Verus Research received its third and final major delivery order under the Test & Evaluation Non-Kinetic (TEN-K) contract issued by the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation.  The $23.4M, 4-year award furthers the Company’s ongoing efforts to identify and develop innovative, non-kinetic, test & evaluation technologies, capabilities, and instrumentation, and provides the defense community with a means of addressing the complex testing needs of a range of rapidly developing non-kinetic technologies.

Several programs are embedded in this expansive effort, including the High-Power Microwave (HPM) Beam Evaluation Tool (HBET), the Reusable, Recoverable Airborne Experiment (RRAE), Airborne HPM Instrumentation (AirHI), and High Average Power Pulsed (HAPP)

• HBET will support contour mapping of HPM energy to visualize beam profiles for applications to counter unmanned aerial systems.
• In collaboration with the University of New Mexico and General Atomics, RRAE will test HPM source concepts on an airborne platform with a view to crafting operational concepts for future development and employment.
• AirHI will leverage previous Verus Research work on radio frequency sensors to provide instrumentation for real-time feedback from a target platform to testers on the ground.
• HAPP will create two unique microwave source capabilities for the U.S. Navy.

Dr. J. Mark DelGrande, Verus Research’s Chief Technology Officer, noted that “the scope, breadth, and depth of these varied technology developments is a testament to the richness and quality of the diverse technical capabilities that our Team Members have established at Verus Research.”

Verus Research is proud to applaud a new peer-reviewed publication by some of our key technical team members.  The paper authored by Dr. Manuel Alan, Dr. Michael Butcher, Dr. Matthew Domonkos, and Dr. Nicholas Myers is entitled “Verus Research Dense Plasma Focus for Survivability Test and Evaluation” and it appears in the Journal of Radiation Effects, Research, and Engineering.

This marks not only another peer-reviewed publication by our incredible staff, but represents our first publication in the world of radiation effects under the Verus Research banner.  Special thanks go to Technical Director Brian Gorgas who invested a great deal of effort obtaining the government releases necessary to publish this article.

Verus Research’s Director of Research and Development, Dr. Sameer Hemmady, has been selected as a SUMMA Foundation Fellow.  Awarded every two years, the SUMMA Foundation has extended this high honor to Dr. Hemmady and five of his internationally-based technical colleagues as the fellows in the class of 2020.

The SUMMA Foundation was founded in 1973 as a philanthropic organization to promote scientific and educational activities in the study of electromagnetics.  Fellows of the foundation include an impressive group of luminaries in the fields of high-power and transient electromagnetics.

Verus Research is immensely proud of Dr. Hemmady, our colleague and friend, for having earned this prestigious recognition and international renown.

The Office of Naval Research in Arlington, VA, has awarded Verus Research a new contract to apply the Company’s predictive effects methodologies in support of the nation’s cyber mission. The 3-year effort, totaling $430,000 with all options exercised, seeks to develop novel measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT) techniques that will influence the susceptibility of electronic targets to radio frequency energy. This program will be performed in collaboration with various stakeholders, including United States Cyber Command.

Chief Technology Officer, Dr. J. Mark DelGrande, noted the award “continues to grow the Company’s efforts in cutting-edge approaches for cyber and electronic warfare . . . and advance the research and development capabilities of Verus Research into new and exciting applications.”

Today, Albuquerque Business First (ABF) announced this year’s “40 Under Forty” award recipients.  Verus Research is proud to note the firm’s Director of Research & Development, Dr. Sameer D. Hemmady, was so honored.  ABF noted that a panel of local business leaders evaluated dozens of nominations, selecting Dr. Hemmady based on his professional achievement, leadership, and community involvement.  Circumstances permitting, Dr. Hemmady and his fellow honorees will be recognized during a dinner and reception on September 30^th.

Of note, Dr. Hemmady joins Grady L. Patterson IV, Verus Research Chief Operating Officer, who previously earned this level of business-community recognition.  Mr. Patterson was honored by Greenville Business Magazine as one of his community’s Best & Brightest Under 35 for 2016.  All Verus Research team members are immensely gratified by our colleagues’ accomplishments.

Verus Research mechanical engineers Victoria Ramirez and Scott Schneider, part of The University of New Mexico’s 2019 Lobo Launch Team, were recently recognized by New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham as part of the January 30th Aerospace Day at the state capital in Santa Fe.

Governor Lujan Grisham presented the UNM rocket team with the 2019 Chili Cup award, making UNM the first to claim this honor. This award is given to the highest ranking New Mexico team in the Spaceport America Cup. The Spaceport America Cup is designed around the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition for student rocketry teams from all over the country and around the world. Students launched solid, liquid, and hybrid rockets to target altitudes of 10,000 and 30,000 feet.

Ms. Ramirez, noted, “We were excited to represent Verus Research today at this aerospace event, and we look forward to positively representing the Company in the future.” Verus Research Chief Technology Officer, Dr. J. Mark DelGrande, added “we are thrilled to have such high-quality team members at Verus Research and are looking forward to even greater things to come.”

Please see the Spaceport America Facebook site for a January 30th post.  YouTube also has a video marking the event.

Having inked a deal to more than double the space at its 6100 Uptown Boulevard location, Verus Research will add the 7th floor of the building to its current 2nd floor lease.  With occupancy planned for late 2020, this development will bring the Company’s Albuquerque footprint to 56,000 square feet in 4 locations.  Please see Albuquerque Business First for the coverage.

Verus Research received its second major delivery order under the Test & Evaluation Non-Kinetic contract issued by the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation (PEO STRI).  The $11.4M, 4-year award builds on the Company’s impressive successes in dense plasma focus (DPF) research.

Under the new contract, Verus Research will continue to enhance the DPF’s ability to support short-pulse neutron environment testing.  This work will include increased neutron output, improved test repeatability, and enhanced reliability for the overall system.

Dr. J. Mark DelGrande, Verus Research Chief Technology Officer, noted the award is a testament to the DPF team’s “commitment and continued superior performance on a highly complex and extremely diverse technology.”

This latest delivery order follows Verus Research’s June 2019 award by PEO STRI of a $13.5M, 5-year effort focused on design, modeling, and assessment of high-power radio frequency surrogate source systems, including assessment of operational prototypes in a relevant employment environment.

Verus Research is proud of its first contract win with the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Sensors Directorate based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.  The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract will develop an antenna prototype for measuring space-based electromagnetic radiation in the very low frequency range.

The program includes a parametric antenna suitable for space flight that will measure wave excitation in the ionospheric space plasma.  The goal is to fly this antenna on the International Space Station.  Dr. J. Mark DelGrande, Verus Research Chief Technology Officer, said the award “represents a revolutionary step towards space in our ever-expanding antenna portfolio.”

Verus Research has for the second year running been named one of New Mexico’s fastest growing private companies of any type. Selected in the “large size” category, Verus Research ranks 7th among companies in annual revenue growth measured from 2016 through 2018. Honorees must also be privately held, for-profit companies and be locally owned and based in New Mexico.  We hope you’ll see the detailed coverage in Albuquerque Business First.