Jonah Duran, a second-year doctoral student in nuclear engineering who is studying nuclear fusion science and technology, was recently recognized by the American Nuclear Society for his outstanding research. His paper, entitled “Multiple analytical approach to isotopic transport analysis in magnetic fusion devices,” explores impurity transport within nuclear plasma as it relates to harnessing fusion power.
Duran received the award at the Technology of Fusion Energy conference where he and the other student award winners were invited to give a 15-minute presentation of their work. While much is still left to discover about fusion, it’s known that too many impurities in a fusion plasma will reduce the power output, hindering the process through radiative collapse.
“Jonah has made excellent progress with his PhD research over the last couple years, and this most recent award is very well deserved,” said Duran’s advisor, Assistant Professor David Donovan. “I was approached multiple times at the conference by colleagues telling me how impressed they were with Jonah’s presentation, which is great for his career development and for highlighting the high quality of our UTNE graduate students to the scientific community.”
Duran, who received his master’s degree in nuclear engineering from UT in 2017, hopes to continue contributions to the body of knowledge that may one day enable harnessing the power of stars—nuclear fusion energy.
—Jonah Duran
The American Nuclear Society is committed to nuclear professionals and the nuclear industry. Its core purpose is to promote the awareness and understanding of the application of nuclear science and technology.