ARO BAA_ W911NF-17-S-0002_Amendment 12 21 June 2022.pdf

U.S. ARMY COMBAT CAPABILITIES

DEVELOPMENT COMMAND

ARMY RESEARCH LABORATORY

ARMY RESEARCH OFFICE

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT FOR

FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH

W911NF-17-S-0002-12

01 April 2017 – 30 September 2022

ISSUED BY:

U.S. Army Contracting Command

Aberdeen Proving Ground

Research Triangle Park Division

P. O. Box 12211

Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2211

Special Notes

1. Formatting of the Announcement

The following table provides an overview of the outline structure of this announcement:

I.

A.

1.

a.

i.

(1)

(a)

(i)

2. See Appendix 1 for a Table of Acronyms used in this announcement.

3. See Appendix 2 for a Schedule of Amendments. Applicants are encouraged to frequently check Grants.gov and FBO.gov for updates and amendments to this BAA.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. OVERVIEW OF THE FUNDING OPPORTUNITY 1

A. Required Overview Content 3

1. Agency Name 3

2. Research Opportunity Title 3

3. Announcement Type 3

4. Research Opportunity Number 3

5. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number and Title 3

6. Response Dates 3

B. Additional Overview Information 4

II. DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDING OPPORTUNITY 5

A. Program Description 5

1. RESEARCH INTERESTS FOR U.S. INSTITUTIONS 5

a. Physical Sciences 5

i. Chemical Sciences 5

ii. Physics 9

iii. Life Sciences 14

b. Engineering Sciences 19

i. Mechanical Sciences 20

ii. Electronics 26

iii. Materials Sciences 30

iv. Earth Sciences 32

c. Information Sciences 33

i. Computing Sciences 33

ii. Mathematical Sciences 39

iii. Network Sciences 49

2. INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH INTERESTS 55

a. Innovations of Materials 55

3. ARO SPECIAL PROGRAMS 57

a. Short-Term Innovative Research (STIR) Program 57

b. Early Career Program (ECP) 58

c. Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) 59

d. Research Instrumentation (RI) Program 60

e. Conference and Symposia Grants 61

f. High School Apprenticeship Program (HSAP)/Undergraduate Research

Apprenticeship Program (URAP)

g. Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving

Institutions (HBCUs/MIs)

4. OTHER NON-ARO PROGRAM-RELATED INFORMATION 65

a. Visiting Scientist Program (VSP) 65

b. DoD Programs 65

B. Federal Award Information 66

C. Eligibility Information 69

1. Eligible Applicants 69

2. Cost Sharing or Matching 69

3. Other 69

D. Application and Submission Information 70

1. Address to View Broad Agency Announcement 70

2. Content and Form of Application Submission 70

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 83

4. Submission Dates and Times 83

5. Intergovernmental Review 84

6. Funding Restrictions 84

7. Other Submission Requirements 84

E. Proposal Review Information 85

1. Criteria 85

2. Review and Selection Process 86

3. Recipient Qualification 86

F. Award Administration Information 89

1. Award Notices 89

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 89

a. Required Representations and Certifications 89

b. Policy Requirements 93

3. Reporting 99

G. Agency Contacts 100

H. Other Information 101

1. Contract Proposals 101

2. Grant and Cooperative Agreement Proposals 108

APPENDIX 1: TABLE OF ACRONYMS 113

APPENDIX 2: SCHEDULE OF AMENDMENTS 116

I. OVERVIEW OF THE FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

The purpose of this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is to solicit research proposals in the engineering, physical, life, and information sciences for submission to the Army Research Office

(ARO) for consideration for possible funding.

NOTE: For ease of reference and clarity, the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has two BAAs.

This BAA for ARO, and another one for the ARL Directorates (Computational and Information

Sciences Directorate, Human Research and Engineering Directorate, Sensors and Electron Devices

Directorate, and Weapons and Materials Research Directorate).

ARO is focused exclusively on extramural basic research, and is responsible for the vast majority of ARL’s extramural research programs and funding. The ARL Directorates are focused on executing in-house research programs, with a significant emphasis on collaborative research with other organizations in an Open Campus setting (Open Campus opportunities are described in detail at https://www.arl.army.mil/opencampus/. These in-house Directorates do fund a modest amount of extramural research in certain specific areas, and ARL’s BAA describes those areas of interest.

ARL’s mission is to Operationalize Science for Transformational Overmatch. ARL’s strategy is based on eleven Foundational Research Competencies: Biological and Biotechnology Sciences

(BBS); Electromagnetic Spectrum Sciences (EMSS); Energy Sciences (ES); Humans in Complex

Systems (HCxS); Mechanical Sciences (MS); Military Information Sciences (MIS); Network, Cyber and Computational Sciences (NC&CS); Photonics, Electronics, and Quantum Sciences

(PE&QS); Sciences of Extreme Materials (SEM); Terminal Effects (TE); and Weapons Sciences

(WS). These competencies are structured to create discovery, innovation, and transition of technologies for Army transformational overmatch. ARO is focused on creating and directing scientific discoveries for revolutionary new Army capabilities that support and inform these

Competencies, as referenced in this BAA.

