Naval Academy Hydromechanics Laboratory Staff

Alexander W. Laun, PE

Supervisory Naval Architect (Branch Head)

•  Phone:  410-293-5102
•  Fax: 410-293-5848
•  E-Mail:  laun@usna.edu
•   Rickover 048B

Education & Training

• Ph.D. (Graduate Student), Systems Engineering, The George Washington University (GWU), In Progress
  • Current Dissertation Research: Resilience Engineering, System Architecture, Coastal Resilience
• Prospective Nuclear Engineer Officer (PNEO) Course, Norfolk, VA, 2016
• Submarine Officer Basic Course (SOBC), Groton, CT, 2014
• Nuclear Power Training Unit (NPTU), Charleston, SC, 2014
• Naval Nuclear Power Training Command (NNPTC), Charleston, SC, 2013
• MS, Ocean Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2013
• MS, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2013
• BS, Naval Architecture (Minor in Russian), United States Naval Academy (USNA), 2011

Professional Experience

• Supervisory Naval Architect (Branch Head), Naval Academy Hydromechanics Laboratory (NAHL), Annapolis, MD, 2019 - Present
• Instructor, Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, USNA, 2017 - 2019
• Submarine Warfare Officer, USS JOHN WARNER (SSN 785), Norfolk, VA, 2014 - 2017
  • Ship's Diving Officer
  • Assistant Engineer Officer (AENG)
  • Damage Control Assistant (DCA)
  • Reactor Control Assistant (RCA)
  • Plankowner (PCU JOHN WARNER)
• Draper Laboratory Fellow (DLF), The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. (CSDL), United States Navy Immediate Graduate Education Program (IGEP), Cambridge, MA, 2011 - 2013
• Summer Intern, MARA Program, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, 2010
• Summer Intern, PM C4ISR OTM Program, United States Army RDECOM, Fort Dix, NJ, 2008

Professional Memberships & Registration

• Professional Engineer (PE), Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering, Maryland Board for Professional Engineers, 2018 - Present
• Qualified Nuclear Engineer Officer, United States Department of Energy (Naval Reactors), 2016
• Qualified Submarine Warfare Officer (1120), United States Navy, 2015
• Naval Architecture Subspecialty Code (5101P), United States Navy
• Nuclear Engineering Subspecialty Code (5203P), United States Navy
• Engineer-in-Training (EIT), Maryland Board for Professional Engineers, 2011
• Member, Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME)
• Young Professional Member, American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE)
• Associate Member, The Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA)
• Member, International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE)
• Student Member, Resilience Engineering Association (REA)
• Student Member, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
• Professional Member, American Nuclear Society (ANS)
• Young Professional Member, The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
• Member, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI)
• Member, Marine Technology Society (MTS)
• Member, United States Naval Institute (USNI)

Awards

• Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, 2019
• Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (Two Awards)
• William M. Kennedy Scholarship, SNAME, 2011
• Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Distinguished Midshipmen Graduate, USNA, 2011
• Admiral Frank Bowman Scholar, USNA, 2011
• American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Prize, USNA, 2011
• The Captain Leland D. Whitgrove Award for Excellence in Naval Architecture, USNA, 2011
• Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering Midshipman Research Project Award, USNA, 2011
• Naval Architecture Design Project Award, USNA, 2011

Professional & Community Service

• Panel Chair, Hull Form Design (SD-10) Panel, Ship Design Committee, Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME), 2019 - Present
• Associate Editor (Combat and Weapon Systems), Naval Engineers Journal, American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE), 2019 - Present
• Member, USNA Midshipman / Faculty Relations Committee, 2019
• Member, Program Committee, International Robotic Sailing Conference (IRSC), 2018 - Present
• Deputy Director, United Kingdom and International Scholarship Program (UKISP), 2018 - 2019
• Assistant Group Leader, USNA Autonomous System Working Group (ASWG), 2017 - Present
• USNA Webmaster, EW Division and NAOE Department, 2017 - 2019
• USNA Academic Adviser (ENM Major), NAOE Department, 2017 - 2019
• USNA Submarine Warfare Community Mentor, 2017 - 2019
• USNA Officer Scholarship Program (OSP) Mentor, 2017 - Present
• USNA Plebe Academic Adviser, 2017 - 2018
• Mentor, Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences (PGSS), 2017 - Present

Teaching Experience & Courses

• EN358, Ship Structures (Course Instructor, Spring 2018)
• EN400, Principles of Ship Performance (Course Instructor, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Spring 2019)
• EN447, Autonomous Vessel Design (Course Instructor, Fall 2017, Fall 2018)
• EN448, Autonomous Vessel Fabrication and Evaluation (Course Instructor, Spring 2018, Spring 2019)
• EN482U, Advanced Seminar in Unmanned Maritime System Development (Course Instructor, Spring 2018)
• EN503H / EN504H, Honors Senior Thesis (Research Adviser)
  • Biomimetic Undulating Fin for an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (2018 - 2019)
  • Development of a Bio-Inspired, Plunge-Diving Unmanned Vehicle (2018 - 2019)
  • DARPA Ocean of Things (OoT) Buoy Design / Fabrication and Assessment (2017 - 2018)
• EX485M / EX486M, Interdisciplinary Capstone Design (Technical Adviser)
  • Spacecraft Radiation Shielding Design and Analysis (2017 - 2018)
  • Submarine Emergency Main Ballast Tank (EMBT) Blow Capability Assessment / Improvement (2017 - 2018)

Research & Publications

• Research Interests:
  • Submarine Design / Operations
  • Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) Design / Operations
  • Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) Design
  • Unmanned Maritime Systems (UMS)
  • Autonomous / Networked Maritime Systems
  • Biomimetic / Biologically-Inspired Robotic Systems
  • Tow-Tank Testing / Experimentation
  • Systems Engineering (Modeling & Simulation)
  • Resilience Engineering
  • Naval Nuclear Propulsion
  • Renewable Energy Technology / Systems
  • Spacecraft Design / Operations
  • National Security Budgeting / Policy
•  
• A. Laun, T. Mazzuchi, and S. Sarkani, "Leveraging a Systems Engineering Approach to Operationalize Coastal Resilience Data," MTS / IEEE OCEANS 2020 Global Conference (Virtual), 2020
• M. Garrott and A. Laun, "Biomimetic Caudal Fin for an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV)," The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) Annual Meeting Poster Session, 2019
• A. Laun and E. Pittman, "Development of a Small, Low-Cost, Networked Buoy for Persistent Ocean Monitoring and Data Acquisition," MTS / IEEE OCEANS 2018 Charleston Conference, 2018
• A. Laun, "Improving the Conceptual Design Process for Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs)," 30th American Towing Tank Conference (ATTC), 2017
• A. Laun, "Autonomous Maritime Systems Need a Captain," Proceedings Today , 2017
• A. Laun, "Development and Validation of a Conceptual Design Program for Unmanned Underwater Vehicles," MS Thesis, MIT / CSDL, 2013
• A. Laun, V. Georgiadis, and K. Miller, "Feasibility Assessment of a Naval Surface Fire Support Capability for the Mono-Hull Variant of the Littoral Combat Ship," MIT, 2013
• A. Laun, "Calibration and Validation of a Six-Axis, Single-Strut Towing Dynamometer," USNA, 2011
• A. Laun, "Design and Analysis of a Six-Axis, Single-Strut Towing Dynamometer for the Subsequent Evaluation of Submerged Hull-Forms," USNA, 2010