Summary of Homeland Security Research Areas

DHS Research Areas

In the following research area descriptions, the following abbreviations are used:

• “S&T” for “DHS Science and Technology Directorate”
• “COE” for “Center of Excellence”
• “HS-STEM” for “homeland security-related science, technology, engineering, and mathematics”

1. Advanced Data Analysis and Visualization: information extraction, knowledge management, and visualization of large quantities of data to enhance data fusion, situational awareness, and threat detection. The following are HS-STEM disciplines that could be necessary to support research associated with this DHS S&T area: e.g. Biology, Computer Science, Engineering, Health Sciences, Mathematics, and Psychology.
   
   

   S&T Division:	Command, Control and Interoperability
   DHS COE:	Command, Control and Interoperability; Rutgers University, Purdue University

   
   
   
2. Biological Threats & Countermeasures: assessment, characterization and prioritization of chemical-biological threats; detection and warning systems; agro-defense and food security; biological countermeasures; and decontamination, restoration and medical response to biological threat events. The following are HS-STEM disciplines that could be necessary to support research associated with this DHS S&T area: e.g. Biology, Veterinary Science, Emergency Medicine, Chemistry, Agriculture, Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, Health Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, and Planetary Science.
   
   

   S&T Division:	Chemical/Biological
   DHS COEs:	Food Protection and Defense, University of Minnesota
   	Foreign and Zoonotic Disease Defense, Texas A&M University
   	Center for Advancing Microbial Risk Assessment, Michigan State University

   
   
   
3. Border Security: technologies to monitor and inspect cargo that cross our land, maritime borders and ports of entry; tools to monitor people who cross our land, maritime borders and ports of entry; evaluation of the policies and procedures designed to secure the border while welcoming legitimate visitors and trade. The following are HS-STEM disciplines that could be necessary to support research associated with this DHS S&T area: e.g. Computer Science, Engineering, Social Science, and Aeronautics.
   
   

   S&T Division:	Borders/Maritime
   DHS COE:	Border Security and Immigration; University of Arizona, University of Texas at El Paso

   
   
   
4. Chemical Threats and Countermeasures: assessment, characterization and prioritization of chemical-biological threats; detection and warning systems; agro-defense and food security; chemical countermeasures; and decontamination, restoration and response to chemical threat events. The following are HS-STEM disciplines that could be necessary to support research associated with this DHS research area: e.g. Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering/Science, Biochemistry, and Meteorology.
   
   

   S&T Division:	Chemical/Biological
   DHS COE:	Food Protection and Defense, University of Minnesota

   
   
   
5. Communications and Interoperability: interoperable communication for emergency responders; cyber security. The following are HS-STEM disciplines that could be necessary to support research associated with this DHS S&T area: e.g. Engineering.
   
   

   S&T Division:	Command, Control and Interoperability
   DHS COE:	Command, Control and Interoperability; Rutgers University, Purdue University

   
   
   
6. Community, Commerce and Infrastructure Resilience: multidisciplinary research to develop approaches to improve community resilience across the United States, improving community resilience and determining ways where public investments can foster resilient communities. The following are HS-STEM disciplines that could be necessary to support research associated with this DHS research area: e.g. Economics, Social Sciences, Psychology, Public Health, Urban Planning, Environmental Studies, Engineering etc.
   
   

   S&T Division:	Infrastructure/Geophysical
   DHS COEs:	Preparedness & Catastrophic Event Response, Johns Hopkins University
   	Natural Disasters, Coastal Infrastructure, and Emergency Management; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Jackson State University

   
   
   
7. Emergency Preparedness and Response: decision support tools to aid in the preparation or response to catastrophic events; studies of public risk communication; medicine and public health; business technology for first-responders; The following are HS-STEM disciplines that could be necessary to support research associated with this DHS S&T area: e.g. Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, Physics and Quantitative Political Science.
   
   

   S&T Division:	Infrastructure/Geophysical
   DHS COEs:	Preparedness & Catastrophic Event Response, Johns Hopkins University
   	Natural Disasters, Coastal Infrastructure, and Emergency Management; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Jackson State University

   
   
   
8. Explosives Detection, Mitigation and Response: the detection, mitigation, and response to explosives in a wide variety of contexts. The following are HS-STEM disciplines that could be necessary to support research associated with this DHS S&T area: e.g. Chemistry, Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, and Social Sciences.
   
   

   S&T Division:	Explosives
   DHS COE:	Explosives Detection, Mitigation, and Response; Northeastern University, University of Rhode Island

   
   
   
9. Food and Agriculture Security: assessment, characterization and prioritization of chemical-biological threats; detection and warning systems; agro-defense and food security; biological or chemical countermeasures; and decontamination, restoration and medical response to biological or chemical threat events. The following are HS-STEM disciplines that could be necessary to support research associated with this DHS S&T area: e.g. Agriculture, Bio-Chem, Epidemiology, Veterinary Science, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, Mathematics, Engineering, Physics, Planetary Science, and Health Sciences.
   
