Luat Vuong, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering in the Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering at UC Riverside, has received a prestigious Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, Young Faculty Award. DARPA Young Faculty Awards support rising stars in junior research positions and engage them with mentoring and industry and Department of Defense contacts to develop their research ideas in the context of national security needs.  

The grant will provide Vuong with up to $1million over three years to define new predictive imaging technologies. In largely theoretical and numerical efforts that combine knowledge of optics and machine learning, Vuong will demonstrate how controlled light scattering events in nanostructured and nanocomposite materials provide new capacity for rapid and robust data processing.  

“The DARPA Young Faculty Award provides an incredible opportunity for carrying out my research vision,” said Vuong. “There is a special positive environment at UC Riverside. Many of my colleagues-- faculty, staff, and students—are simply stellar. I’m looking forward to seeing UC Riverside rise in the rankings as their creativity takes root, the risks pay off, and more of us build a career here.”