Dr. Justin Ball: Education [PDF]

Zitiervorschau

Dr. Justin Ball Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EFPL) Swiss Plasma Center, Station 13 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland

[email protected] justin-ball.com @JB Fusion

EDUCATION University of Oxford September 2013 to July 2016 Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics • Thesis title: Up-down asymmetric tokamaks • Advisor: Prof. Felix Parra • Received the 2017 European Physical Society Plasma Physics Division Ph.D. Research Award Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) September 2011 to September 2013 M.S. in Nuclear Science and Engineering • Thesis title: Nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations of intrinsic rotation in up-down asymmetric tokamaks • Advisor: Prof. Felix Parra University of Michigan September 2007 to April 2011 B.S.E. in Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, with a minor in Physics • Graduated summa cum laude • Awarded the Outstanding Sophomore in Nuclear Engineering Scholarship

RESEARCH Research scientist June 2019 to Present EFPL, Swiss Plasma Center • Exploring transport-optimized plasma shaping using theory and computation as well as experiments on the TCV tokamak Post-doctoral researcher (advisor: S. Brunner) October 2016 to June 2019 EFPL, Swiss Plasma Center • Awarded a two-year EUROfusion Researcher Fellowship • Improved the numerical modeling of plasma flow shear and studied its effect on turbulence Graduate Research Assistant (advisor: F. Parra) September 2013 to October 2016 University of Oxford, Plasma Theory Group • Analytically demonstrated a symmetry of the gyrokinetic equation and verified it numerically • Investigated the influence of the current profile on tokamak plasma shaping using analytic MHD calculations and the ECOM equilibrium code Graduate Research Assistant (advisor: F. Parra) September 2011 to September 2013 MIT, Plasma Science and Fusion Center • Modified the gyrokinetic code GS2 to model up-down asymmetric tokamak geometries • Numerically investigated nonlinear momentum transport in tilted elliptical tokamaks and successfully compared results to experimental measurements Full-Time Intern (advisor: J. Elliott) June 2011 to September 2011 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Weapons and Complex Integration • Implemented the Ising model to model the Rayleigh-Taylor instability and demonstrated the limitations of the approach Power/Propulsion Team Lead (advisors: J. Foster, N. Renno) January 2011 to June 2011 University of Michigan, Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concept, Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) • Devised a magnetically-confined, dusty plasma-based fission fragment engine for interplanetary travel and presented at a NASA competition in Cape Canaveral, FL Full-Time Intern May 2010 to September 2010 Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory, Advanced Nuclear Design

Initiated and performed an analytic calculation that prompted the revision of a nuclear requirement document • Expanded the modeling capabilities of a nuclear analysis code through a 15,000 line rewrite Research Assistant (advisors: J. Nees, A. Thomas) September 2007 to May 2009 University of Michigan, Center for Ultrafast Optical Sciences • Developed an inexpensive system to stabilize a femtosecond laser using CCD webcams •

BOOKS J. Parisi and J. Ball. “The Future of Fusion Energy.” World Scientific Publishing (2019).

