Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Northeastern University received a $499,999 Project Grant awarded February 1, 2026, by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Materials Research under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049). The award supports a collaborative Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer Our Future (DMREF) research initiative through January 31, 2030, focused on developing quantitative metrics and computational models for understanding entangled materials such as polymer networks, textiles, and steel-cable structures. The project combines theoretical, computational, and experimental approaches across multiple length scales using 3D-printed textile testbeds and woven metamaterials to establish correlations between entanglement geometries and mechanical properties.

The primary deliverables include development of simplified digital network representations of complex material entanglements, open-source design and optimization tools for industrial-scale fabric and textile applications, and experimental and numerical data characterizing entanglement behavior. The research team will establish a closed-loop framework for describing entangled matter using physical network analysis to enable targeted design of materials with user-defined mechanical properties. Broader impacts include integration of network science curriculum across participating institutions and a public art exhibit visualizing networks to increase awareness of network-science-driven materials engineering.