UAH lands first DARPA award for biological sciences department

by Russ Nelson for UAH News
Huntsville AL (SPX) Feb 18, 2026

A researcher in the College of Science at The University of Alabama in Huntsville has helped secure a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency contract that marks a first for the universitys Department of Biological Sciences. Professor Jerome Baudry, the Pei-Ling Chan Chair and chair of the department, played a central role in obtaining the award in partnership with CFD Research Corporation, a Huntsville-based R and D company that develops engineering simulations, advanced prototypes and software.

The contract supports the Microsystems Induced Catalysis program, an initiative that seeks to develop microsystems capable of precisely influencing the activity of molecular catalysts using physical forces imparted by the microsystem. The program addresses the challenge of accurately predicting how molecular catalysts behave when integrated with microsystem surfaces and how their activity can be modulated in complex environments. Accurate prediction is essential for controlling the behavior of molecular catalysts within microsystems to enable advances in materials synthesis, drug delivery and environmental cleanup.

Baudry says the award is a strong acknowledgment of the universitys capacity to contribute to high-level scientific innovation. He notes that the effort is part of a broader DARPA initiative focused on advancing next-generation biotechnologies. According to Baudry, UAH and CFD were selected because together they offer the expertise, leadership and credibility needed to integrate theoretical and experimental work in a highly coordinated way. He adds that the partnership extends CFD collaborations with UAH into biophysics and life sciences, creating new opportunities for the Huntsville regions research community.

Within the MICA program, the UAH and CFD team is one of only two groups nationwide chosen to provide the theoretical and computational modeling backbone for experimental efforts at top universities and research institutions across the United States. Their role is to deliver high-level simulations and analyses that help design, prioritize and guide high-risk, high-cost experiments conducted at these facilities. By aligning computational predictions with laboratory work, the team aims to reduce wasted effort and ensure that experimental campaigns focus on the most promising avenues.

The work targets major limitations in current approaches to molecular catalysis in microsystems. These include the lack of modeling tools capable of capturing interactions between molecules and inorganic surfaces with sufficient fidelity, difficulties in attaching molecules to microsystems with nanoscale precision, and challenges in achieving consistent catalytic performance across multiple reactions. By advancing modeling, simulation and fabrication techniques that can precisely influence catalytic activity, the project could open new pathways in materials science, biomedical technology and environmental remediation.

Baudry describes the project as sitting at the intersection of computational biology, biomedical science and engineering simulation. The research relies on large-scale molecular dynamics, artificial intelligence, quantum mechanical calculations and software development tailored to simulating specific biological functions. Outcomes are expected to inform both biomedical and technological applications, while also pushing forward the broader field of computational modeling in complex biological and physical systems.

For UAH specifically, Baudry and his students will drive the computational modeling and simulation effort at atomistic and molecular scales. Their work is designed to reproduce in silico the many experimental variables under consideration by partner teams. The goal is to advise experimental groups across the country on which experiments to conduct to obtain the most informative data without expending unnecessary time and resources on approaches unlikely to succeed.

Baudry emphasizes that biology and biotechnology are becoming increasingly central to national security and advanced technology. He says the MICA project places UAH, CFD and the Huntsville region at the core of a collaborative national effort in which their models accelerate discoveries across multiple experimental teams. He also points out that the other theoretical and modeling group in the program is also based in North Alabama, underscoring the regions emerging role as a hub for integrated theoretical and experimental strategies with national security relevance.

A key feature of Baudrys laboratory is its culture of interdisciplinarity. He notes that his graduate students have come from a wide range of disciplines, including biology, engineering, mathematics, physics, chemistry, psychology and computer science. The current graduate student working on this project, Juliette Mark, comes from the UAH Physics department, which, like the Department of Biological Sciences, is part of the College of Science. Baudry argues that this diverse expertise positions the university to collaborate effectively with CFD on cutting-edge national security and defense research.

Baudry concludes that the complementary strengths of UAHs College of Science and CFDS multidisciplinary talent make the partnership particularly powerful. CFD serves industries ranging from aerospace and defense to life sciences, materials and energy, and also works in fields such as cyber data sciences and drug discovery. Together, UAH and CFD aim to leverage their combined capabilities to support the MICA program and contribute to the next generation of biotechnologies with broad scientific and strategic impact.