Debut Dozen: ONR Announces First Winners of New CNR Fellows Program
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) today announces the first class of 12 winners in its inaugural Chief of Naval Research (CNR) Fellows program.
Launched earlier this year, the fellowship is designed to foster a constant infusion of state-of-the-art knowledge, while simultaneously creating a growing network of researchers who can translate the Navy and Marine Corps’ most pressing challenges into science and technology (S&T) research that will provide critical benefits to Sailors and Marines.
The CNR Fellows program brings the dozen academic research professors to ONR for a one-year fellowship in support of critical naval focus areas, with a stipend of $150,000 per Fellow.
The one-year fellowship timeframe promotes a sense of urgency for participants to learn and contribute quickly — while also expanding the program's reach to a larger number of researchers over time and ultimately creating ONR and Department of the Navy (DoN) advocates on campus.
All 12 winners were chosen from more than 180 nominations from approximately 70 academic institutions across the United States. A formal welcoming ceremony will take place in October at ONR headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.
“This was an extremely rigorous, competitive selection process, and we are pleased to partner with some of the best and brightest minds our nation has to offer,” said Chief of Naval Research Dr. Rachel Riley. “We look forward to collaborating with these innovative thought leaders to strengthen the warfighting capabilities of the Navy and Marine Corps.”
This year’s CNR Fellows are:
- Dr. Alfred Chen, University of California, Irvine
- Dr. Dan Scolnic, Duke University
- Dr. Kaitlin Frasier, University of California San Diego – Scripps Institute of Oceanography
- Dr. Michael Kaess, Carnegie Mellon University
- Dr. Yuxiong Wang, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Dr. Zhenghui Sha, University of Texas at Austin
- Dr. Anna Tarakanova, University of Connecticut
- Dr. Joydeep Biswas, University of Texas at Austin
- Dr. Mohammed Agamy, University of Albany
- Dr. Akane Sano, Rice University
- Dr. Michael Rubenstein, Northwestern University
- Dr. Suo Yang, University of Minnesota
To be selected as a CNR Fellow, nominees must be tenured associate professors by Sept. 1, 2026, or full professors promoted to this role within the last two years. Candidates also must have been nominated by their university’s department head or dean.
As part of their responsibilities, the 2026 Fellows will immerse themselves in the naval S&T ecosystem and gain firsthand experience with:
- How ONR program officers develop programs and evaluate research proposals
- Critical Navy and Marine Corps operational problems
- The planning, programming, budget and execution process
- The roles of various naval laboratories and industry partners
- ONR's internal performance and portfolio metrics
While in the program, Fellows will review research proposals, provide technical feedback and input on both proposed and ongoing ONR efforts, and propose new research topics. They also are expected to spend approximately four days per month in person at ONR. Fellows will receive a stipend of $150,000 and $50,000 for travel expenses.
According to Dr. Reginald Williams — the ONR program officer overseeing the CNR Fellows program — there were originally going to be only five Fellows. However, CNR Riley and ONR Executive Director Dr. Thomas Fu decided to increase the number to 12, in order to ensure full support of the Focus Areas outlined in the new ONR S&T Strategy.
“One important benefit of the Chief of Naval Research Fellows program is that it strengthens the connection between academia and the DoN,” said Williams. “The Fellows will come away with a deeper understanding of real-world naval challenges that could not only foster new, relevant and impactful research — but also inspire their students to pursue careers in the naval S&T workforce.”
Warren Duffie Jr. is a contractor for ONR Corporate Strategic Communications.
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