Plasma Physics Colloquium with Adelle Wright, Univ. of Wisconsin

Speaker: Adelle Wright, University of Wisconsin

Biography: Dr. Adelle Wright works on theory development and numerical simulation of magnetically confined plasmas for fusion energy. Her current research focusses on nonlinear magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and stellarator theory. Her research spans fundamental plasma theory, simulation and contributes to the design of next generation fusion devices. She performs and develops tools for high-fidelity numerical simulations of macroscopic plasma dynamics to explain experimental observations, validate design and pursue discovery-driven science. She works closely with the M3D-C1 extended MHD code, which was recently extended to extended to accommodate strongly shaped, non-axisymmetric computational domains, as required for simulating stellarator plasmas. Concurrently, Dr. Wright develops fundamental plasma physics theory using multi-scale methods from dynamical systems theory, and efficient reduced physics models for fusion plasma optimization and design. More broadly, her research aims to develop predictive understanding of nonlinear MHD phenomena, which is essential for the success of magnetic confinement fusion. She is interested in working at the interface of physics and applied mathematics to develop new theoretical tools and techniques for probing 3D MHD in the strongly nonlinear regime.

Before moving to the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Wright was a Staff Research Physicist in PPPL’s Theory Department. She completed her PhD at the Australian National University (ANU) in 2021, where she worked under the supervision of Em. Prof. Robert (Bob) Dewar and Prof. Matthew Hole at the ANU’s Mathematical Sciences Institute. She received her B. Sc. (Hons) in physics from ANU in 2015 and is originally from Melbourne, Australia.

This talk will be offered in a hybrid format. If you wish to participate remotely, please send an email to cr2090@columbia.edu.