Nader Motee, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and mechanics at Lehigh University, has been recognized by the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Programfor his project Risk is New Robustness: A Systemic Perspective. Motee, a P.C. Rossin Assistant Professor, is no stranger to significant national recognition, including a 2013 Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Young Investigator Award, and a 2015 NSF CAREER Award.
The overarching goal of Motee's project is to propose development of a novel unified theory based on a general theory of systemic measures. This work will contribute to our understanding of performance and risk in large networks of autonomous systems. Moreover, Nader intends to develop data-driven algorithms to assess global performance, risk, and fragility features of various real-world networks – comprised of unmanned autonomous vehicles, distributed power grids, and sociotechnical networks – by computing the value of their systemic measure in real-time.
This new award from ONR will support laboratory equipment, graduate student stipends and scholarships, and other expenses critical to ongoing and planned investigational studies. Typical grants are $510,000 over a three-year period, with additional funds available for equipment.
ONR's Young Investigator Program is one of the oldest and most selective scientific research advancement programs in the country. Its purpose is to fund early-career academic researchers whose scientific pursuits show outstanding promise for supporting the Department of Defense, while also promoting their professional development.
This year, 47 scientists were selected from a pool of 280 highly qualified applicants -- college and university faculty who have obtained tenure-track positions within the past five years. Selection criteria included past performance, technical merit, potential scientific breakthrough and long-term university commitment.
