CS Ph.D. Student Ian Whitehouse Receives 2026 NDSEG Fellowship

University of Maryland Department of Computer Science Ph.D. student Ian Whitehouse has received a 2026 National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship, a three-year award that supports graduate study in fields related to national defense. Whitehouse, co-advised by Professor of Computer Science William Regli and Professor of Physics Wolfgang Losert, studies neural and neuromorphic computing, focusing on systems inspired by biological processes.

His work is situated within broader conversations about the limits of current computing models, particularly as artificial intelligence systems scale in size and resource use.

“I’m excited that I was awarded the NDSEG fellowship for an out-of-the-box, neuromorphic proposal,” Whitehouse said. “We hear repeatedly about the energy requirements for modern AI models, but we forget that one of the most powerful computers, our brain, operates using less than 20 watts of power.”

Working within the Hybrid-AI MURI, Whitehouse examines how neural systems can serve as computational platforms, including the use of living neurons as computational reservoirs.

His research approach draws on interdisciplinary methods that combine neuroscience, computer science and physics to better understand how biological systems process information.

“I plan to use the fellowship to continue exploring and quantifying neural computation,” Whitehouse said, “and how we can apply what we learn from in vitro neurons to new neuromorphic software and hardware.”

His fellowship proposal outlines experiments to test how in vitro neural systems store information, learn and perform computational tasks, contributing to ongoing efforts to evaluate alternatives to conventional architectures.

Neuromorphic computing has drawn from biological insights for decades, with developments ranging from early theoretical models to specialized hardware systems.

Whitehouse plans to expand experimental work with neural reservoirs and continue developing models that capture these biological dynamics. In addition to his primary research, he is participating in a summer project evaluating how unconventional computing systems can be matched with specific classes of problems.

Established in 1989 by direction of Congress and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense, including the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force, the program encourages early-career researchers to pursue doctoral work aligned with defense priorities. Since its inception, more than 4,400 fellowships have been awarded from over 70,000 applications, with 150 to 350 recipients selected annually.

—Story by Samuel Malede Zewdu, CS Communications