Proposals are sought from institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, foreign organizations, foreign public entities, and for-profit organizations (i.e. large and small businesses) for scientific research in mechanical sciences, mathematical sciences, electronics, computing science, physics, chemistry, life sciences, materials science, network science, and environmental sciences. Proposals will be evaluated only for fundamental scientific study and experimentation directed toward advancing the scientific state of the art or increasing basic knowledge and understanding. Proposals focused on specific devices or components are beyond the scope of this BAA.

Proposals are expected to be for cutting-edge innovative research that could produce discoveries that would have a significant impact on enabling new and improved Army operational capabilities and related technologies. The specific research areas and topics of interest described in this document should be viewed as suggestive, rather than limiting. ARO is always interested in considering new innovative research concepts of relevance to the Army.

In order to conserve valuable applicant and Government resources, and to facilitate determining whether a proposed research idea meets the guidelines described herein, prospective applicants contemplating submission of a whitepaper or proposal are strongly encouraged to contact the https://www.arl.army.mil/opencampus/ appropriate Technical Point of Contact (TPOC). The TPOCs’ names, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses are listed immediately after each research area of interest. If an applicant elects to submit a whitepaper, it should be prepared in accordance with the instructions contained in this

BAA. Upon receipt, a whitepaper will be evaluated and the applicant will be advised of the results. Applicants whose whitepapers receive a favorable evaluation may be encouraged to prepare a proposal in accordance with instructions contained in this BAA. The costs of whitepapers and/or proposals in response to this BAA are not considered an allowable direct charge to any award resulting from this BAA or any other award. It may be an allowable expense to the normal bid and proposal indirect costs specified in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)

31.205-18. ARO prefers proposals to cover a 3-year period and include a brief summary of work contemplated for each 12-month period so that awards may be negotiated for an entire 3-year program or for individual 1-year increments of the total program. Proposals may be submitted at any time while this BAA, including any amendments, is valid.

In accordance with federal statutes, regulations, and Department of Defense (DoD) and Army policies, no person on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin, or disability shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance from the Army.

Applicants submitting proposals are cautioned that only a Contracting or Grants Officer can obligate the Government to any legal instrument involving expenditure of Government funds.

This BAA is also used to solicit research proposals for submission to the U.S. Army Combat

Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) International Technology Centers.

All administrative inquiries regarding this BAA shall be submitted in email to:

usarmy.rtp.devcom-arl.mbx.baa@army.mil Scientific and technical questions should be referred to the

TPOCs shown following each research area of interest. Interested parties are encouraged to periodically check any of the following websites for updates and amendments to this BAA:

www.grants.gov, beta.sam.gov, and the (ARL) website www.arl.army.mil/.

BARTON H. HALPERN

Director

Army Research Office

(End of Section) mailto:usarmy.rtp.devcom-arl.mbx.baa@army.mil http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.arl.army.mil/

A. Required Overview Content

1. Agency Name U.S. Army Research Office

Issuing Acquisition Office U.S. Army Contracting Command-Aberdeen Proving Ground, Research Triangle Park (ACC-

APG-RTP) Division

2. Research Opportunity Title ARO Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Fundamental Research for 01 April 2017 – 30

September 2022

3. Announcement Type Amended Announcement

4. Research Opportunity Number W911NF-17-S-0002-12 (Effective as of 23 June 2022)

5. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number and Title

12.431 – Basic Scientific Research

6. Response Dates

This BAA is a continuously open announcement valid throughout the period from the date of issuance through 30 September 2022, unless announced otherwise. This announcement succeeds

BAA W911NF-12-R-0012 (including all modifications) dated 15 May 2012.

B. Additional Overview Information

This BAA sets forth research areas of interest to the ARO. This BAA is issued under FAR

6.102(d)(2), which provides for the competitive selection of basic research proposals, and 10

U.S.C. 2358, 10 U.S.C. 2371, and 10 U.S.C. 2371b, which provide the authorities for issuing awards under this announcement for basic research. The definition of basic research may be found at 32 CFR 22.105.

Proposals submitted in response to this BAA and selected for award are considered to be the result of full and open competition and in full compliance with the provision of Public Law 98-

369, "The Competition in Contracting Act of 1984" and subsequent amendments.

The DoD agencies involved in this program reserve the right to select for award all, some, or none of the proposals submitted in response to this announcement. Due to Government budget uncertainties, no specific dollars have been reserved for awards under this BAA. The participating DoD agencies will provide no funding for direct reimbursement of whitepaper or proposal development costs.

Whitepapers and technical and cost proposals (or any other material) submitted in response to this

BAA will not be returned to the applicant. It is the policy of participating DoD agencies to treat all proposals as sensitive, competitive information and to disclose their contents only for the purposes of evaluation.

An applicant may withdraw a proposal at any time before award by written notice or by email sent to the Government point of contact (POC) identified in Section G of this BAA.

II. DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

A. Program Description

1. RESEARCH INTERESTS FOR U.S. INSTITUTIONS

ARL’s ARO mission is to serve as the Army's principal extramural basic research agency funding research at universities, companies and not-for- profits in the engineering, physical, and information sciences. ARO’s research portfolio is executed through ten scientific branches, with titles reflecting fundamental scientific disciplines familiar to academic institutions. These Branches directly support and inform the ARL Competencies.

a. Physical Sciences

Research in the Physical Sciences is focused on basic research to discover, understand, and exploit physical, chemical, and biological phenomena. This research is of a fundamental nature; however, in the long term, discoveries in this area are expected to lead to revolutionary new capabilities in warfighter performance, intelligence, synthetic biology, sensing, communications, protection, power/energy storage and generation, and materials that extend the performance of Army systems well beyond current limits.

i. Chemical Sciences

The objective of the Chemical Sciences Branch is to uncover and exploit the fundamental properties and processes governing molecules and their interactions in materials and chemical systems. The Branch encourages proposals that promote basic research to develop methods for accurately predicting the pathways, intermediates, and energy transfer of specific reactions, to understand the fundamental processes governing electrochemical reactions and transport of species, and to discover the relationships between macromolecular microstructure, architecture, functionality, and macroscopic properties. In addition, these efforts will likely lead to new methods for synthesizing and analyzing molecules and materials that will open the door to future studies not feasible with current approaches.

The Branch’s research programs are currently focused on five research areas. The titles, scopes and points of contact for these programs, each of which address general aspects of basic research in chemical sciences, are listed in the following subsections. Symposia, conferences and workshops are also supported in part or in whole to provide an exchange of ideas in areas of Army interest.

(1) Polymer Chemistry

The goal of this Program is to understand the molecular-level link between polymer microstructure, architecture, functionality, and the ensuing macroscopic properties.

Research in this Program may ultimately enable the design and synthesis of functional polymeric materials that give the Soldier new and improved protective and sensing capabilities as well as capabilities not yet imagined. This Program is divided into two research thrusts: (i) Precision Polymeric Materials and (ii) Complex Adaptive Polymeric

Systems. Within these thrusts, high-risk, high-payoff research is identified and supported to pursue the Program’s long-term goal.

The Precision Polymeric Materials thrust supports research aimed at developing new approaches for synthesizing polymers with precisely-defined molecular weight, microstructure, architecture, and functional group location. Of particular interest are research efforts that focus on novel methods for achieving sequence and tacticity control in synthetic polymers as well as enabling the synthesis of novel 2D organic polymers.

Also of interest to this thrust are research efforts that further explore how precise molecular structure influences polymer morphology and bulk macroscopic properties.

Bulk properties of enduring interest include mechanical, optical, and transport. An area of particular interest is the rational design of polymers with enhanced intrinsic thermal transport properties.

The Complex Adaptive Polymeric Systems thrust seeks to understand how to precisely and predictably control polymer assembly and response to achieve polymeric systems with a diversity of functions and behaviors. Of interest to this thrust are research efforts that explore how polymer structure influences interactions with dissimilar materials

(e.g., inorganic or biological materials) to render functional hybrid assemblies. Also of interest is the design and synthesis of polymeric materials that exhibit programmed molecular responses to external stimuli. Of interest in this regard are research efforts related to stimuli-responsive self-immolative polymers, polymer mechanochemistry, and stimuli-mediated polymer assembly. Additionally, an emerging area of interest lies in the integration of logic-based responsive behavior, computation, and feedback mechanisms to engender complex responsive behavior.

TPOC: Dr. Dawanne Poree, dawanne.e.poree.civ@army.mil, (919) 549-4238

(2) Electrochemistry

This Program supports fundamental electrochemical studies to understand and control the physics and chemistry that govern electrochemical redox reactions and transport of species, and how these are coupled with electrode, catalysis, electrolyte, and interface.

Research includes ionic conduction in electrolytes, electrocatalysis, interfacial electron transfer, transport through coatings, surface films and polymer electrolytes, activation of carbon-hydrogen and carbon-carbon bonds, and spectroscopic techniques that selectively probe electrode surfaces and electrode-electrolyte interfaces. Novel electrochemical synthesis, investigations into the effect of microenvironment on chemical reactivity, quantitative models of electrochemical systems, and electrochemistry using excited electrons are also of interest.

This Program is divided into two research thrusts, although other areas of electrochemical research may be considered: (i) Reduction-oxidation (Redox) Chemistry and Electrocatalysis, and (ii) Transport of Electroactive Species.

mailto:dawanne.e.poree.civ@mail.mil

The Redox Chemistry and Electrocatalysis thrust supports research to understand how material and morphology affect electron transfer and electrocatalysis, to tailor electrodes and electrocatalysts at a molecular level, and to discover new spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques for probing surfaces and selected species on those surfaces.

The Transport of Electroactive Species thrust supports research to uncover the mechanisms of transport through heterogeneous, charged environments such as polymers and electrolytes, to design tailorable electrolytes based on new polymers and ionic liquids, and to explore new methodologies and computational approaches to study the selective transport of species in charged environments.

