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Stephanie Diem

Stephanie Diem

Assistant Professor

Prof. Diem is the PI of the Pegasus-III Experiment, a fusion energy experiment studying innovations in startup techniques to reduce the cost and complexity of future fusion power plants. Prof. Diem’s research interests are in the area of experimental plasma physics for fusion energy development with an emphasis on the validation of numerical models with experimental data. Her research focuses on utilizing radio frequency (RF) waves to heat and drive current in magnetically confined plasmas, having led and contributed to experimental research on a variety of magnetic confinement devices including: Proto-MPEX (ORNL), the Madison Symmetric Torus (MST) Experiment (UW-Madison), the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX), and MAST (CCFE, UK). Additionally, she has been involved in the development of modeling tools and simulations of edge localized mode (ELM) pellet pacing experiments on the DIII-D National Fusion Facility using M3D-C1. Prof. Diem’s current research is focused on electron Bernstein wave (EBW) heating and current drive experiments on the Pegasus-III Experiment at UW-Madison as well as collaborations, both domestically and internationally, on RF injection in magnetically confined fusion plasmas.

Prof. Diem received her PhD in Plasma Physics from Princeton University where she studied electron Bernstein wave emission and mode conversion physics on the National Spherical Tokamak Experiment at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Prior to joining UW-Madison, Prof. Diem was a Research and Development Scientist in the Fusion Energy Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and spent two years on long-term assigment at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility at General Atomics in San Diego, CA.

Department

Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics

Contact

Engineering Research Building
1500 Engineering Dr
Madison, WI

  • BS , University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • MA , Princeton University
  • PhD , Princeton University

  • Experimental plasma physics
  • Magnetically confined plasmas
  • Microwave heating and current drive
  • Electron Bernstein wave emission, heating and current drive
  • Understanding and controlling edge instabilities in plasmas

  • 2025 National academies of science, engineering and medicine, Kavli Fellow
  • 2024 U.S. Department of State, Appointed by the Secretary of state as the first u.s. science envoy for fusion energy, 2024/2025 U.S. Science Envoy
  • 2023 Fusion Power Associates (FPA), selected by FPA Board of Directors, David J. Rose Excellence in Fusion Engineering Award
  • 2021 National academies of science, engineering and medicine, New Voices of the National Academies, selected by the national academies for the 22 member cohort 2021 and to extend appointment to join cohort 2024, selected as co-chair
  • Princeton University, Thomas H. Stix Graduate Prize

  • N E 790 - Master's Research and Thesis (Spring 2025)
  • N E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Spring 2025)
  • N E 990 - Research and Thesis (Spring 2025)
  • N E 427 - Nuclear Instrumentation Laboratory (Fall 2024)
  • N E 790 - Master's Research and Thesis (Fall 2024)
  • N E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Fall 2024)
  • N E 990 - Research and Thesis (Fall 2024)
  • N E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Summer 2024)
  • N E 990 - Research and Thesis (Summer 2024)
  • N E 231 - Introduction to Nuclear Engineering (Spring 2024)
  • N E 790 - Master's Research and Thesis (Spring 2024)
  • N E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Spring 2024)
  • N E 990 - Research and Thesis (Spring 2024)
  • E C E 724 - Waves and Instabilities in Plasmas (Fall 2023)
  • E C E 922 - Seminar in Plasma Physics (Fall 2023)
  • N E 724 - Waves and Instabilities in Plasmas (Fall 2023)
  • N E 790 - Master's Research and Thesis (Fall 2023)
  • N E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Fall 2023)
  • N E 922 - Seminar in Plasma Physics (Fall 2023)
  • N E 990 - Research and Thesis (Fall 2023)
  • PHYSICS 724 - Waves and Instabilities in Plasmas (Fall 2023)
  • PHYSICS 922 - Seminar in Plasma Physics (Fall 2023)
  • N E 790 - Master's Research and Thesis (Summer 2023)
  • N E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Summer 2023)
  • N E 990 - Research and Thesis (Summer 2023)