Prof. Chuang Ren Awarded DOE Junior Faculty Development Grant in Plasma Physics
Prof. Chuang Ren (Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and of Physics) has been awarded a three year Junior Faculty Development Grant from the DOE in Plasma Physics for $335,000 to begin in 2006.
From the program description: "A principal goal of this program is to identify exceptionally talented faculty members early in their careers in plasma science and to assist and facilitate the development of their research programs."
Prof. Ren's research focuses on plasma physics processes that apply to inertial confinement fusion (ICF), plasma-based accelerators, new radiation sources, and collisionless astrophysical plasmas. Prof. Ren combines theoretical calculations and analysis with large scale particle-in-cell (PIC) computer simulations to understand and model the rich and complex nonlinear phenomena that arise in these areas of study.
More about Prof. Ren can be found here: Prof. Ren's Home Page
More information on the program, elligibility, and previous winners can found here:
DOE Plasma Physics Faculty Development Awards (given below)
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Plasma Physics Junior Faculty Development Program
The Plasma Physics Junior Faculty Development Program was started in FY 1997. A
principal goal of this program is to identify exceptionally talented faculty members early
in their careers in plasma science and to assist and facilitate the development of their
research programs. Eligibility for awards under this program, therefore, is restricted to
tenure-track regular academic faculty investigators. Proposals for research in any areas
of plasma physics research, including fusion science, fall within the intent of the
program. However, the emphasis in the program is on the basic plasma physics elements
of the research as opposed to applications of plasma physics. Awards made under this
program will help to maintain the vitality of university plasma physics research and
ensure continued excellence in the teaching of plasma physics and related disciplines.
Since the beginning of the program a total of 29 awards has been made. In addition, the
Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, under the NSF DOE Partnership in Basic Plasma
Science and Engineering, jointly funded with the National Science Foundation an NSF
Career Award made to a Junior Faculty with plasma research interests. Although most of
the awards have gone to faculty at institutions with Ph.D. programs, awards have been
made to faculty at undergraduate institutions.
A list of awardees, their institution, and the title of their proposal is detailed below.
1997
1. Bruno Bauer, University of Nevada-Reno, Stabilization and Confinement of Hot,
Dense, High-Beta Plasma.
2. Michael Brown, Swarthmore College, Fundamental Magnetofluid Physics
Studies on the Swarthmore Spheromak Experiment: Reconnection and
Sustainment.
3. Scott Parker, University of Colorado, Plasma Simulation Using Gyrokinetic-
Gyrofluid Hybrid Models.
4. Earl Scime, West Virgina University, Experimental Investigation of
Collisionless Electron-Electron Microinstabilities.
5. Andrew Ware, University of Montana, Theory of Turbulent Heat and Particle
Fluxes in EXB Shear Flow and Computational Modeling of the Stability of Novel
Stellarators.
1998
1. Richard Fitzpatrick, University of Texas, A Theoretical Investigation of Mode-
Locking Phenomena in Reversed Field Pinches.
2. Matthew Stoneking, Lawrence University, Toroidal Magnetic Confinement of a
Pure Electron Plasma.
1999
1. George Tynan, University of California, San Diego, Controlled Shear
Decorrelation Experiment.
2. Christopher Watts, Auburn University, Laboratory Study of Magnetic
Reconnection Generated Alfven Waves.
2000
1. Eric Blackman, University of Rochester, New Approaches to the Dynamics and
Amplification of Magnetic Fields in High Energy Plasmas of Cosmic Relevance.
2. Ambrogio Fasoli, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Collisionless Magnetic
Reconnection and Plasma Dynamics around a Magnetic X-Point.
3. David Newman, University of Alaska, Investigation of Self-Organized
Criticality as a Paradigm for Turbulent Transport and Implications for Transport
Barrier Formation and Evolution.
2001
1. Benjamin Chandran, University of Iowa, Heat Transport in Turbulent Galaxy-
Cluster Plasmas.
2. Eric Held, Utah State University, Derivation and Implementation of Hybrid
Fluid/Kinetic Model for Fusion Plasma.
3. Thomas Killian, Rice University, Optical Studies of Strong Coupling and
Recombination in Ultracold Neutral Plasmas.
2002
1. Troy Carter, University of California, Los Angeles, Experimental Study of
Interactions Between Counter-Propagating Alfven Waves.
2. Thomas Pedersen, Columbia University, The Columbia Non-Neutral Torus.
3. Carl Sovinec, University of Wisconsin, Numerical Studies of
Magnetohydrodynamic Activity Resulting from Inductive Transients.
2003
1. Zhihong Lin, University of California, Irvine, Kinetic Studies of Compressible
Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulences in High-Beta Plasmas.
2. Dennis Whyte, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Dynamics of Plasma Surface
Interactions In-Situ Beam Analysis.
3. Gennady Shvets, University of Texas, Austin, Interaction of High Intensity
Electromagetic Waves with Plasmas.(Initial funding provided in FY04.)
2004
1. Mark Gilmore, University of New Mexico, Experimental Investigation of Active
Feedback Control of Turbulent Transport in a Magnetized Plasma.
2. Nirmol Podder, Troy State University, Experimental Study of Shock Wave
Dynamics in Magnetized Plasmas.
3. Mikhail Medvedev University of Kansas, Nonlinear Weibel Instability and
Turbulence in Strong Collisionless Shocks.
2. Christopher Watts, Auburn University, Laboratory Study of Magnetic
Reconnection Generated Alfven Waves.
2005
1. Farhat Beg, University of California, San Diego, High Energy Density Physics
and Applications with State-of-the-Art X-Pinch.
2. Tobin Munsat, University of Colorado, Boulder, Fundamental Studies of FRC
Turbulence.
3. Travis Mitchell, University of Delaware, Experimental Studies of Self
Organization with Electron Plasmas. (Initial funding provided in FY06.)
2006
1. Jan Egedal-Pedersen, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Laboratory Studies
of Reconnection in Magnetically Confined Plasmas,
2. Chuang Ren, University of Rochester, Current-Driven Filament Instabilities in
Relativistic Plasmas.
Article submitted by:
Eric G. Blackman
7/14/06; 1:09:58 PM