Daniel Blair Contributes to $9M Multidisciplinary Naval Research Initiative

Professor Daniel Blair is a PI on a newly funded $9 million Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) led by Virginia Tech and supported by the Office of Naval Research. The five-year project brings together researchers from Cornell University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, and the United States Naval Academy to study the complex interactions between turbulence, biofouling, compliant surfaces, and acoustics in marine environments.

Biofouling begins almost immediately when a vessel enters seawater. Within hours, microorganisms form a thin bacterial film on a ship’s hull that produces sticky substances and enables the growth of algae and other organisms. Over time, this buildup creates rough, uneven surfaces that increase drag and resistance, raise fuel consumption, generate noise and vibrations, and interfere with onboard sensors. To address this challenge, the interdisciplinary research team will investigate how biological growth interacts with fluid flow and surface materials.

To learn more about this project, see the full news story from the Institute for Soft Matter.