ONR spotlights 2026 young investigators taking on warfighter challenges

Arlington, Va. — The Office of Naval Research has named the Class of 2026 Young Investigator Program awardees, committing approximately $17 million to support 23 early-career faculty pursuing research tied to future Navy and Marine Corps needs.

“In order for ONR to enhance the capabilities of the Sailors and Marines who depend on us, we must partner with the brightest scientists and engineers conducting the most innovative scientific and technology research,” said Chief of Naval Research Dr. Rachel Riley. “The Young Investigator Program is a vital component of this mission, and I am honored to announce the recipients for 2026.”

Now in its 41st year, the program drew nearly 330 applications from tenure-track or equivalent faculty who earned their doctorates on or after Jan. 1, 2018. This year’s 23 awardees come from 22 institutions across 11 states and will investigate topics that include coastal forecasting, machine learning, additive manufacturing, autonomous operations, advanced sensors, dexterous robotics, hypersonics, decision superiority, ocean acoustics, ultrafast lasers and advanced composites.

Awards are designed to underwrite postdoctoral and graduate support, lab equipment and other research costs, with typical grants totaling $750,000 over three years. Launched in 1985, the Young Investigator Program is among the nation’s longest-running and most selective basic-research awards for early-career scientists and engineers, aiming to accelerate promising academic work with clear relevance to naval missions and to foster professional growth.

The full list of 2026 awardees is available at: https://www.onr.navy.mil/2026-young-investigators