Interference Towards Rapid Data Fusion and Information Extraction |
| Maria Cameron | University of Maryland | Reza Ghanadan | Methods for the Study of Rare Events |
| John Gunnar Carlsson | University of Minnesota | Reza Ghanadan | Strategically Allocating Resources in a Geographic Environment |
| Matthew Kahle | Ohio State University | Reza Ghanadan | Topology and Geometry of Random Simplicial Complexes |
| Mark Tygert | New York University | Reza Ghanadan | Computer-enabled Metrics of Statistical Significance |
| Abhay Pasupathy Narayan | Columbia University | Prem Kumar | The Two-Dimensional Limit of Strongly-Correlated Materials |
| James M. Rondinelli | Drexel University | Prem Kumar | Seizing the Third Dimension in Correlated Oxide Thin Films |
| Jaafar A. El-Awady | Johns Hopkins University | Tyler McQuade | Micro-Mechanics Modeling of Surface Roughness Evolution |
| Naomi S. Ginsberg | University of California | Tyler McQuade | Beneath the Bulk: Domain-Specific Efficiency and Degradation in Organic Photovoltaic Thin Films |
| Randall Goldsmith | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Tyler McQuade | Establishing Rules for Thin Film Organic Electronic Devices |
| Bryan W. Boudouris | Purdue University | Michael Maher | Radical Polymers for Nanostructured, Next Generation Thermoelectric Devices |
| Andrea M. Hodge | University of Southern California | Michael Maher | Highly Nanotwinned Ultra High Strength Aluminum Alloys |
Opportunity
DARPARA2502
YFA 2026 Research Announcement
FAQs
- Administrative (as of Jan. 12, 2026)
- Technical (as of Dec. 15, 2025)
Resources
YFA awardees (2006-2025)
Voices from DARPA
Young Faculty Award | Ep 74
