Sayed Saad Afzal
Sayed Saad Afzal is a PhD candidate whose research interests lie in developing novel low-cost and low-power distributed sensor technologies and systems for climate monitoring, environmental sustainability, and food security. Specifically, Sayed is working on ocean sensor technologies to monitor vital signs such as biodiversity and carbon balance. With the support of a MathWorks Fellowship, he will advance his successful work on an underwater sensor utilizing backscatter, a technique that enab ...
Christopher Wink
Christopher Wink is a PhD candidate whose research interests are aimed at advancing the science of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) toward the realization of laser-driven fusion as an unlimited, safe, and clean energy source. Specifically, Chris is working on designing and implementing the next-generation neutron spectrometer for ICF applications at both the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the OMEGA Laser Facility in the Laboratory for Laser Energetic ...
Chika Maduabuchi
Chika Maduabuchi is a master’s student whose research integrates the study of heat transfer and computer vision to explore boiling phenomena, a process with important implications in industries from energy to manufacturing. With the support of a MathWorks Fellowship, Chika will expand his path-breaking project to employ MATLAB for the high-throughput analysis of bubbles from high- speed video camera images and to develop novel algorithms to extract key operating parameters, such as the dry ...
Thomas Varnish
Thomas Varnish is a PhD candidate whose research interests are focused on the study of plasma physics, which underpins fascinating astrophysical phenomena such as solar flares, black hole accretion disks, and pulsar magnetospheres. Specifically, Thomas studies a process called magnetic reconnection, an explosive reconfiguration of magnetic field topology in plasma that rapidly dissipates magnetic energy by heating and accelerating it. Supported by a MathWorks Fellowship, Thomas will investiga ...
Richard Ibekwe
Richard Ibekwe is a PhD candidate whose research explores the behavior of defects in large- scale high-temperature superconducting magnets for fusion energy applications. A MathWorks Fellowship will enable Richard to pursue a highly innovative project that examines these defects from a superconducting physics perspective and attempts to demonstrate that they can be tolerated to a much higher degree than previously believed and may even be utilized as tools to control the behavior of supercond ...
Benjamin Dacus
Benjamin Dacus is a PhD student whose research interests include the study of how structural materials respond in nuclear reactor environments and the fabrication of new radiation-tolerant materials. Ben has made significant contributions to a first-of-its-kind in situ ion irradiation transient grating spectroscopy (TGS) called I3TGS, enabling precise replication of conditions in the first commercial fusion power reactors, and increasing data throughput by a factor of over 1,000,000 using a M ...
Artittaya (Tiya) Boonkird
Artittaya (Tiya) Boonkird is a PhD candidate whose primary research interest is in developing machine learning models to predict material properties, with an emphasis on materials containing defects. Specifically, Tiya is examining how the introduction of defects into materials may enhance their mechanical, electrical, and magnetic properties, and how these defects can be controlled to enable useful applications, such as in the semiconductor industry. A MathWorks Fellowship will support Tiyaâ ...
James H. Zhang
James H. Zhang is a PhD candidate whose research concentrates on efficient, economical strategies for desalinating water using porous, interfacial evaporators. This technology utilizes solar energy to evaporate water from brackish sources wicked inside of a interfacial evaporator. The vapor can then be collected and condensed into clean water. Specifically, James is exploring the thermodynamics of solar-driven evaporation inside porous materials, particularly in the case of super-thermal evap ...
Duo Xu
Duo Xu is a PhD candidate whose research focuses on the development of multifunctional, composite materials for space applications. Specifically, he seeks to create materials that meet the performance requirements of this extreme environment, including shielding from ionizing radiation, thermal and mechanical stability under extreme vibrations, and large temperature swings. With the support of a MathWorks Fellowship he will advance on-going research to innovate new materials with the required ...
Reimar Weissbach
Reimar Weissbach is a PhD and MBA candidate whose research integrates advanced computation, manufacturing, and management science. With the support of his first MathWorks Fellowship, Reimar conducted innovative research in metal additive manufacturing (AM) processes and developed novel spreading strategies for fine and highly cohesive metal powders. His second MathWorks Fellowship will enable him to expand this work to the laser melting process in metal AM to improve the throughput and qualit ...