Science Director Named 2025 Office of Naval Research Global Technical Employee of the Year

Washington D.C  –   U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Research Engineer Joel Goodman, Ph.D., was named the 2025 Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global Technical Employee of the Year and awarded the Department of the Navy Civilian Service Achievement Medal for his leadership, technical excellence, and sustained contributions to high-impact international research initiatives supporting U.S. Navy science and technology priorities.

Goodman received the recognition while serving as ONR Global Science Director in Singapore, where he played a pivotal role in advancing multinational research collaboration and accelerating the transition of innovative technologies to address operational maritime challenges. Goodman was selected as a Science Director in 2023 and began a three-year assignment at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore in February 2024. He serves in this capacity on detail from NRL, with his rotation at ONR Global Singapore scheduled to conclude in February 2027.

“Dr. Goodman was a driving force in every phase of the 2025 GlobalX AI Challenge, from concept development through program execution,” said ONR Global Commanding Officer Capt. Eric Hutter. “His exceptional professional ability, personal initiative, and total dedication to duty resulted in a highly competitive international research effort that produced meaningful solutions for maritime security.”

Goodman led the planning and execution of the 2025 GlobalX Innovation Joint Challenge: AI for Advancing Maritime Security, a nine-month international science challenge launched by ONR Global in partnership with Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF). The challenge attracted 42 high-quality proposals from across the globe, ultimately yielding innovative artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to address critical maritime security needs.

The GlobalX Challenge is a key deliverable of the U.S. – Singapore Memorandum of Understanding for Defence Innovation Cooperation, jointly executed by ONR Global and Singapore’s Cap Vista Accelerator. Now in its fifth iteration since 2020, the GlobalX program bridges foundational research with the operational needs of warfighters by fostering international collaboration among technology companies, startups, academic institutions, and research organizations.

“Dr. Goodman’s contributions underscore NRL’s role in advancing Navy science and technology,” said NRL Commanding Officer Capt. Randy Cruz. “His leadership in artificial intelligence research is accelerating the transition of innovative solutions that directly support maritime security and operational readiness.”

Submissions to the 2025 challenge focused on advancing AI-enabled capabilities in maritime domain awareness, threat detection, and response capabilities.

Goodman ensured effective implementation of the framework established by the former Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus and Singapore Chief of Defence Science Tan Chee Wee, aligning the initiative with U.S. Navy Science and Technology priorities. He coordinated engagement across ONR Global Science Directors, ONR Program Officers, and Naval Research Enterprise subject matter experts, who collectively supported challenge design, proposal evaluation, and final selection.

Through disciplined project management and bi-weekly coordination with MINDEF, Goodman streamlined processes that reduced the program timeline by nearly 50% while maintaining rigorous technical and evaluation standards. The effort resulted in jointly funded, high-impact research projects supported by both the United States and Singapore.

“Dr. Goodman’s execution of the GlobalX AI Challenge, combined with his continued leadership across multiple research portfolios, exemplifies unwavering commitment to advancing U.S. Navy science and technology objectives,” Cruz said. “His performance reflects exceptional professional ability and dedication to mission accomplishment.”

The NRL Signal Research Section, where Goodman’s work is aligned, leads analog and digital signal processing and AI research in support of the Navy’s aerospace electronic warfare mission. The section develops, tests, and transitions advanced signal processing algorithms to address increasingly complex, diverse, and agile threat environments across communications and radar electronic warfare domains.

About the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
NRL is a scientific and engineering command dedicated to research that drives innovative advances for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps from the seafloor to space and in the information domain. NRL, located in Washington, D.C. with major field sites in Stennis Space Center, Mississippi; Key West, Florida; Monterey, California, and employs approximately 3,000 civilian scientists, engineers and support personnel.
 
NRL offers several mechanisms for collaborating with the broader scientific community, within and outside of the Federal government. These include Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs), LP-CRADAs, Educational Partnership Agreements, agreements under the authority of 10 USC 4892, licensing agreements, FAR contracts, and other applicable agreements.

For more information, contact NRL Corporate Communications at NRLPAO@us.navy.mil.