The Pentagon's Latest Recruits: Professors

"One of the big problems that the Defense Department has, as does The Washington Post, Google and everyone else, is trying to understand all the stuff that is out there," Priebe said.

Priebe worked for Navy research labs for nine years before joining Johns Hopkins in 1994. He has worked on his idea for the past decade and said the Defense Department grant will give him the opportunity to test his concepts and, hopefully, deliver a blockbuster discovery.

The other fellows are Diana L. Huffaker of the University of California at Los Angeles, Stephen L. Mayo of the California Institute of Technology, Chad A. Mirkin of Northwestern University, Barbara G. Shinn-Cunningham of Boston University and Susan Trolier-McKinstry of Pennsylvania State University.

Their research will explore nanomaterials, proteins, acoustic communications, sensors and related subjects.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has urged the department to make basic research a priority and asked Congress this year for extra funding. Although such research usually does not start out with any commercial purpose in mind, it can produce information or knowledge that leads to new technology or weapons, such as the stealth aircraft.

Rees, who oversees the Defense Department's basic research portfolio, said basic research, by its nature, is high-risk but worth the investment.

"Any one of the six, if they were to be successful, would make revolutionary discoveries about how we think about science," he said.

Stephen Barr's e-mail address isbarrs@washpost.com.