TPOC: Dr. Hugh C. De Long, hugh.c.delong.civ@army.mil , (919) 549- 4271

(3) Molecular Structure and Dynamics

The Molecular Structure and Dynamics program is no longer accepting new white papers or proposals.

TPOC: Dr. James K. Parker, james.k.parker30.civ@army.mil, (919) 549-4293

(4) Reactive Chemical Systems

The goal of the Reactive Chemical Systems Program is to achieve a molecular level understanding of interfacial activity and dynamic nanostructured and self-assembled chemical systems to provide unprecedented hazardous materials management capabilities and soldier survivability. This Program supports basic research with Army relevance in surfaces, catalysis, organized assemblies, and stimuli-responsive chemical systems. This program is divided into two thrusts: (i) Nanostructure Surface

Interactions and Reactivity and (ii) Synthetic Molecular Systems.

The Nanostructure Surface Interactions and Reactivity thrust supports research on understanding the kinetics and mechanisms of reactions occurring at surfaces and interfaces and the development of new methods to achieve precise control over the structure and function of chemical and biological molecules on surfaces. Specific areas of interest include adsorption, desorption, and the catalytic processes occurring at surfaces and interfaces and the interface between nanostructures and biomolecules to generate advanced materials.

The Synthetic Molecular Synthesis thrust supports research that imparts multi-functionality, stimuli-responsive and dynamic behavior to completely synthetic molecular and chemical systems. Research of interest includes design and development of nanostructured scaffolds and sequential catalytic systems. This thrust also supports research aimed at exploring the properties and capabilities of self-assembled and supramolecular structures, including their functionality, and how to control assembly in different environments.

mailto:james.k.parker30.civ@mail.mil

In addition, the emerging field of dynamic, responsive, multi-functional materials have great potential to provide revolutionary new capabilities. A specific technical area in this field is "targeting and triggering" in which a specific chemical (or event) is targeted

(recognized) and that recognition triggers a response. Particular technical challenges of interest include selective and reversible recognition, amplification, and multi-responsive systems. Alternative approaches to selective, yet reversible, recognition are needed.

Amplification includes an understanding of how to amplify the response from a single molecular recognition event to a multi-molecular response with approaches that promote chain reactions, self-amplification or cascade-type reactions within a single system.

Multi-responsive systems in which specific stimuli trigger distinct responses are also of interest.

TPOC: Dr. James K. Parker, james.k.parker30.civ@army.mil, (919) 549-4293

(5) Environmental Chemistry

The Environmental Chemistry program seeks to provide a complete and practical understanding of transport, degradation, and reaction processes for chemicals and compounds of military interest. The goal of the research is to enable unprecedented detection, prediction, manipulation, and mitigation strategies in complex environmental matrices. The program will identify high risk, fundamental research opportunities in two main thrusts: (i) Transport and transformation in multiphase environments, (ii) Novel techniques for detection and prediction.

Transport and transformation in multiphase environments aims to determine the properties and processes that govern the fate of compounds in environments where chemical reactions and transport processes occur between solid, liquid, and/or gaseous matter. The reactions in these environments occur synergistically and dynamically and are a function of the compounds present, their structure and partitioning, and their chemical and physical properties. Therefore, understanding multiphase environments relies on basic research to characterize the structure and physio-chemical evolution of compounds, reactive centers, and products over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Multiphase environments include (but are not limited to) natural environments such as soil, subterranean, aqueous, and aerosol environments; built and urban environments; and complex or hazardous waste streams. An emerging area of interest focuses on how dynamic and extreme climate conditions alters the speciation, partitioning, transformation, and recovery of chemical agents and resources of military interest.

Novel techniques for detection and prediction aims to develop cutting-edge approaches to enable chemical agent detection and environmental prediction at military-relevant scales. Areas of interest include experimental and analytical techniques to advance environmental forensics, non-targeted detection, and trace detection; and the application of novel computational techniques to enhance modeling capabilities.

TPOC: Dr. Elizabeth King-Doonan, elizabeth.k.king-doonan.civ@army.mil, (919) 549-mailto:james.k.parker30.civ@mail.mil

ii. Physics

The objective of the Physics Branch is to develop forefront concepts and approaches, particularly exploiting quantum phenomena, that will in the long-term have revolutionary consequences for Army capabilities, while in the nearer-term providing for existing Army needs. In support of this goal, the interests of the Physics Branch are primarily in the areas described in the following subsections.

The Branch’s research programs are currently focused on four research areas. The titles, scopes and points of contact for these programs, each of which address general aspects of basic research in physics, are listed in the following subsections. A small number of symposia, conferences and workshops are also supported in part or in whole to provide an exchange of ideas in areas of Army interest.

(1) Solid State Physics

The Solid State Physics program has been moved to the Electronics Branch. Please refer to the section of the BAA.

