The DAN Research Department recently attended the 2026 Office of Naval Research (ONR) Undersea Medicine and Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Deep Submergence Biomedical Development Program Review, hosted by Dr. Sandra Chapman and Capt. Joy Dierks in Washington, D.C..
The three-day program review featured 60 presentations from researchers, physicians, and military personnel. Key topics included atmospheric dive suits, dive support technologies, gas physiology, environmental protection, decompression sickness (DCS), disabled submarine (DISSUB) response, diving technologies, oxygen toxicity, on-demand oxygen (GILS), and human performance.
The review highlighted collaborations across institutions, fields, and disciplines — a testament to the interdisciplinary nature of the undersea medicine and performance sector. DAN Research currently maintains four active contracts and collaborations with ONR. Additionally, a partnership between Geraldine Leman, PhD, of the Universite de Brest and Emmanuel Dugrenot, PhD, of DAN was recently awarded a project to examine the genetic basis of DCS protection.
The program review also showcased the number of individuals whose work is partially funded by or conducted in collaboration with DAN. This reinforces the shared goals of DAN, ONR, and NAVSEA to foster innovation, growth, and progress in diving safety and advancement.
STEM INITIATIVES IN UNDERSEA EXPLORATION
This year’s program review emphasized STEM initiatives. Attendees received updates on 2051 Sea Odyssey, an initiative designed to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers in human undersea exploration. Diving and hyperbaric medicine have grown exponentially over the last 70 years, leading to safer practices and the completion of increasingly technical dives. Bringing new talent into the field remains critical to sustained progress.
2051 Sea Odyssey takes a multipronged approach to engage younger generations and those outside of diving medicine:
- Docuseries: An eight-part docuseries providing an overview of various forms of diving and human underwater exploration.
- University Challenge: An invitation for college and university students to tackle a real-world engineering problem faced by professional divers operating in demanding underwater environments.
The 2051 Sea Odyssey project is a multi-institutional collaboration between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Utah, DEEP, and DAN. While at ONR, the 2051 Sea Odyssey team conducted interviews and filmed behind-the-scenes content for the upcoming docuseries.
ONR also hosted its first student poster session, where seven early-career researchers presented work ranging from advances in technology and data capture to physiology and molecular research on DCS.
This furthered the goals of encouraging future collaboration and opportunity within the field and ultimately supports ONR’s broader mission of advancing undersea operations and warfighter capability.
A highlight of this year’s program review was a presentation by Chris Lemons, a commercial diver and diving supervisor with more than 20 years of experience in deep-sea saturation diving. In September 2012, a catastrophic failure of his vessel’s dynamic positioning system severed the umbilical supplying his light, heat, and breathing gas. With only five minutes of reserve gas remaining at a depth of approximately 100 meters, Lemons survived for 40 minutes before being recovered. He shared his extraordinary experience with attendees, focusing on themes of teamwork, safety, and leadership in unforgiving environments.
The program review underscored that the future of undersea exploration is built on a foundation of safety, innovation, and shared expertise. Through partnerships and investments in the next generation of talent, DAN Research and its partners continue to lead the way in diving science.
