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The Office of Naval Research (ONR) provides some guidance on what is considered a Young Investigator Program (YIP)-eligible tenure-track equivalent appointment.

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) sponsors research in multiple research areas. Key research initiatives include core basic and applied research programs executed by ONR Program Officers, research performed at naval laboratories, and additional specialized initiatives (university research initiatives and the Young Investigator Program).

The Department of Defense Multidisciplinary University Initiative (MURI) efforts involve teams of researchers investigating high priority topics and opportunities that intersect more than one traditional technical discipline. For many military problems this multidisciplinary approach serves to stimulate innovations, accelerate research progress and expedite transition of results into naval applications.

The Littoral Geosciences and Optics program (ONR 322LO) supports basic and applied research for expeditionary warfare, naval special warfare, mine warfare and antisubmarine warfare in shelf, near-shore, estuarine, riverine and riparian environments, with a particular emphasis on robust 4D prediction of environmental characteristics in denied, distant or remote environments.

A research project from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global is providing valuable information about the effects of melting glaciers in Patagonia that feed into coastal fjords, transporting sediments, freshwater and nutrients. Dr. Chris Konek, science director at ONR Global in Chile, said the research will help the Department of the Navy (DoN) understand the effects of a changing climate on the coastal environment. “That’s the kind of the thing the Marines need to be able to handle,” he said. “It’s basic research and so it will help provide a fundamental understanding of this aspect of coastal systems where you can expect more things like this to happen in the future – more glacial melting as opposed to less.” Cristian Escauriaza, professor, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, is the principal investigator along with his university colleague, Megan Williams. They are working with the Filantropía Cortés-Solari, a conservation organization that owns and manages the Melimoyu Elemental Reserve in northern Patagonia. Patagonia is largely remote with a diverse ecosystem and a rich array of wildlife, including penguins and blue whales. Konek said ONR Global is interested in Escauriaza’s project for its potential to inform what’s happening to that ecosystem, which can also help inform what’s happening to other coastal regions experiencing the same challenges.

Systems Learning Applied to the Tactical Environment (SLATE) ONR Technical Candidate

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program (YIP) seeks to identify and support academic scientists and engineers who have received Ph.D. or equivalent degrees within the last five years (on or after 01 November 2004 for this FY10 competition) and who show exceptional promise for doing creative research.

In July 2023, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) partnered with the 144th Airlift Squadron of the Alaska Air National Guard to deploy five different types of weather buoys across more than 1,000 nautical miles of the Arctic Ocean. Such deployments are critical for maintaining the Arctic Observing Network (AON), which provides observations for weather and ice forecasting and related research. “Understanding ocean and weather conditions in the Arctic region is crucial to ensuring safe, effective naval operations in this challenging part of the world,” said Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus. “Exercises like this buoy drop are a testament to the value of strong international scientific partnerships and collaboration, in order to share knowledge, resources and insights.” The buoy air deployment supported the International Arctic Buoy Programme (IABP), a collaborative program comprising more than 32 different research and operational institutions from 10 different countries and four international agencies — including the International Cooperative Engagement Program for Polar Research (ICE-PPR), European Meteorological Network, World Climate Research Programme and World Meteorological Organization.

The ONR Basic Research Challenge (BRC) program was established to competitively select and fund promising research programs in new areas not addressed by the current basic research program. The program stimulates new, high-risk basic research projects in multidisciplinary and departmental collaborative efforts, and funds topics that foster leading edge science and attract new principal investigators and organizations.

Famed explorer Dr. Robert Ballard recently visited ONR to celebrate his 53-year partnership with the command.