Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Houston System received a $539,325 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation's Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), effective March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2031. This project will deliver fundamental research outputs and methodologies aimed at bio-inspired locomotion in complex environmental flow conditions. Primary deliverables include mathematical models, computer simulation tools, and experimental findings from water tunnel studies that characterize how swimmers and underwater/aerial vehicles can exploit flow variability and heterogeneity to enhance propulsion efficiency and performance. The research encompasses three integrated research aims: (1) analyzing the interaction between swimmers and complex boundaries to optimize efficiency; (2) determining how structured ambient flow disturbances can be harnessed for propulsion; and (3) developing strategies for maintaining stability and cohesion in large swimmer collectives.

Beyond technical research outputs, the award includes significant workforce development and educational components designed to engage students in hands-on STEM research and outreach activities that encourage pursuit of careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. The research findings and methodologies are expected to improve the performance and reliability of autonomous underwater and aerial vehicles for applications including ocean exploration, environmental observation, underwater inspection and cleanup operations, and aquaculture monitoring. By extending bio-inspired locomotion research from idealized flow environments to realistic operational conditions, this project will provide both theoretical understanding and practical design principles applicable to next-generation autonomous systems.