Dr. Rachel Markwald

Award: Solberg Award - Research
Year: 2025
Recipient: Dr. Rachel Markwald
Reason: for her significant contribution to naval engineering as set forth in the following  

CITATION:

Dr. Rachel Markwald has transformed the Navy’s understanding of sleep, fatigue, crew endurance, and operational readiness through groundbreaking applied research that has directly improved the safety, performance, and combat effectiveness of the United States maritime forces. As Head of the Sleep, Tactical Efficiency and Endurance Laboratory of Warfighter Performance at the Naval Health Research Center, she has become one of the Navy’s leading experts in fatigue risk management and the operational impacts of sleep deprivation on warfighters. 

Over the past decade, Dr. Markwald’s research has reshaped how the Navy approaches watch standing, crew endurance, and fatigue mitigation across ships, submarines, and deployed forces. Her work has combined scientific rigor with direct fleet engagement, including months spent underway with Sailors in operational environments to better understand the realities of fatigue at sea. Through the collection and analysis of human performance data from more than 7,500 warfighters, she has produced research that has informed policy changes, operational procedures, and command decision-making throughout the Fleet. 

Dr. Markwald’s most significant contribution has been her leadership in developing the Command Readiness and Endurance for the Warfighter (CREW) program, an operational fatigue risk management system integrating wearable biometric technology with near real-time readiness analytics. The CREW system enables commanding officers to assess fatigue risk, optimize watch schedules, and make informed operational decisions using actionable crew endurance data. Her work has already been deployed across the USS GERALD R. FORD Carrier Strike Group, supporting more than 1,500 Sailors across multiple ships and representing a major advancement in operational readiness and human performance optimization. 

The operational significance of Dr. Markwald’s research cannot be overstated. Fatigue-related mishaps have contributed to collisions, maintenance accidents, and operational failures across the Fleet, and her work has been identified as part of the corrective path forward in multiple Navy fatigue and readiness assessments. Her efforts have directly supported fleet-wide initiatives to improve Sailor performance, reduce operational risk, and strengthen readiness during sustained deployments and high operational tempos. 

Beyond fatigue monitoring, Dr. Markwald’s work has advanced improvements in shipboard habitability, sleep optimization, and crew endurance. Her research into shipboard sleep conditions and Sailor quality of life has driven collaboration among operational commanders, engineers, medical professionals, and Navy leadership in pursuit of practical, fleet-wide solutions to improve warfighter effectiveness. 

By her visionary research, operational impact, and unwavering dedication to the advancement of naval engineering and warfighter readiness, Dr. Rachel Markwald has made a lasting and significant contribution to the maritime services and to the Nation.