2026 Young Investigators: ONR Celebrates New Talent Tackling Warfighter Challenges

Today the Office of Naval Research (ONR) celebrates the 41st year of its Young Investigator Program (YIP) by honoring the Class of 2026 YIP awardees.

Approximately $17 million in funding will be shared by 23 university professors to conduct innovative scientific research addressing critical naval warfighter challenges.

“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.”

The ONR YIP is a highly competitive program that attracts outstanding early-career academics in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to propose innovative solutions to ensure the US Navy and United States Marine Corps maintain warfighter superiority. Prior academic accomplishments and potential for significant scientific breakthroughs are key elements of the evaluation criteria.

The 2026 YIP awardees were chosen from nearly 330 applicants — all of whom are college and university tenure-track or equivalent faculty and who obtained a Ph.D. on or after Jan. 1, 2018.

Awardees represent 22 academic institutions in 11 states, supporting a broad range of naval-relevant research topics, including coastal forecasting, machine learning, additive manufacturing, autonomous operations, advanced sensors, dexterous robotics, hypersonics, decision superiority, ocean acoustics, ultrafast lasers and advanced composites.

The YIP awards support postdoctoral and graduate student stipends and scholarships, the acquisition of laboratory equipment and other expenses critical to the planned research. Typical grants are $750,000 over a three-year period.

Established in 1985, the ONR YIP is one of the nation’s oldest and most selective basic-research, early-career awards in science and technology. Its purpose is to fund tenure-track academic researchers, or equivalent, whose scientific pursuits show outstanding promise for supporting the Department of War, while also promoting their professional development.

View the list of 2026 ONR YIP awardees: https://www.onr.navy.mil/2026-young-investigators