Critical Contributions to Critical Challenges | September 09, 2025

For the seventh year in a row, the Lab has been recognized on Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators list — ranking 50th worldwide and standing as the only organization to place in the Top 50 every year since 2019.

More than 600 participants from across the submarine force, allied nations, industry and academia gathered at APL for the 37th Submarine Technology Symposium. The symposium provided a forum for technical exchange and discussion under the theme “Lethality Today and Innovation for Tomorrow.”

Andrew Mara has been named head of the Force Projection Sector at APL. Mara joined APL in 2023 as the head of the National Security Analysis Department, where he led the development of advanced technical capabilities to enable high-impact analyses of strategic challenges. 

APL researchers won a 2025 R&D 100 award for their nano-engineered materials, called CHESS, that significantly improve the efficiency of thermoelectric cooling devices. Their breakthrough nearly doubles the performance of traditional materials at room temperature, opening the way to much better cooling systems and energy-saving technologies.

APL researchers are exploring ways to produce food on demand by using readily available water to grow edible microbial products — an effort that could have significant implications for deployed military.

NASA’s Dragonfly mission has cleared several key design, development and testing milestones and remains on track toward launch in July 2028.

Angela Thompson has been appointed National Security Analysis mission area executive at APL. Since joining the Lab in 2007, she has served in key leadership roles guiding programs that advance U.S. national security.

Melissa Terlaje has been appointed chief government relations officer at the Lab. In this role, she will lead APL’s strategic engagements with government sponsors and stakeholders, ensuring the Lab’s critical contributions remain aligned with and continue to advance national priorities. Additionally, she will serve as secretary for the Lab’s Board of Managers, which provides organizational oversight.

The 2025 Cislunar Security Conference (CLSC) will be held December 2–4 at the APL campus in Laurel, Maryland. CLSC, hosted annually by the Lab, is the largest cislunar-specific event in the nation, drawing together hundreds of professionals from government, defense, intelligence, industry and academia to discuss critical issues in the space domain. This year’s conference will drive discussions on enhancing collaboration between government agencies and industry partners, the consequences of space as a warfighting domain that extends beyond geostationary orbit, and establishing a robust technology foundation to ensure access to the cislunar domain. U.S. citizenship is required to participate in this event. Join the mailing list to receive conference updates.

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