(2) Quantum Information Science

Quantum mechanics provides the opportunity to perform highly non-classical operations that can result in beyond-classical capabilities in imaging, sensing and precision measurements, exponential speed-ups in computation, or networking. This program seeks to understand, control, and exploit such non-classical phenomena for revolutionary advances beyond those possible with classical systems. An overarching interest is the exploration of small systems involving small numbers of entangled particles. There are three major areas of interest (thrusts) within this program.

Foundational Quantum Physics (FQP). Experimental investigations of a fundamental nature of quantum phenomena, potentially useful for quantum information science, are of interest. Examples include coherence properties, decoherence mechanisms, decoherence mitigation, entanglement creation and measurement, nondestructive measurement, complex quantum state manipulation, and quantum feedback. An important objective is to ascertain the limits of our ability to create, control, and utilize quantum information in multiple quantum entities in the presence of noise. Systematic materials focused research which identifies and/or mitigates decoherence mechanisms is also of interest. Models of machine learning that are based on the foundations of quantum physics are of interest. Theoretical analyses of non-classical phenomena may also be of interest if the work is strongly coupled to a specific experimental investigation, such as proof-of-concept demonstrations in atomic, molecular, and optical

(AMO) as well as other systems.

TPOC: Dr. Sara Gamble, sara.j.gamble.civ@army.mil, (919) 549-4241

Quantum Sensing, Imaging, and Metrology (QSIM). This research area seeks to explore, develop, and demonstrate multi-particle coherent systems to enable beyond classical capabilities in imaging, sensing, and metrology. Central to this research area is the exploration of small systems involving a few entangled particles. Topics of interest in this research area include the discovery and exploration of (a) multi-particle quantum states advantageous for imaging, sensing, and metrology, (b) quantum circuits that operate on multi-particle quantum states to enable beyond-classical capabilities, and (c) methods for the readout of quantum states. Other research topics of interest are: theory to explore multi-particle quantum states useful for beyond classical capabilities, quantitative assessment of capabilities and comparison to classical systems, efficient state preparation, quantum circuits for processing these states as quantum bits, readout techniques, decoherence mitigation and error-correction for improved performance, supporting algorithms as a basis for processing circuits, connections between the solution of hard computational problems and overcoming classical limitations in imaging, sensing, and metrology, entanglement as a resource, and suitable physical systems and key demonstration experiments.

TPOC: Dr. Sara Gamble, sara.j.gamble.civ@army.mil, (919) 549-4241

Quantum Computation and Quantum Networking (QCON). Quantum computing and networking will entail the control and manipulation of quantum bits with high fidelity.

The objective is the experimental demonstration of quantum logic performed on several quantum bits operating simultaneously, which would represent a significant advance toward that ultimate goal of beyond classical capabilities in information processing.

Demonstrations of quantum feedback and error correction for multiple quantum bit systems are also of interest. There is particular interest in developing quantum computation algorithms that efficiently solve classically hard problems, and are useful for applications involving resource optimization, imaging, and the simulation of complex physical systems. Examples include machine learning, parameter estimation, constrained optimization, and quantum chemistry, among others. The ability to transmit information through quantum entanglement distributed between spatially-separated quantum entities has opened the possibility for new approaches to information processing. Exploration of quantum networking of information and distributed quantum information processing based on entanglement is of interest. These include the exploration of long-range quantum entanglement, entanglement transfer among different quantum systems, and long-term quantum memory.

TPOC: Dr. T.R. Govindan, t.r.govindan.civ@army.mil, (919) 549-4236

(3) Atomic and Molecular Physics (AMP)

Topics of interest within the AMP Program include (i) quantum degenerate atomic gases, both Bose and Fermi, their excitations and properties, including mixed species, mixed state, and molecular, (ii) quantum enhanced precision metrology, (iii) nonlinear mailto:sara.j.gamble.civ@mail.mil mailto:sara.j.gamble.civ@mail.mil mailto:t.r.govindan.civ@mail.mil atomic and molecular processes, (iv) quantum systems in cavities, (v) collective and many-body states of matter, and (vi) emerging areas. Cooling schemes for molecules are of importance for extending the range of systems that may be exploited. In addition, there is an interest in emerging areas of AMO physics such as collective states of matter, emergent lattices in quantum gases, opto-mechanical interfaces, non-equilibrium many body dynamics, and metrology in non-ideal environments. Research efforts within the

AMP Program fall within two thrust areas: Advanced Quantum Capabilities and Novel

Quantum Methods. It is anticipated that research efforts within these areas will lead to applications including novel materials, efficient computational platforms, and exquisite quantum sensors.

Advanced Quantum Many-body Dynamics. The focus of this thrust is the development and study of strongly correlated many-body systems. The quantum simulator portion of the thrust seeks research on novel cooling, trapping, and the expansion of atomic and molecular species. The effort seeks the validation of many-body quantum theories through the development of experimental tools including quantum gas microscopes, synthetic gauge fields, mixed species, and novel interactions. Complimenting this effort will be the inclusion of foundational investigations into quantum mechanics, such as entanglement, many-body localization, collective modes, and entropy. To take advantage of the precision inherent in future quantum devices, these systems will need to connect to the classical world in such a manner that allows them to sample the signal of interest while remaining robust to noisy environments. Investigating how to maximize both the quality and quantity of entanglement within these systems will be a priority.

