Paz-Soldan Elected 2024 American Physical Society Fellow

Oct 04 2024

Carlos Paz-Soldan, Associate Professor of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics at Columbia Engineering, has been elected a 2024 Fellow of the American Physical Society. He was recommended for this honor by the American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics (DPP) for his “groundbreaking contributions and scientific leadership in the understanding and optimization of tokamak plasmas for fusion energy, including non-axisymmetric magnetic fields, plasma shaping, and control of relativistic electrons.”

Prof. Paz-Soldan’s research interests are motivated by the desire to solve the scientific and technological challenges standing in the way of harnessing controlled fusion energy on earth. His work focuses on controlling the transient off-normal events that can prevent the reliable operation of magnetic fusion device concepts. He is interested in advancing the physical basis of plasma instability phenomena as well as developing the fusion technologies necessary to deploy feasible actuators to achieve control. Prof. Paz-Soldan’s group conducts both experimental and computational work to support these goals.

Paz-Soldan joined the Columbia Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics Department in 2021. Prior he was a staff scientist in the Magnetic Fusion Energy Division at General Atomics, where he advanced the research program of the DIII-D National Fusion Facility as well as other experiments worldwide.  Prof. Paz-Soldan has contributed to a broad range of problems in tokamak operation, stability, and control. These include: understanding the interaction of tokamak plasmas with non-axisymmetric fields used to control core and edge instabilities; the measurement and control of relativistic electron populations; and the conceptualization and design of novel actuators for transient control. He earned his B.Sc.E. from Queen’s University at Kingston, Canada in 2007 and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2012. Prof. Paz-Soldan is the recipient of the Marshall N. Rosenbluth Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Prize in 2013 and the Thomas H. Stix Award for Outstanding Early Career Contributions to Plasma Physics Research in 2021, both from the American Physical Society.

Columbia Engineering colleague and APS Fellow Prof. Michael Mauel stated, "This is wonderful recognition awarded to a great colleague. Carlos is one of the leading experts of his generation in the physics of tokamak confinement for fusion energy. His record of scientific accomplishment is exceptional and his effectiveness as a national leader provide ample justification for this recognition."

A photo of a middle aged man in a lab

Carlos Paz-Soldan, Associate Professor of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia Engineering

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