Advancing stellarator physics and fusion energy research
Biography Aaron received his PhD from MIT in 2011. Since joining HSX in 2012, Aaron has been involved in computational research of interest to stellarators. His topics of interest include, edge plasma physics, coil design, energetic particle confinement and stellarator optimization.
Dieter Boeyaert joined the HSX team as a scientist in October 2023. He focusses on designing a resilient divertor for HSX using field-line tracing (FLARE) and advanced plasma edge codes (EMC3-EIRENE), and on studying the plasma edge by comparing simulations with experimental data. Dieter joined the UW-Madison as a postdoc in 2021 working on EMC3-EIRENE modeling of the W7-X stellarator after obtaining a PhD from the KU Leuven (Belgium) in collaboration with the Forschungszentrum Jülich (Germany) about SOLPS-ITER simulations of the EAST tokamak.
Benjamin holds a PhD in Physics for the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is an expert on computational methods and turbulence in stellarator devices. Until 2025 he was a staff scientist in the Department of Engineering Physics at UW-Madison working on building new tools and infrastructure for stellarator optimization, with a focus on turbulent optimization.
Wayne completed his PhD and joined HSX as a postdoctoral researcher in 2024. His research is focused on the development of RF and optical diagnostics.
Biography Santhosh received his PhD in Physics from the Australian National University in 2008. After receiving his PhD, he came to UW-Madison as a Research Associate in the Department of Physics. Since joining HSX in 2012, Santhosh has been involved with researching experimental plasma physics, flows and electric fields, neoclassical modeling of stellarators, impurity transport, …
Mark is a research scientist in Engineering Physics interested in optical and microwave diagnostics of magnetically confined plasmas. He has a particular interest in applying Bayesian inference methods in interpreting the interrelationships inherent in plasma instrumentation and the development of digital twins for application in fusion power plants. He began his work in experimental laboratory astrophysics studying the generation of magnetic fields and magnetohydrodynamic turbulence before entering the field of magnetic confinement fusion.
Dr. Joseph (Joe) Talmadge has been a foundational figure in stellarator research for over four decades. After earning his B.S. in Applied Physics from Columbia University (1974) and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1982) under J.L. Shohet and S. Prager, he began his career researching the Proto-Cleo stellarator. As a co-founder of the Helically Symmetric Experiment, Dr. Talmadge helped design and build the device "from the ground up". Until his departure from HSX in 2023, his research included electron beam magnetic mapping, heat transport modeling, as well as studies of plasma flow and radial electric fields. Beyond his technical achievements, he mentored generations of plasma physics students, leaving a lasting legacy on the fusion community.
Alexis (Briesemeister) Wolfmeister re-joined the HSX team as a part-time scientist in October of 2023 after an extended break focused on parenting. She oversees the HSX diagnostics with a particular focus on visible spectroscopy. Alexis previously worked as a researcher for ORNL at the DIII-D tokamak. In 2013 she completed her PhD at HSX on intrinsic flow measurements.