General issues of quantum coherence, quantum interference, entanglement growth, entanglement purity, and non-equilibrium phenomena, as well as discovering new scientific opportunities are also of interest.

Novel Quantum Metrology. The AMP Program has a general interest in exploring fundamental AMP that may impact future Army capabilities. This thrust is divided into two main areas: precision metrology beyond the standard limit and harnessing collective many-body states to improve quantum sensing. The Novel Quantum Metrology efforts will expand the foundations of quantum measurement into new areas that seek to exploit entanglement, spin-squeezing, harnessing collective-spin states, developing back-action avoidance measurements, and other areas that increase fundamental precision through interactions, including cavities and Rydberg atoms. It is expected that research in this thrust will complement efforts in the Advanced Quantum Many-body Dynamics thrust and vice versa. For example, collective many body states could be studied in optical lattices or quantum gas microscopes and foundational research of entanglement are anticipated to provide new metrological capabilities in non-ideal environments.

TPOC: Dr. Paul Baker, paul.m.baker4.civ@army.mil, (919) 549-4202

(4) Modern Optics

The objective of this program is to promote a deeper understanding of the underlying physics of the physical properties of light and the discovery of new optical effects that mailto:paul.m.baker4.civ@mail.mil can improve Army capabilities. The majority of sensing and communications systems depend on light in some way. In particular, this program seeks transformational basic science discoveries in optical physics that are needed to enable remote sensing, information routing and processing, and energy transmission. In order to accomplish this goal, the Modern Optics Program targets new or emerging phenomena related to quantum optics, light-matter interactions, and ultra-short pulse, high energy lasers.

Quantum Photonics. This thrust seeks to push beyond the state of the art in photonics and integrated optical platforms, seeking novel functionality beyond classical limits on sensitivity, accuracy, and stability. What is necessary to advance the field is deeper understanding of bulk and engineered photonic material for their nonlinear optical properties, robust or protected light routing in two and three dimensions, and optical processing at the point of collection. Research efforts may include studies addressing complexity and loss in integrated optical systems, scalable realizations of non-trivial quantum states or quantum light sources, and novel laser platforms to probe or control quantum information in physical qubits. Basic science understanding is needed to push integrated technology into the quantum regime which will be essential for next generation quantum technology.

Meta-Optics. This thrust pursues novel functionality allowed by optical metamaterials.

In this area, the conventional norms of classical optics can be broken, such as resolution beyond the diffraction limit, super-lensing and related phenomena, as well as subwavelength control of optical fields. It is also timely to look at the quantum optics of such processes as well as Casimir-Polder forces near the surfaces of optical metamaterials. Proposals for new areas involving discrete symmetries, such as parity-time symmetry will be considered. A related area is non-Hermitian optics and supersymmetric optics, where these concepts are utilized to fabricate photonic structures with novel properties and sensors with precision beyond the state of the art. Other descriptions of light that lead to new capabilities are sought. In general, any phenomena arising from optical metamaterials that would benefit the Soldier and improve Army capabilities will be considered.

Extreme Light. his thrust focuses on extreme light, meaning the examination of optical fields in the extreme limits, such as the shortest pulses and the highest intensities.

General areas of study under this thrust include light filamentation, particle beam acceleration and relativistic physics. In addition, application-based studies of directed energy, THz formation, broadband localized radiation, coherent control of atomic and molecular energy states, plasma effects in materials, and relativistic plasma physics are of interest. Theoretical and experimental research efforts are needed to push beyond the state of the art in ultra-short pulse, high energy laser science and to understand how extreme light propagates and interacts with matter.

TPOC: Dr. James A Joseph, james.a.joseph30.civ@army.mil, (919) 549-4213 mailto:james.a.joseph30.civ@mail.mil

iii. Life Sciences

The Life Sciences Branch supports basic research to advance scientific knowledge and understanding of the fundamental properties, principles, and processes governing DNA, RNA, proteins, organelles, prokaryotes, and eukaryotes, as well as multi-species prokaryotic, eukaryotic, and mixed prokaryotic/eukaryotic communities, individual humans, and groups of humans. Research investments are driven by exploiting new scientific opportunities with anticipated long-term payoffs, including maintaining U.S. technological superiority and developing new Army capabilities.

The interests of the Life Sciences Branch are primarily in the following areas: synthetic biology, biochemistry, neuroscience, microbiology, molecular biology, genetics, genomics, proteomics, epigenetics, systems biology, and behavioral science. The results of fundamental research supported by this Branch are expected to enable the creation of new technologies for improving warfighters’ physical and cognitive performance capabilities, for protecting warfighters, to create new human-machine synergistic capabilities for identifying causes of and tipping points for social/political instability, and for creating new Army capabilities in the areas of biomaterials, energy, logistics, forensics and intelligence.

The Branch’s research programs are currently focused on five research areas. The titles, scopes, and points of contact for these programs (each of which address general aspects of basic research in life sciences) are listed in the following subsections. A small number of symposia, conferences and workshops are also supported in part or in whole to provide an exchange of ideas in areas of Army interest.

