HUNTSVILLE, Ala. CFD Research Corporation, in partnership with The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), has been awarded a $6.6 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to support the Microsystems Induced Catalysis (MICA) program, which seeks to develop microsystems that can precisely control molecular catalytic activity.
The award recognizes CFD Research’s leadership in delivering the theoretical, computational, and modeling foundation required to guide complex experimental efforts across the MICA research ecosystem, while UAH contributes deep expertise in biological sciences, atomistic modeling, and experimental insight critical to understanding how molecular catalysts behave in real-world microsystems. Together, the teams will integrate theory, computation, and experiment to accelerate discovery and reduce costly trial-and-error experimentation.
Modern biomanufacturing faces a significant challenge: existing methods rely heavily on trial-and-error experimentation and outdated modeling tools that fail to account for how enzymes behave when attached to surfaces in real-world systems. This limits precision, scalability, and efficiency, particularly in applications that require complex, multi-step enzymatic cascades.
Under MICA, CFD Research and UAH are working together to close this gap by combining advanced simulation, molecular-level modeling, and experimental insight to better predict how molecular behavior, surface interactions, and microsystem design influence catalytic performance.
To support this effort, CFD Research is developing MAESTRO (Multimodal Approach for Enzyme-cascade Simulations Towards Reaction Optimization), a unified simulation framework that combines physics-based modeling, artificial intelligence, and molecular-level analysis. MAESTRO is designed to help experimental teams prioritize promising pathways, guide high-value experiments, and better understand how catalytic systems perform in realistic operating environments.
“Today’s biomanufacturing challenges demand more than trial and error,” said Ketan Bhatt, the project’s Principal Investigator. “With MAESTRO, we’re building a smarter, integrated framework that connects what’s happening at the molecular level to real-world production outcomes.”
The MICA program seeks to unlock new capabilities by enabling precise control over molecular catalysts within microsystems, with potential applications spanning advanced manufacturing, medical therapeutics, environmental remediation, and national security technologies. By serving as a modeling and analysis partner, CFD Research will help ensure that experimental efforts across the program are grounded in predictive science.
This award highlights CFD Research’s long-standing expertise at the intersection of biology, chemistry, engineering, and computation, while also marking an important milestone for UAH’s Department of Biological Sciences, reinforcing North Alabama’s growing role in nationally significant, interdisciplinary research initiatives.
About CFD Research
Since its inception in 1987, CFD Research has delivered innovative technology solutions within the Aerospace & Defense, Biomedical & Life Sciences, Intelligence & Sensing, and Energy & Materials industries. CFD Research has earned multiple national awards for successful application and commercialization of innovative component/system technology prototypes, multi-physics simulation software, multi-disciplinary analyses, and expert support services. Based in Huntsville, Alabama where laboratory facilities and headquarters are located, CFD Research also has office and laboratory facilities in Dayton, Ohio, prototyping test and evaluation facilities in Hollywood, Alabama, and office facilities in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. CFD Research is an ISO9001:AS9100D registered company and is appraised at CMMI Level II for Services. CFD Research is a 100% ESOP (employee-owned company) recognized in Inc. Magazine’s Inc. 5000 as a top growing company for five of the last six years. Learn more at www.cfd-research.com.