   

   S&T Division:	Chemical/Biological
   DHS COEs:	Food Protection and Defense, University of Minnesota
   	Foreign and Zoonotic Disease Defense, Texas A&M University

   
   
   
10. Human Factors: integration of human factors concerns into homeland security technologies to improve utility and operator safety; assessments of public acceptance of homeland security technologies; use of technology to discern critical aspects of human behavior. The following are HS-STEM disciplines that could be necessary to support research associated with this DHS S&T area: e.g. Computer Science, Engineering, Health Sciences, Psychology, and Social sciences.
    
    

    S&T Division:	Human Factors/Behavioral Sciences
    DHS COEs:	Explosives Detection, Mitigation, and Response; Northeastern University, University of Rhode Island
    	Border Security and Immigration; University of Arizona, University of Texas at El Paso
    	Island, Maritime and Extreme Environment Security, University of Hawaii
    	Secure and Resilient Ports, Stevens Institute of Technology

    
    
    
11. Immigration Studies: studies of the integration of new immigrants into U.S. society and the consequences of successful/failed assimilation. The following are HS-STEM disciplines that could be necessary to support research associated with this DHS S&T area: e.g. Computer Science, Economics, Social Science, and Political Science.
    
    

    S&T Division:	Borders/Maritime
    DHS COE:	Border Security and Immigration; University of Arizona, University of Texas at El Paso

    
    
    
12. Infrastructure Protection: assessment of relative threats and vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure; estimation of consequences of natural disasters or terrorist attacks to critical infrastructure; application of engineering technologies or tools to enhance DHS’ ability to prepare, predict, and minimize or prevent damage to critical infrastructure from natural hazards. The following are HS-STEM disciplines that could be necessary to support research associated with this DHS S&T area: e.g. Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, Physics, Meteorology, Oceanography, Hydrology, Marine Science, and Business Administration.
    
    

    S&T Division:	Infrastructure/Geophysical
    DHS COEs:	Island, Maritime and Extreme Environment Security, University of Hawaii
    	Secure and Resilient Ports, Stevens Institute of Technology
    	Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorist Events, University of Southern California
    	National Center for Transportation Security; University of Connecticut, Tougaloo College

    
    
    
13. Maritime and Port Security: technologies and tools to secure national maritime borders and U.S. maritime interests, support global maritime awareness, defend maritime commerce and global supply chains, minimize damage and expedite recovery from attacks or catastrophic events impacting maritime interests, and protect coastal population centers. The following are HS-STEM disciplines that could be necessary to support research associated with this DHS S&T area: e.g. Economics, Chemistry, Operations Research, Computer Science and Engineering, Maritime Engineering and Shipping Supply Chain (MBA), Maritime Meteorology, Remote Sensing.
    
    

    S&T Division:	Borders/Maritime
    DHS COEs:	Island, Maritime and Extreme Environment Security, University of Hawaii
    	Secure and Resilient Ports, Stevens Institute of Technology

    
    
    
14. Natural Disasters and Related Geophysical Studies: assessment of relative threats and vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure; estimation of consequences of natural disasters or terrorist attacks to critical infrastructure; application of engineering technologies or tools to enhance DHS’ ability to prepare, predict, and minimize or prevent damage to critical infrastructure from natural hazards. The following are HS-STEM disciplines that could be necessary to support research associated with this DHS S&T area: e.g. Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, and Physics.
    
    

    S&T Division:	Infrastructure/Geophysical
    DHS COE:	Natural Disasters, Coastal Infrastructure and Emergency Management; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Jackson State University

    
    
    
15. Risk, Economics, and Decision Sciences: applications of advanced methods and techniques to support decision making; quantitative analysis. The following are HS-STEM disciplines that could be necessary to support research associated with this DHS S&T area: e.g. Biology, Chemistry, Agriculture, Computer Science, Economics, Mathematics, and Engineering.
    
    

    S&T Division:	All Divisions
    DHS COE:	Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorist Events, University of Southern California

    
    
    
16. Social and Behavioral Sciences: social and behavioral analyses of terrorist threats; community preparedness, response and recovery from catastrophic events; economic assessments of terrorism and catastrophic events; and economic and mathematical decision models of terrorist behavior. The following are HS-STEM disciplines that could be necessary to support research associated with this DHS S&T area: e.g. Engineering, Health Sciences, Economics, and Psychology.
    
    

    S&T Division:	Human Factors/Behavioral Sciences
    DHS COEs:	Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, University of Maryland
    	Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorist Events, University of Southern California

    
    
    
17. Transportation Security: applications of advanced methods and techniques to support decision making; quantitative analysis; improving the Nation’s preparedness in the event of a high consequence natural or man-made disaster, and developing best practices to alleviate the event’s effects. The following are HS-STEM disciplines that could be necessary to support research associated with this DHS S&T area: e.g. Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Economics, and Business Supply Chain.
    
    

    S&T Division:	Infrastructure Geophysical; Explosives, Borders/Maritime, Command, Control and Interoperability
    DHS COE:	National Center for Transportation Security; University of Connecticut, Tougaloo College