(1) Biochemistry

This program emphasizes basic research focused on understanding and controlling the activity and assembly of biomolecules. Scientific advances supported by this program are anticipated to enable the development of novel systems, materials and processes that enhance Soldier protection and performance. Overarching goals of the program are to provide the scientific foundations to expand the chemical diversity accessible by biomolecules and to support biological activity outside of the cellular environment, including integration of biological systems with synthetic systems.

The Biomolecular Specificity and Regulation thrust is focused on novel approaches to engineer the specificity and regulation of biomolecules, either via modulation of natural mechanisms or via design of non-natural mechanisms. Approaches to expand the chemical diversity of ligands/substrates that are recognized/accepted by biomolecules and/or the products of biocatalytic reactions beyond elements and chemical bonds common to natural biological systems are of particular interest. This includes both individual enzymatic reactions as well as multi-step biocatalytic pathways. The goal of this thrust is to develop novel engineered approaches to modulate and control biomolecular activity, with emphasis on expanding the chemical diversity accessible by biomolecules and achieving biomolecular control in non-cellular contexts.

The Biomolecular Assembly and Organization thrust is focused on understanding the molecular interactions and design rules that govern self-assembly of biomolecules into both naturally occurring biomolecular structures and non-natural human-designed architectures. This thrust aims to elucidate fundamental understanding of sequence-structure-property relationships in natural biomolecular assemblies, biomaterials, and biological composites to enable rational design of biological and hybrid biological/abiological assemblies with tailored properties and functions. Biomolecular assembly across length scales is of interest, including discrete multi-protein complexes or nucleic acid structures, as well as hierarchical protein or nucleic acid assemblies and biological composites. This thrust includes homogeneous assemblies utilizing a single building block, as well as heterogeneous systems in which a mixture of different biomolecules and/or non-biological species (e.g., minerals, synthetic polymers) self-assemble. Of particular interest are approaches to expand the chemical diversity of biomolecular architectures beyond elements and chemical bonds common to natural biological systems. This research thrust also includes the design of self-assembled biomolecular or hybrid biological/abiological architectures that provide control over the chemical environment and spatial organization necessary to support complex biomolecular function in non-cellular contexts, including artificial cells and cell-free systems.

TPOC: Dr. Stephanie McElhinny, stephanie.a.mcelhinny.civ@army.mil , (919) 549-

(2) Genetics

This program supports fundamental basic research in genetics, molecular biology, genomics, epigenetics, and systems biology in areas that are anticipated to enable improved cognitive and physical performance capabilities, increased survivability, and enable new Army capabilities in areas such as biomaterials, sensing , energy, and intelligence. This program emphasizes innovative high-risk fundamental research in areas such as identification and characterization of genetic variation, gene function, gene regulation, genetic interactions, gene pathways, gene expression patterns, epigenetics, mitochondrial regulation and biogenesis, and nuclear and mitochondrial DNA stability and instability.

The Human Genetics, Genomics, Epigenetics and Molecular Biology thrust is focused on identifying and characterizing nuclear and mitochondrial genes, genetic pathways and genetic regulation in humans, particular in pathways that affect human cognitive and physical performance capabilities as well as resilience to detrimental effects of stress.

This program also supports research investigating mitochondrial integrity and degradation, mitochondrial regulation, and the effects of endosymbiotic bacteria, fungi and protozoans on healthy humans. This program also supports research to characterize and understand the effects of human genetic variation.

The Biology of Non-Human Eukaryotes thrust is focused on understanding and characterizing genetic pathways in non-human organisms, including fungi, insects, mailto:stephanie.a.mcelhinny.civ@mail.mil rodents, and plants, as well as other eukaryotes. This program is particularly interested in nuclear and mitochondrial DNA stability and instability, DNA metabarcoding, species distribution models, alternative organisms for sensing and detection as well as endosymbionts. This program is also interested in stress, resilience, adaptation, pollen, social insects, and identifying biological components of social instability.

TPOC: Dr. Micheline Strand, micheline.k.strand.civ@army.mil, (919) 549-4343

(3) Microbiology

This program supports basic research in fundamental microbiology that can help advance needs in Soldier protection and performance. There are two primary research thrusts within this program: (i) Prokaryotic Survival Mechanisms in Challenging and

Extreme Environments and (ii) Analysis and Engineering of Microbial Communities.

The Prokaryotic Survival Mechanisms in Challenging and Extreme Environments thrust focuses on the study of the cellular and genetic mechanisms and responses that underlie not just microbial survival in the face of environmental stress, but also the ability of specific microbes to thrive under those conditions. These stressors include extremes in temperature, pH, or salinity; the presence of toxins including metals and toxic organic molecules; oxidative stress; and cellular starvation and the depletion of specific nutrients. Included here is the study of microbial metabolism under conditions of slow growth and the transitions into and out of slow growth phases. Research approaches can include fundamental studies of microbial physiology and metabolism, cell biology, and molecular genetics that examine key cellular networks linked to survival and environmental adaptation, microbial cell membrane structure and the dissection of relevant critical signal transduction pathways and other sense-and-respond mechanisms.

