ܽƵ

ܽƵapp

Newsroom

Jing Wang, ܽƵapp of electrical engineering, and Ugur Guneroglu, graduate ܽƵapp, working on micromachined on-chip microwave acoustic resonators and filters for integrated RF and microwave front end systems.

Jing Wang, ܽƵapp of electrical engineering, and graduate ܽƵapp Ugur Guneroglu conduct research in the USF Center for Wireless and Microwave Information Systems [Photos by Torie Doll, ܽƵapp Communications and Marketing]

New partnership will allow USF to advance U.S. Army innovation, bolster talent pipeline

By Tina Meketa, ܽƵapp Communications and Marketing

Sylvia Thomas and Adam Rawlett

Adam Rawlett, senior research scientist for the Army Research Laboratory, and Sylvia Thomas, USF vice president for research and innovation [Photo courtesy of USF Research and Innovation]

The ܽƵapp is broadening its collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense through a formalized agreement with the U.S. Army. 

The five-year educational partnership agreement coalesces faculty from throughout the university to conduct critical defense research and provides ܽƵapp internships – helping broaden the talent pipeline for future military needs.

“This new partnership with the U.S. Army Research Lab demonstrates USF’s commitment to research and innovation focused on global and national security,” said Sylvia Thomas, USF vice president for research and innovation. “It will provide tremendous research opportunities for our faculty and great hands-on learning experiences and workforce development for our ܽƵapps.  USF embraces this opportunity to strategically collaborate with ARL experts to strengthen U.S. competitiveness.”

USF researchers will be working with the known as DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory. It’s the Army’s foundational research laboratory dedicated to scientific discovery and technological innovation, helping strengthen the armed forces. 

“DEVCOM ARL's educational partnership agreement with the ܽƵapp provides a unique opportunity to engage faculty and ܽƵapps to advance ARL's mission to operationalize science, build a preeminent workforce and transition innovation for the Army,” said Adam Rawlett, senior research scientist for DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory.

  • Jing Wang, ܽƵapp of electrical engineering, and graduate ܽƵapp Ruoke Liu

  • Doctoral ܽƵapps Shivani Sharma and Tasin Nusrat work with electrical engineering Assistant Professor Stavros Vakalis in the Center for Wireless and Microwave Information Systems

  • (L-R) Tansel Yucelen, associate ܽƵapp of mechanical engineering, doctoral ܽƵapps Emre Yildirim, Deniz Kurtoglu and Rebecca Harrison and undergraduate ܽƵapp Samuel Carrara

  • Undergraduate ܽƵapp Samuel Carrara, doctoral ܽƵapp Deniz Kurtoglu and associate ܽƵapp of mechanical engineering Tansel Yucelen work on autonomous control of unmanned aerial systems

  • Doctoral ܽƵapp Thomas Ranstrom and Gokhan Mumcu, ܽƵapp of electrical engineering

The new partnership will add to the university’s longstanding working relationship with the U.S. Army, which is evidenced by USF researchers conducting 114 Army-funded research projects worth $150 million over the last 20 years. The (LACIS) and the (WAMI) recently received $3.5 million in funding from the DEVCOM Army Research Lab to lead six projects. They include the development of autonomous control algorithms for unmanned aerial systems, the creation of advanced antenna technology that can change the shape and focus of radio waves in super high frequency range, new technology with defense mechanisms that can be integrated into wireless devices using machine-learning algorithms and radar systems that can detect challenging targets.

“This partnership will pave the way for the safe integration of unmanned aerial systems into our national airspace, leveraging cutting-edge autonomous control algorithms,” said Tansel Yucelen, USF associate ܽƵapp of mechanical engineering and LACIS director, who has led more than $4.5 million in research from Department of Defense agencies. 

USF ܽƵapps of electrical engineering and WAMI center members Gokhan Mumcu, Stavros Vakalis and co-director Jing Wang also plan to leverage this new partnership to expand their wireless research efforts. They collectively have $7 million in federal grants, more than half awarded by agencies in the Department of Defense.  

In addition to USF serving as subject matter experts, DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory will provide USF with cutting-edge laboratory equipment and access to its own advanced research facilities. It will also provide ܽƵapps with internship opportunities through DEVCOM, making them more competitive in securing challenging careers such as in the aerospace and industrial engineering fields. 

While this agreement represents the start of a formal relationship between USF and DEVCOM, both sides agree that it will likely grow to become a similar partnership as what USF has with MacDill Air Force Base, where there are multiple projects being conducted over the course of several years.

Return to article listing

News Archive

Learn more about USF's journey to Preeminence by viewing Newsroom articles from past years.

USF in the News

February 25, 2025

February 24, 2025

February 20, 2025

February 7, 2025

More USF in the News