At the time of this writing (2018), the Office of Research identified 19 Research Centers and 2 Institutes at the Academy. Here is a list of the Centers, along with a brief description of each center’s core competencies.
Academy Center for Cyberspace Research (Department of Computer and Cyber Sciences)
— Cybersecurity education
— Malware analysis
— Provably secure internet software
Aeronautics Research Center (Department of Aeronautics)
— Aerodynamic flow control
— Subsonic wind tunnel testing in five different facilities
— Supersonic/hypersonic experiment and computation
— Gas turbine and internal combustion research
— Small air vehicle design/build/fly
— Parachute canopy development/computation
Astronomical Research Group and Observatory (Department of Physics)
— Space object tracking, identification, photometry, and spectroscopy
— Astronomical photometry and spectroscopy
Center for Aircraft Structural Life Extension (Department of Engineering Mechanics)
— Structural testing and analysis (full scale, component level, and coupon)
— Material degradation (corrosion, cracking, etc.)
— Material processing, testing, and development
— Structural teardown analysis and root-cause analysis
— Service loads and environment measurement and structural impact analysis
Center for Airpower Studies (Department of Military and Strategic Studies)
— Joint air, space, and cyberspace power
— Cadet-centered, faculty-assisted research
— Multi-domain, operational military expertise
— Multidisciplinary research methods
— Modeling and simulation
Center for Physics Education Research (Department of Physics)
— Developing research-based educational resources
— Assessing effectiveness of educational approaches
— Providing resources and support for the Just-in-Time Teaching pedagogy
Center for Space Situational Awareness Research (Department of Physics)
— Small aperture optical telescopes for satellite characterization
— Non-imaging photometric, spectral, and polarimetric techniques for characterization of unresolved space objects
— Data fusion and modeling
Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Research (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering)
— Simulating and test flying autonomous algorithms for multiple unmanned aerial vehicles
— Sensor fusion (electro-optical, infrared, radio frequency)
— Global positioning system-denied navigation
— Sense and avoid path planning
— Counter-unmanned aerial systems methods
Center of Innovation (part of Air Force CyberWorx)
— Design Thinking
— Public-Private partnerships
— Basic and applied research with market-shaping companies
Chemistry Research Center (Department of Chemistry)
— Advanced materials and composites processing and fabrication
— Robust small molecule, biomolecular and macromolecular synthesis and characterization
— Molecular computational modeling and simulation
Eisenhower Center for Space and Defense Studies (Department of Political Science)
— National security policy, with an emphasis on deterrence theory, particularly in the space and cyber domains
— Research and scholarship related to challenges to US security
— Collaboration with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, US Strategic Command, US Northern Command, and AF Space Command
High Performance Computing Research Center (Department of Aeronautics)
— Access to DoD supercomputing resources
— High-speed network access and local storage systems
— Partnerships with local universities for high performance computing research
— Expertise in computational fluid dynamics
Human Performance Lab (Department of Athletics)
— Various exercises for cadet athletes to train and enhance vision for sports performance
— Hyperoxic tent to simulate sea level
— Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry scans for body composition
— Resting Metabolic Rate
— Maximum oxygen volume testing
— Anaerobic Endurance, Anaerobic Power, and Anaerobic Threshold
Laser and Optics Research Center (Department of Physics)
— Pulsed tunable lasers
— Laser and optical test equipment
— Laser and optical modeling
— Design and fabrication of unique laboratory apparatus
— High power continuous wave lasers
Life Sciences Research Center (Department of Biology)
— Screening methods for detecting bacterial agents and interrogating select cell lines
— Cultivating/isolating select extremophile organisms as a source of alternative energy production for biosensing capabilities
— Cellular lipid and protein analysis
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (Center for Educational Innovation)
— Educational resources for evidence-based teaching approaches
— Research method design and ethics approval for educational research
Space Physics and Atmospheric Research Center (Department of Physics)
— Miniaturized payloads
— Space physics
— Applied physics
Space Systems Research Center (Department of Astronautics)
— Designing, building, testing, and flying small spacecraft
— Space systems engineering
— Avionics testing/simulation
Warfighter Effectiveness Research Center (Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership)
— Sociocultural, psychological, organizational, and clinical perspectives toward enhancing respect for human dignity
— Evidence-based research methods in leadership development
— Transdisciplinary approach to the research and design of more effective human-machine teams
— Human subjects research
The two institutes are the USAF Institute for National Security Studies and the Institute for Information Technology Applications; both are located at USAFA.
From its inception in 1992, the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) has focused on strategic security, arms control, and strategic stability studies, advising the Air Force strategic policy and arms control communities on current and emerging issues of interest. The mission of INSS is to promote national security policy research for the Department of Defense within the military academic community, to foster the development of strategic perspective within the United States Armed Forces, and to support national security discourse through outreach and education. Sponsorship of INSS comes from the HQ USAF/Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration. In 2016 INSS assumed management of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Project on Advanced Systems and Concepts for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction.
The Institute for Information Technology Applications (IITA) is funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory Sensors Directorate, and directed by General James P. McCarthy, USAF (Ret). The Institute engages in multidisciplinary research and development of products with information technology that would benefit education and operations within the Academy, the Air Force, and the Department of Defense. Key projects involve unmanned aerial vehicles command and control and mission planning. The Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) Program teaches cadets tactical airmanship concepts via the RQ-11 Raven unmanned aircraft and operational airpower employment via an air operations center simulator. A state-of-the-art RPA Operations Center provides command and control for all unmanned aircraft operations at USAFA. IITA supports the Department of Military and Strategic Studies to purchase and install experimental simulators for integration into the Air Warfare Laboratory, works with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in developing a power grid system test bed for detection and mitigation of cyber anomalies and information vulnerabilities, and collaborates with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering to use RPA technology to assess pavement conditions and determine required maintenance for flexible and rigid pavements.