PUBLICATIONS J. Ball. “Maximizing specific energy by breeding deuterium.” Nuclear Fusion 59 (2019) 106043. J. Ball, S. Brunner, and B. McMillan. “The effect of background flow shear on gyrokinetic turbulence in the cold ion limit.” Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion 61 (2019) 064004. B. McMillan, J. Ball, and S. Brunner. “Simulating background shear flow in local gyrokinetic simulations.” Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion 61 (2019) 055006. J. Ball, F.I. Parra, M. Landreman, and M. Barnes. “Optimized up-down asymmetry to drive fast intrinsic rotation in tokamaks.” Nuclear Fusion 58 (2018) 026003. J. Ball and F.I. Parra. “Turbulent momentum transport due to the beating between different tokamak flux surface shaping effects.” Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion 59 (2017) 024007. J. Ball, F.I. Parra, J. Lee, and A.J. Cerfon. “Effect of the Shafranov shift and the gradient of β on intrinsic momentum transport in up-down asymmetric tokamaks.” Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion 58 (2016) 125015. J. Ball and F.I. Parra. “Scaling of up-down asymmetric turbulent momentum flux with poloidal shaping mode number in tokamaks.” Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion 58 (2016) 055016. J. Ball, F.I. Parra, and M. Barnes. “Poloidal tilting symmetry of high order tokamak flux surface shaping in gyrokinetics.” Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion 58 (2016) 045023. B. Sorbom, J. Ball, T.R. Palmer, F.J. Mangiarotti, J.M. Sierchio, P. Bonoli, C. Kasten, D.A. Sutherland, H.S. Barnard, C.B. Haakonsen, J. Goh, C. Sung, and D.G. Whyte. “ARC: A compact, high-field, fusion nuclear science facility and demonstration power plant with demountable magnets.” Fusion Engineering and Design 100 (2015) 378. J. Ball, F.I. Parra, and M. Barnes. “Intuition for the radial penetration of flux surface shaping in tokamaks.” Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion 57 (2015) 035006. J. Ball, F.I. Parra, M. Barnes, W. Dorland, P. Rodrigues, and N.F. Loureiro. “Intrinsic momentum transport in up-down asymmetric tokamaks.” Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion 56 (2014) 095014. P. Rodrigues, N.F. Loureiro, J. Ball, F.I. Parra. “Conditions for up-down asymmetry in the core of tokamak equilibria.” Nuclear Fusion 54 (2014) 093003.

INVITED TALKS J. Ball, F.I. Parra, S. Brunner, O. Sauter, and M. Barnes. “Up-down asymmetric tokamaks.” 44th European Physical Society Conference on Plasma Physics, Belfast (Northern Ireland), 2017. J. Ball, F.I. Parra, and M. Barnes. “Up-down asymmetric designs for tokamaks that drive large intrinsic rotation.” Varenna-Lausanne International Fusion Theory Workshop, Varenna (Italy), 2016. J. Ball, F.I. Parra, and M. Barnes. “Intrinsic momentum transport in tokamaks with tilted elliptical flux surfaces.” EUROfusion Science Seminar on Progress in Fusion Theory, Culham (UK), 2016. J. Ball, F.I. Parra, and M. Barnes. “Intrinsic momentum transport in tokamaks with tilted elliptical flux surfaces.” European Fusion Theory Conference, Lisbon (Portugal), 2015. J. Ball and F.I. Parra. “Up-down asymmetric tokamaks.” 47th UK Fusion Theory Seminar, Culham (UK), 2013.

TEACHING Mathematical Methods for Physicists January 2019 to Present EPFL, Swiss Plasma Center • Supervised weekly discussion sessions focused on completing problem sets Plasma Physics: Introduction & Plasma Physics: Applications May 2017 to Present EPFL, Swiss Plasma Center • Upgraded the course structure and moderated the discussion forums for two Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) Collisionless Plasma Physics & Collisional Plasma Physics January 2016 to June 2016 University of Oxford, Dept. of Physics • Graded problem sets and held office hours for two graduate level courses Fluids, Flows, and Complexity October 2015 to January 2016 University of Oxford, Worcester College • Taught personalized one-on-two tutorials for a third year undergraduate course Plasma Physics I & Applied Nuclear Physics September 2012 to December 2012 MIT, Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering • Graded problem sets and held office hours for two graduate level courses Foundations of Computer Science & Data Structures September 2010 to April 2011 University of Michigan, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science • Lectured in a weekly discussion class of 30 students for a second and a third year undergraduate course • Created projects/problem sets, graded exams, and held office hours

ADVISING Undergraduates • Egon Coppens. “Axisymmetric MHD stability of up-down asymmetric tokamaks.” EPFL (2017). • Adrien Juhem. “The effect of magnetic shear on gyrokinetic turbulence in the cold ion limit.” EPFL (2019).

PEER REVIEW Referee for Physical Review Letters Nuclear Fusion Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion Journal of Plasma Physics

ACTIVITIES Chicago Marathon, placed 389th out of over 40,000 finishers (2016) President, Middle Common Room (graduate student body), Worcester College (2014-2015) Member, Socrates Philosophical Society, University of Oxford (2013-2016) Volunteer, high school math & science tutoring, 826 Boston (2012-2013) Boston Marathon, placed 728th out of over 20,000 finishers (2009)