Researchers at The Ohio State University have received more than $511,000 in federal funding to purchase advanced simulation equipment that will expand their tactical metabolic optimization program and form the foundation of a new Tactical Readiness & Performance Lab. The lab will study how to keep elite military personnel, first responders and athletes performing at their full potential under physically and mentally demanding conditions.
“This award strengthens our positioning as a center of excellence in precision metabolic health and performance optimization,” said Jeff Volek, professor in the Department of Human Sciences in the College of Education and Human Ecology and the project’s lead researcher.
“We have the scientific expertise, intellectual horsepower and now the state-of-the-art equipment to conduct and translate human performance research at the highest level. It gives us the ability to bring together nutrition, exercise science, physiology, data science and military research in a way that can have a real impact.”
The award, provided through the U.S. Department of War’s Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP), will support immersive simulation technology and specialized equipment to help researchers understand how stress and various countermeasures affect decision-making, reaction time and overall performance.
The project is being conducted in collaboration with Ohio State’s Human Performance Collaborative. Together, the researchers aim to develop new ways to assess performance and evaluate various metabolic optimizers. For instance, they will examine precise ketone therapeutic and ergogenic platforms designed to augment bioenergetic deficits and neurobiological resilience.
“The primary purpose of this equipment upgrade is to solidify our military research at Ohio State,” said Alex Buga, a research scientist in the Department of Human Sciences in the College of Education and Human Ecology. “We’re aiming to assess, predict and enhance tactical performance, and in so doing, build an operational enhancement system for high consequence environments.”
Suggest a subhead here. Perhaps – New equipment to help test demanding scenarios
The funding will allow researchers to purchase a five-screen immersive simulator capable of recreating realistic environments. Other items include weighted rucksacks and vests, VR-compatible service rifles/pistols, optics, holsters and slings.
This tactical ecosystem will enable the researchers to evoke and test various physically and cognitively demanding scenarios experienced by military personnel such as sleep deprivation, hypoxia and cognitive overload.
Unlike traditional simulation systems designed primarily for training, the technology used by the Ohio State team will collect objective data that can help explain changes in human performance over time under controlled, safe and real-world-like conditions.
“We can collect data to the nearest millimeter and millisecond,” Buga said.
The project builds on previous research by Volek and Buga in 2024 showing that virtual reality shooting technology can reliably measure performance and predict scores based on age and physical activity.
In a published study in Military Medicine earlier this month, the researchers demonstrated that a ketone-fueled brain resulted in an 8% greater hit factor, 7% faster completion time, and improved deep sleep architecture.
These improvements occurred both before and after sleep deprivation, indicating the ergogenic effect is not just rescuing a defici,t but is actively upgrading baseline human target-transition efficiency.
The new equipment will allow researchers to examine how physical and cognitive stressors influence performance in more immersive environments. They also plan to explore how artificial intelligence and machine learning can identify patterns in performance data.
Although the research is primarily focused on military applications, Buga said the technology could eventually benefit a broader range of professionals.
“This work could help anyone who has to make critical decisions under stress, including law enforcement officers, emergency medical personnel, firefighters, athletes and veterans,” he said.
Volek’s laboratory specializes in ketogenic nutrition, exercise science and physiology. TheHuman Performance Collaborative contributes expertise in artificial intelligence, recovery science and connections with tactical populations.
This new technology will position Ohio State to compete for larger federal research opportunities and translate precise performance data into practical strategies for people working in demanding environments.
“We’re creating a platform that can help us understand what happens to people under stress and, more importantly, how we can help them perform better and recover more effectively,” Volek said. “That’s the real opportunity here — to use this collaboration and technology to improve human performance and resilience.”