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 superconducting currents and to function as real-time diagnostics. Currently, he is designing and testing novel prototypes of superconducting cables with customized instrumentation and electronics for precision measurement, along with physics-based MATLAB models of the electrical behavior of these cables. Ultimately, Richard’s research has the potential to make large-scale superconducting magnets for industries—from fusion energy to wind turbines to MRI machines—more affordable, accessible, capable, and operationally robust.