PVAMU Engineering Complex
PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (Sept. 9, 2026) — Artificial intelligence is reshaping how the nation approaches everything from cybersecurity to advanced manufacturing, and Prairie View A&M University is now receiving $9.9 million to help shape that future.
The U.S. Department of War, through the U.S. Army Materiel Command, awarded PVAMU a five-year grant to establish the Center of Operational and Mission-driven Machine Learning for Advanced National Defense, Capacity Building, R1 Advancement, and Workforce Development for AI (COMMAND-AI). The project will run through July 2031.
According to PVAMU’s Division of Research and Innovation, the award is one of the largest federal research grants in PVAMU’s 150-year history. It will bring together faculty expertise in engineering, computer science and physics to advance artificial intelligence applications for national defense. COMMAND-AI will focus on three primary areas: using AI to improve advanced manufacturing and 3D printing, strengthening communications and advancing cybersecurity.
“COMMAND-AI represents the kind of strategic investment that allows research capacity to move from momentum to scale,” said Dr. Magesh Rajan, vice president of Research & Innovation and principal investigator for the initiative. “By bringing together faculty expertise, student talent and advanced research infrastructure around mission-driven artificial intelligence, we can contribute solutions to national challenges while creating new pathways for discovery, doctoral education and workforce development.”
Advancing national defense
At the heart of COMMAND-AI is an interdisciplinary approach to some of the complex challenges facing national defense.
Researchers from PVAMU’s Roy G. Perry College of Engineering and Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences will explore ways in which artificial intelligence can integrate large amounts of information into real-time decision-making, identify patterns, make predictions and operate in complex environments where computing resources may be limited.
The work will include AI-driven data fusion, predictive analytics and distributed computing capabilities to support applications, such as resilient military communications, cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing.
The project will also support faster decision-making on critical national defense matters and enable safer, more cost-effective qualification of essential materials.
In addition to Dr. Rajan, the effort will be led by Dr. Pamela Holland Obiomon, dean of the Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, and Dr. Noushin Ghaffari, associate professor of computer science.
Left to right: Obiomon, Rajan, Ghaffari
“This $9.9 million Department of War award represents a major milestone for Prairie View A&M University and demonstrates the power of true interdisciplinary collaboration,” Obiomon said. “Together, we developed a unified strategy connecting applied artificial intelligence, distributed computing, intelligent systems, doctoral education and workforce development. This achievement demonstrates what Prairie View A&M University can accomplish when we unite around a shared vision.”
Creating Opportunities for Students
The impact of COMMAND-AI will extend beyond the research itself. The initiative will create incredible opportunities for PVAMU students.
“One of the most meaningful aspects of COMMAND-AI is bringing research and student development together,” Ghaffari said. “We want undergraduate and graduate students to work alongside faculty across disciplines on high-impact, defense-relevant research. Our goal is to build a stronger pipeline of researchers and a collaborative research culture that will continue well beyond this five-year award.”
The project is expected to contribute to increased research expenditures and external funding, growth in doctoral enrollment and degrees and expanded interdisciplinary research.
COMMAND-AI will also support the development of two new doctoral programs at PVAMU: a PhD in computer science and a PhD in mechanical engineering. The initiative will also build upon the University’s existing PhD in electrical engineering.
Building PVAMU’s research capacity
The award adds to research expertise and infrastructure already established across PVAMU in artificial intelligence and its applications.
The initiative also represents an opportunity to expand the University’s research enterprise by connecting existing expertise across disciplines and creating new pathways for faculty and student research.
PVAMU is currently classified as an R2 institution — Doctoral University with High Research Activity — under the Carnegie Classification system. COMMAND-AI will expand the University’s capacity for applied artificial intelligence research and support its progress toward R1 status.
“Under President LeGrande’s leadership, Prairie View is building a research engine prepared to compete at the highest levels and create lasting opportunities for our students and faculty,” Rajan said.
Through COMMAND-AI, PVAMU will expand its research in artificial intelligence while creating opportunities for students to gain experience in high-impact, defense-related research.
The five-year initiative will build on the University’s existing strengths in AI, strengthen interdisciplinary research and help prepare the next generation of researchers and engineers for an increasingly technology-driven workforce.
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