Research Topics

Align Yourself with Our Research Areas

The Draper Scholars Program emphasizes empowering students in 14 key research areas to make the greatest impact. We encourage applicants to align their research with these topics.

Digital Engineering

Digital Engineering (DE) leverages model-based engineering and information technology infrastructure with the goal of establishing a complete digital representation of a system for all uses throughout the system’s life cycle.  Draper is working to more fully incorporate DE across many engineering domains, from mechanical and electrical design through system-level modeling and simulation including software-, hardware-, and human-in-the-loop design and testing, and for biotechnology-based systems.

Technical Point of Contact

Dan Keating
dkeating@draper.com

Research Interests

Interest areas include more efficient methods for developing digital system representations and to expand models into more complex areas such as hypersonic vehicle applications and digital twins for the human body and its key organs and subsystems (e.g., immune system). Of particular interest is bridging multiple sources of truth using data integrator technology, providing semantic and syntactic interoperability across model-based engineering domains.

Draper is interested in R&D innovations in trade space exploration that includes rapid generation of representative mission and system environment models, as well as cost models for development, production, and sustainment.

It is one thing to develop a system to operate in benign and uncontested mission conditions.   Draper is interested in R&D concepts to efficiently and effectively include harsh and contested environment representations into analysis, design, and test simulations.

Draper is interested in the use of rapidly advancing AI/ML tools in the employment of Digital Engineering as well as how Digital Engineering can better incorporate models of AI/ML-based subsystems.

Have Any Questions?

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Undergraduate and graduate students gain valuable hands-on experience through our co-op education and internship programs. Students can receive academic credit and have the opportunity to present their research outcomes.

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