Steffi Diem, PhD - fusion energy researcher, plasma physicist

Steffi Diem is an Assistant Professor in the Engineering Physics Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a former research scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the Fusion Energy Division. Additionally, she is the PI of the Pegasus-III Experiment, a fusion energy and plasma science experiment focused on unique and innovative ways to study innovation in plasma startup techniques in an effort to reduce cost and complexity of future fusion reactors.

Her 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. She has experience in the application of a variety of physics codes to model and predict a wide range of experiments ranging from radio frequency heating to magnetohydrodynamic analysis in order to verify the physics models and extrapolate these models for use on larger devices such as a fusion based power plant. Specifically, she specializes in technically detailed electron Bernstein wave emission and heating and using integrated code suites to study transport and pellet triggered edge localized modes.