The Analysis and Engineering of Microbial Communities thrust supports basic research that addresses the fundamental principles that drive the formation, proliferation, sustenance and robustness of microbial communities through reductionist, systems-level, ecological and evolutionary approaches. Bottom-up analysis of nutrient consumption, information exchange, signaling interactions, spatial/temporal effects structure-function relationships and biosynthetic output for single and multi-species communities within the context of planktonic and both native and engineered biofilm architectures is considered. The use of these approaches for the analysis of model microbial systems that address the biology of the mammalian microbiome are welcome. Of joint interest with the ARO Biomathematics Program, research efforts that advance the ability to work with complex biological data sets to increase understanding of microbiological systems marked by ever-increasing complexity are encouraged.

TPOC: Dr. Robert Kokoska, robert.j.kokoska2.civ@army.mil, (919) 549-4342

(4) Neurophysiology of Cognition

The Neurophysiology of Cognition program supports non-medically oriented basic mailto:micheline.k.strand.civ@mail.mil mailto:robert.j.kokoska2.civ@mail.mil research in neuroscience, the behavioral sciences, physiology and neuroengineering that might enable the optimization of Soldier’s cognitive and physical performance capabilities. An overarching goal of the program is to provide foundational knowledge of molecular, cellular and systems-level neural codes underlying cognition and performance across multiple length and time scales. Research in this program can include a broad range of methodological and theoretical approaches applied to animal and human experimental systems including electrophysiology, neuroimaging and computational neurobiology. This includes the study of the psycho-physiological implications of brain-machine interfaces, the measurement and modeling of individual cognitive dynamics and decision making during real-world activity, and identifying how neuronal circuits generate desirable computations. In the long term, research in this area may enable the development of interfaces enabling humans to more efficiently control machines, new training methods and devices to predict and optimize individual performance, and the potential restoration from injury at the neural level. Basic research opportunities are sought in two primary research thrusts within this program: (i) Multisensory Synthesis and (ii) Neuronal Computation.

Multisensory Synthesis. The Multisensory Synthesis thrust aims to understand how the human brain functions in relation to the interaction of sensory, cognitive and motor processes during its performance of real-world tasks. Research focuses on mapping, quantifying and modeling distributed neural processes, physiological processes and mind-body interfaces that mediate these features to ultimately develop better understanding of cognition for eventual application to Soldier performance.

Neuronal Computation. The Neuronal Computation thrust is focused on understanding how living neuronal circuits generate desirable computations, affect how information is represented, show robustness to damage, incorporate learning and facilitate evolutionary change. Research focuses on determining how brains structure, process and refine inputs into efficient decisions and behaviors, and how these multiscale features are altered under stresses. Cell culture, brain slice and in vivo models are used to develop better understanding of small and large-scale living neural networks for eventual application in Army systems.

TPOC: Dr. Frederick Gregory, frederick.d.gregory5.civ@army.mil, +44 (0)1895-

626517

(5) Behavioral Science

The goal of this program is to promote basic research on social behavior to discover the theoretical foundations of social behavior at all levels, from single agents to collectives and global societies, with an emphasis on the perspective that humans are a part of complex systems, including other humans, natural environments, and physical environments (including human-built infrastructures and technologies).). The thrusts of this program are (1) discovering new signals of social dynamics and models that represent those dynamics; (2) modeling social structural vulnerabilities to non-kinetic threats; and (3) generating new cross-cultural models of the impact of social institutions on the scientific enterprise.

mailto:frederick.d.gregory5.civ@mail.mil

Signals of Social Dynamics. While social systems are comprised of individual agents, individual behaviors, dispositions, perceptions, and states cannot be summed to accurately depict or predict collective states and dynamics. Collective processes (e.g., polarization, evaluation apprehension, risky-shift, information transfer biases, inter- and intra-group dominance, and social risk) lead to system-wide adjustments and outcomes, such as shifts from peaceful protest to violence, emergence of influential factions in a society, and fragmentation of regimes. Methods to detect these processes, however, are often fraught with bias, relying on subjective self-reports, reliance on instruments that are not cross-culturally consistent, observer/experimenter bias, demand effects in experiments, and non-representative sampling frames. Also, traditional methods of modeling social dynamics are often deficient -- using statistical techniques that rely on assumptions that are not borne out in the social phenomena being studied (e.g., assumptions of linear relationships, continuous change, non-independence of observations, normally distributed data). The aim of this thrust is to inform and advance social science theories by developing and validating signals of social dynamics to objectively capture collective processes at group-to-population levels. It also seeks new methods that capture how signals from different sources at different levels of granularity can be integrated to model social dynamics within and among collectives. The thrust looks favorably on the use of emerging technologies in biophysiological and geophysical signaling. It also encourages non-traditional modeling strategies that overcome deficiencies of using continuous linear models and normal distributions when social phenomena are not continuous, linear, or normally distributed.