To bolster the success of cutting-edge technologies, the Department of Defense (DoD) has announced a $221 million allocation towards basic defense-related research projects. UC San Diego researchers and scientists are leading teams or part of teams on four key projects.

This significant investment is part of the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) awards program, aimed at fostering innovative solutions to complex challenges faced by the military.

This year's funding will support 30 teams across 73 U.S. academic institutions, with an average award amount of $7.5 million over five years. These grants, subject to satisfactory research progress and funding availability, are expected to accelerate scientific breakthroughs and facilitate the transition of basic research into practical applications.

MOD scientists Matthew Alford and Gunnar Voet, together with Professor Thomas Peacock at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, received an award for their project “Abyssal Boundary Layers: High‐Resolution, Interdisciplinary Observations and Theory” by the Office of Naval Research.

The project aims to explore an understanding of how the ocean interacts with the seafloor, a crucial research component for various reasons. First, the turbulent structure of the ocean near its bottom influences its conveyor belt circulation, which brings heat to the deep sea, warming the cold waters sinking near the Earth’s poles. Second, understanding the physics and ecosystems of the near-bottom ocean is vital due to increasing human activities such as Naval operations, seabed mining, and laying seafloor cables.

Read more in UCSD’s announcement here.