Luna Labs was recently honored to receive the Onward New River Valley (ONRV) 2025 Regional Impact Award, recognizing the company’s significant investment and job creation that have strengthened the local economy.
Bryan Koene, PhD, leads Luna Labs’ materials group with a portion of the materials work done in Blacksburg. Bryan graciously accepted the award on the company’s behalf. With over 20 years at Luna Labs and deep experience in advanced materials, Bryan has been instrumental in bringing cutting-edge protective coatings to market while building our regional presence.
We sat down with Bryan to discuss what this recognition means, how Luna Labs contributes to the New River Valley region, and his perspective on the company’s evolution in serving defense and healthcare markets.
What does this recognition mean to the company and to you personally?
Both Luna Labs and my family have deep roots in Blacksburg, Virginia. This recognition is particularly meaningful because it comes from the community where much of our advanced materials research and product development take place. The award recognizes job creation and investment in local economies through our strong Southwest Virginia connections, particularly collaborations with Virginia Tech and support from the Town of Blacksburg and Montgomery County, as well as the Virginia Economic Development Partnership.
Can you tell us about key products your materials group has brought to market?
Luna Labs develops advanced materials defending against chemical and biological warfare agents, ballistic threats, and environmental hazards—all motivated by protecting U.S. military personnel.
One of our biggest successes is GlassLock™, a protective coating for transparent armor that prevents damage from gunshots and IEDs while extending equipment life. We’ve also developed chemical and biological protection gloves using high-barrier elastomer at half the thickness of current materials, giving soldiers better tactility for touchscreens and weapons while maintaining protection. Additionally, we work on camouflage technologies for aircraft, UAVs, vehicles, and uniforms.
What enables Luna Labs to tackle such diverse challenges?
Our unique combination of breadth and depth across Virginia operations sets us apart. We have an impressive toolkit built over two decades, with diverse talent including chemists, electrical engineers, biologists, and materials scientists working on 20+ projects simultaneously. We specialize in niche challenges that larger companies overlook due to small markets, while smaller companies lack our in-house capabilities and government experience.
How has the SBIR program supported this work?
The SBIR program’s financial and technical support has been vital in transitioning our products to market, many of which are currently deployed with our aerospace and defense partners. In addition to our core talent, we’ve built a suite of advanced tools over the years, including 3D printing, and analytical, mechanical, and pilot-scale manufacturing equipment, that strengthen our innovation capabilities.
Tell us about your collaborations with Virginia Tech.
Located next to Virginia Tech, we have natural collaboration opportunities. We work with the university for specialized equipment, participate in training programs for advanced materials characterization, maintain active hiring of graduates, and run internship programs providing a steady talent pipeline.
How have you seen the company evolve in terms of regional impact?
Luna Labs has evolved from primarily a research organization to a product development company focused on bringing innovations to market. We’ve expanded beyond DoD research partnerships with growing success in transitioning innovations to defense and other end users. Recent additions of outstanding scientists and engineers have significantly enhanced our capabilities.
This ONRV recognition reflects our role in a network that includes local government, healthcare providers like Carilion, major corporations including BAE Systems and Celanese, and universities like Virginia Tech and Radford. Our combination of community roots, deep experience, diverse technical capabilities, and strong academic partnerships positions us to continue contributing to Southwest Virginia as a hub for advanced materials research and defense technology development.
Luna Labs continues to grow its team of scientists and engineers in Blacksburg, contributing to the region’s reputation as a hub for advanced materials research and defense technology development. Find out about career opportunities or contact us to learn about ongoing projects.
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