The Lab

APL’s new Sea++ test vessel gives researchers and government sponsors a dedicated platform to rapidly test, evaluate, and demonstrate emerging maritime technologies in realistic operational environments. By enabling faster experimentation and more flexible on-water testing, Sea++ helps accelerate the development and transition of innovative capabilities for national security. Read the full article: https://jhuapl.link/any

Johns Hopkins APL scientists are developing a portable quantum sensing platform using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy that has potential to enable warfighters and others working in contested environments to identify chemical and biological threats before they inflict damage. Read the full article: https://jhuapl.link/gu2

The BioHorizons conference convened experts from across the biotechnology industry to explore how to keep the U.S. at the forefront of biotechnology research and development and how to best transition critical capabilities from the lab to the field. Read the full article: https://jhuapl.link/c6j

Tim Lippa has been named APL’s Global Health mission area executive, where he leads efforts spanning warfighter health and readiness, biosurveillance, and technologies to counter chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive (CBRNE) threats. Read the full article: https://jhuapl.link/o38

Fast Company has recognized APL among its Best Workplaces for Innovators for the eighth consecutive year, honoring the Laboratory’s commitment to empowering staff to explore game-changing concepts that address critical national challenges. Read the full article: https://jhuapl.link/ox0

APL engineers have developed a novel approach for making carbon-carbon composites, cutting production times from months to days. The new approach could ease long-standing supply constraints for one of the most critical high-temperature materials in the aerospace and defense industries. Read the full article: https://jhuapl.link/a63

Combining phase-change materials with additive manufacturing, APL engineers are developing a capability to help manage heat in systems where space and weight are limited. Read the full article: https://jhuapl.link/ida

Johns Hopkins APL researchers are developing biologically driven thermal sensors that could operate without conventional electrical power. Read the full article: https://jhuapl.link/wwo

Whether addressing the shortage of organs for transplant, harvesting hydrogen in revolutionary ways, or enabling flight in very low Earth orbit, the latest three winning SURPASS projects unite experts from the Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering and Johns Hopkins APL to solve world-changing problems. Read the full article: https://jhuapl.link/1ik

Donya Douglas-Bradshaw will lead APL programs to deliver critical spaceflight hardware to NASA, U.S. government civilian agencies, and other partners. Read the full article: https://jhuapl.link/l6p

Three technologies developed by APL researchers have been named as winners of 2026 R&D 100 Awards. APL’s winning innovations span health care, space communications, and advanced manufacturing, reflecting the Laboratory’s breadth of expertise and capability. Read the full article: https://jhuapl.link/91q

Patrick Stadter, APL’s mission area executive for Theater Defense, has been named vice chair of the Department of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, bringing decades of technical leadership in missile defense, national security space, and rapid acquisition to the board. Read the full article: https://jhuapl.link/b2e

Scientists Sam Yee and Scott Murchie were jointly awarded APL’s Lifetime Publication Achievement Award for work that has documented discovery, driven space missions, shaped scientific priorities, and advanced the field. Read the full article: https://jhuapl.link/osl

More than 600 attendees representing the U.S. Navy submarine force, allied nations, industry, and academia gathered at Johns Hopkins APL for the annual Submarine Technology Symposium. Read the full article: https://jhuapl.link/pcz

NASA’s Dragonfly mission has reached another development milestone, with structural testing of the rotorcraft lander now complete. The milestone clears the way for the next phase of integration, when teams will begin installing Dragonfly’s electronics, avionics, instruments, and other flight hardware. Read the full article: https://jhuapl.link/kh3

At the single biggest sporting event in U.S. history, drawing 5 million international visitors to 11 U.S. cities for 78 matches over the course of 39 days, APL is playing a central role in ensuring that illnesses will not spread and become major incidents. Read the full article: https://jhuapl.link/l81

Christopher Hoffman has been recognized as a Johns Hopkins APL Master Inventor, a distinction earned through a career spent asking a simple question: What can chemistry can do to solve a real-world problem? Read the full article: https://jhuapl.link/3bp

An augmented-reality-enabled medical guidance system developed at APL has been recognized by Fast Company as a “World Changing Idea” for its potential to improve trauma care where advanced medical expertise and imaging tools are not readily available. Read the full article: https://jhuapl.link/fe2