From using machine learning to scan military runways for damage, to modernizing helicopter communications and deploying nuclear power units for disaster relief – all while earning a STEM master’s degree – this year’s Military Graduate Research Program (MGRP) cohort at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) took on defense challenges with real-world impact. 

MGRP offers U.S military personnel the opportunity to conduct Department of Defense-related part-time research in a GTRI lab while simultaneously obtaining a master's degree in a science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM)-related program at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). 

The cohort consists of 9 officers – five from the U.S. Air Force, three from the U.S. Navy and one from the U.S. Space Force – who are working in four of the eight GTRI labs. That brings the participation total in the program up to 38 since its inception in fall 2020. 

MGRP funds its graduate degree program through Georgia Tech's Graduate Student Tuition Remission Plan (GSTRP). Throughout the program, each participant serves as a military graduate research assistant (MGRA), which is the equivalent of a graduate research assistant or graduate teaching assistant (GRA/GTA). GTRI covers associated degree fees. Some tuition and fees are also waived due to the MGRA's military status. Book expenses are the MGRA's responsibility.

MGRP Chair Mario Mifsud, who serves as the associate lab director of GTRI's Electro-Optical Systems Laboratory (EOSL), called the program a win-win for all the involved parties, allowing service members to solve applied engineering problems on sponsored, real-world DoD-related projects while providing GTRI with top talent.

"People say there is no free lunch," Mifsud said. "But in this program, there is. All of the players, all of the stakeholders, get something more economically than they would if they were doing things on their own."

One member of the current cohort is Ryan Luetjen, a future submariner who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2024. Over the past year, he has worked in EOSL while simultaneously obtaining his master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering at Tech. 

Luetjen is set to graduate from Georgia Tech this summer and will then attend the Nuclear Power Training Unit (NPTU) in Charleston, South Carolina. NPTU Charleston is a technical school that trains personnel for shipboard nuclear power plant operation and maintenance.

He chose to participate in MGRP to gain additional hands-on experience and classroom training before starting submarine school. 

“I was in a good place at the Naval Academy where I could pursue grad school, and figured I might as well do it while I’m still in school mode,” Luetjen said. “MGRP has allowed me to apply concepts from my graduate program to my research while also giving me a comprehensive understanding of how the technologies we develop are integrated into the military before I enter the fleet.” 

Luetjen’s research project explores using drones and LiDAR technology to scan damaged military runways and then applies machine learning to analyze the data and assess the extent of the damage. 

“It’s been great to take what I’ve learned from my undergrad and grad studies and apply it in a hands-on way,” he said. 

Helen Works and Mihiri Fernando are two other cohort members and recent graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy. Works is a civil engineer in the Air Force and is conducting research in GTRI’s Advanced Concepts Laboratory (ACL). She is set to graduate with her master’s in nuclear engineering from Tech in December. Fernando is working in the Applied Systems Laboratory (ASL) at GTRI and earning her master’s in computational science and engineering, with graduation also in December. 

Works’ research has focused on developing a basemat to support a deployable microreactor – a nuclear reactor designed to fit in a shipping container and provide power in remote or disaster-stricken areas. The base mat serves two key purposes: to stabilize the reactor on uneven terrain and to shield the ground from radiation. 

After graduation, Works will receive her station assignment for the Air Force and is eager to apply the nuclear energy research she conducted through MGRP. 

“I would love to take what I learned here and advance the future of reactor technology, whether within the Air Force, in a lab or with a private nuclear company,” Works said. 

Once Fernando graduates, she plans to attend Undergraduate Pilot Training, which is a rigorous year-long program that trains newly commissioned Air Force officers to become military pilots. 

“We start out flying trainer aircraft, but my ultimate goal is to fly bombers, ideally the B-1 or B-2,” Fernando said. “I’m very excited for that and to apply what I’ve been learning here at Georgia Tech and GTRI.” 

At GTRI, Fernando has been contributing to a project aimed at upgrading the communication systems of the U.S. Army’s CH-47 Chinook helicopters, specifically replacing outdated and unsupported hardware with new radio controls, cryptographic systems and tactical communication equipment.

She said the most rewarding part of her research has been watching everything come together over just a few months. 

“When I started in the fall, the size and complexity of these projects felt overwhelming,” she said. “But now, I’m at the point where I understand how everything fits together and it’s been exciting to contribute to that. For example, seeing something go from an Excel sheet to an actual program has been really fun.” 

All three cohort members agreed that transitioning from the structure and discipline of their military academies to part-time research and grad school, where they have more flexibility over their time, has been an adjustment. 

But they said MGRP has equipped them with the critical thinking, strategic planning and problem-solving skills needed to succeed in their next phase of their careers. 

“GTRI has provided us with a lot of support through MGRP; it’s been a rewarding experience,” Luetjen said.

The MGRP selection process has three components.

First, the military officer must apply to a service sponsoring program, and the program must put the individual on active duty, Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders to the Atlanta area to participate in MGRP. At the same time, candidates apply to the Georgia Tech STEM graduate degree program of their choice and must be accepted into their desired program to be eligible to participate. Thirdly, candidates must fill out an MGRP program application, which is available on GTRI's MGRP webpage.

Once these three steps are completed, the candidate’s application package is forwarded to the GTRI labs, divisions, and branches that best align with the candidate’s graduate degree program and research area(s) of interest.

Lab placements represent a best fit and many participants receive more than one offer from within the different GTRI labs. 

In the fall semester, the MGRP is adding support for a new role, the Military Affiliated Researcher (MAR). This category of MGRP student comes to Georgia Tech with their degree program already funded, but still elects to work at GTRI to gain research experience.  MARs also have their pay and allowances covered by their military service, so they are zero cost to GTRI and the project sponsor.  The program is tracking to have three MARs onboard in the fall cohort.    

In addition to spreading the word about GTRI's science and engineering expertise, MGRP builds a lifelong bond with service members and further strengthens GTRI's relationship with the military – for whom much of its work is dedicated.

If you are interested in learning more about MGRP, please visit: Military Graduate Research Program | GTRI.

Writer: Anna Akins 
Photos: Sean McNeil 
GTRI Communications
Georgia Tech Research Institute
Atlanta, Georgia

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit, applied research division of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Founded in 1934 as the Engineering Experiment Station, GTRI has grown to more than 3,000 employees, supporting eight laboratories in over 20 locations around the country and performing more than $919 million of problem-solving research annually for government and industry. GTRI's renowned researchers combine science, engineering, economics, policy, and technical expertise to solve complex problems for the U.S. federal government, state, and industry.