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Cui Named ONR Young Investigator

Dr. Jun-Hong Cui, an assistant professor of Computer Science & Engineering, has received one of just 27 2008 Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program awards presented to researchers nationwide. Dr. Cui's winning proposal, selected in the area of "ocean battlespace sensing," builds upon her existing body of work in reliable underwater acoustic sensor networks.

Her proposal was selected from among 208 submitted for the 2008 competition. The three-year award carries prestige along with a grant of $340,000. ONR Young Investigators are considered among the most promising young academic researchers in the country. The awards recognize research achievements, potential for continued outstanding research efforts, and strong support and commitment from their respective universities and research institutions.

Dr. Cui's research will involve the use of underwater sensor networks (UWSNs) for critical Navy applications, such as anti-submarine warfare, mine countermeasures, and battle space environmental monitoring. UWSNs differ from conventional terrestrial sensor networks due to their acoustic communications and sensor node mobility.

Dr. Cui is a 2007 National Science Foundation CAREER Award recipient. In landing an ONR Young Investigator Program award, she joins four previous recipients: Drs. Wilson Chiu ('01) and Ranga Pitchumani ('96) - both in Mechanical Engineering; Dr. Ben Wilhite ('07), in Chemical, Materials & Biomolecular Engineering; and Dr. Shengli Zhou ('07) of Electrical & Computer Engineering.

The ONR YIP awards are available to scientists and engineers who have received Ph.D. or equivalent degrees within the past five years and who show exceptional promise for doing creative research.