Shaping the future of Warfighter capabilities

Prof. John Joannopoulos seated at the desk in his MIT office. Photo: Jose-Luis Olivares, MIT

A University-Affiliated Research Center where MIT personnel collaborate with the Army, other DOD and US government agencies, and industry on innovative science, engineering, and rapid transitioning in service of the US Armed Forces and the Nation.

ISN Director John Joannopoulos receives 2024-2025 Killian Award (MIT News)

Equipment Access

ISN equipment and laboratories in Technology Square are available to members of the MIT research community.

Learn more about available equipment and how to apply for ISN access.

Strategic Research Areas

ISN projects are organized into Strategic Research Areas (SRAs), representing the most fundamental domains of scientific investigation in the ISN portfolio.

Soldier Medicine — Battlefield Care & Hazardous Substances Detection and Protection

Janus emulsion droplets are captured in the process of changing form in response to the presence of contamination by a food pathogen in a lab setting. The emulsions can be viewed by the naked eye and, with the aid of a handheld sensor currently in development, can quantify the presence and amount of bacterial contamination in food. (Image: Courtesy of the researchers, cropped by ISN)

SRA-5 harnesses research in bioengineering, nanomaterials, complex emulsions, and polymeric or protein scaffolds to discover and enable innovative approaches to protect humans from hazardous substances.

See SRAs and Projects

ISN in the News

Three-Dimensional Nanoarchitected Hexagonal Boron Nitride imaged by Dr. James Surjadi

MIT ISN researcher wins first prize in NNI/ACS/UCSD MRSEC NanoInFocus image contest

3 Questions: From the bench to the battlefield (MIT News)

ISN Director John Joannopoulos receives 2024-2025 Killian Award (MIT News)

See All News

Our Partners

The ISN mission is complex and difficult, and it won't be solved by cutting-edge science and engineering alone. The ISN works with key partners — the Army and other US military services, other US government organizations, small and large businesses — that share a passion for our mission and a sense of responsibility for achieving it.