Research profile
My work focuses on the design and optimization of fusion power plants under physics uncertainty: risk-informed, data-driven, multi-objective design of complete tokamaks and their subsystems (plasma shape, magnets, power exhaust), and the integration of plasma-physics constraints with thermal, structural, and cost limits through AI-enabled surrogate modeling. All of it is grounded in experimental magnetic confinement fusion research. Read more on the Research page, or download my CV (PDF).
Appointments and education
- 2022–presentAssociate Research Scientist, Columbia University. Principal investigator on DOE Fusion Energy Sciences and private-industry fusion awards.
- 2021–2022Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Columbia University. Negative triangularity scenarios for tokamaks and fusion outreach.
- 2016–2021Ph.D., Plasma Physics, Princeton University. Thesis: Comprehensive Dynamic Analysis of the H-mode Pedestal in DIII-D. (M.A. 2018)
- 2012–2016B.S., Engineering Physics, University of Colorado Boulder. Minors in Applied Mathematics and Leadership Studies.
Research funding
Active
| Role | Project | Sponsor | Years | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI | Next Step Pulse Design | Next Step Fusion | 2026–2027 | $0.174M |
| Institutional PI | Accelerating the Realization of Fusion Energy Through Integrated Physics and Advanced Data Science | DOE FES, Tokamak Research | 2025–2029 | $0.765M |
| Co-PI | Advancing Intrinsically No-ELM and Small-ELM Regimes for Fusion Pilot Plants | DOE FES, Tokamak Research | 2025–2029 | $0.8M |
| Co-PI | Closing Physics and Technology Gaps in Spherical Tokamaks Towards a Compact Fusion Pilot Plant | DOE FES, Compact Toroidal Concepts | 2025–2029 | $1.421M |
Completed
| Role | Project | Sponsor | Years | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI | ELM-free Pedestal Modeling | Tokamak Energy | 2025 | $0.08M |
| PI | Research on Negative Triangularity Tokamak | Next Step Fusion | 2024–2025 | $0.165M |
Pending
| Role | Project | Sponsor | Years | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI | Interactive Simulations for Plasma Physics Education | NSF IUSE (under review) | 2026–2029 | $0.4M requested |
Selected awards
- 2026John Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research, American Physical Society (shared with the DIII-D negative triangularity team; more)
- 2018US Burning Plasma Association International ITER School Scholar
- 2016CU Boulder Outstanding Graduate, College of Engineering and Applied Science
- 2016CU Boulder Engineering Physics Distinguished Graduate
- 2016CU Boulder Engineering Physics Distinguished Graduate for Research
- 2016Hertz Foundation Scholarship Finalist
- 2015Astronaut Scholarship Foundation Scholar
Colorado roots
I grew up in Colorado and got my start in research as an undergraduate at CU Boulder, building an experiment to study hypervelocity micrometeoroid bombardment of cryogenic surfaces [RSI 2016] and on terahertz metrology at NIST Boulder [SPIE 2014]. I still come back often:
- 2026Fusion Energy 101, Colorado Fusion Week
- 2026Introduction to Fusion Energy, National Laboratory of the Rockies Seminar Series
- 2026Two seminars at the CU Boulder Center for Integrated Plasma Studies
- 2024The Negative Triangularity Tokamak: Power Handling in a Fusion Power Plant, CU Boulder Saturday Physics Series
- 2023APS Division of Plasma Physics annual meeting in Denver, where students I mentored won two of the five undergraduate poster awards
I am working to build connections with the National Laboratory of the Rockies, Denver-area fusion companies, and the Colorado School of Mines toward a strong fusion ecosystem in Colorado.
Technical skills
Design optimization and integrated modeling: FUSE, TokaMaker, TokSyS, TRANSP, TGYRO. Data-driven methods: machine-learning surrogates, Bayesian and multi-objective optimization, uncertainty quantification, Gaussian process regression. Edge and exhaust: UEDGE, autoUEDGE, CAKE. Equilibrium and stability: EFIT, CHEASE, HELENA, BALOO. Computing: Python, high-performance computing (NERSC). See also Software & Tools.