Auburn Physics PhD student earns prestigious DOE Fellowship
Award supports fusion energy research at DIII-D and reflects Auburn’s leadership in plasma physics
2026-01-20
(Press-News.org)
Auburn, AL — Jessica Eskew, a PhD student in the Department of Physics at Auburn University, has been awarded a highly competitive Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) Fellowship to conduct fusion energy research at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility in San Diego.
Eskew is advised at Auburn by Dr. Evdokiya Kostadinova, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics whose research focuses on plasma physics, magnetic confinement, and energetic particle transport. Her mentorship reflects Auburn Physics’ growing strength in plasma and fusion research, where the department maintains a strong national presence through theory, modeling, and experiments, as well as close collaboration with major U.S. fusion facilities.
The SCGSR Fellowship, administered by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, supports outstanding doctoral researchers with strong potential to advance U.S. scientific leadership. During her fellowship appointment, Eskew will spend a minimum of six months on site at DIII-D, one of the world’s leading magnetic confinement fusion research facilities.
Eskew’s research addresses one of the most serious challenges facing future fusion power plants: runaway electrons. These extremely high-energy electrons can form during plasma disruptions and, if uncontrolled, may escape the plasma and damage the inner walls of fusion devices.
“Runaway electrons are one of the most serious challenges facing future fusion power plants,” Eskew said. “By controlling the plasma’s magnetic structure, especially how magnetic islands split and reorganize, it may be possible to intentionally release these electrons in a controlled way, rather than allowing them to strike plasma-facing components all at once within the fusion device”
Her work builds on recent DIII-D experiments demonstrating that magnetic island dynamics strongly impact energetic electron behavior, pointing toward a new approach for runaway electron mitigation through controlled manipulation of magnetic field topology.
“This fellowship allows me to work on site at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility and collaborate closely with experts in energetic particles and plasma control,” Eskew said. “Being embedded in this research environment is essential for advancing this work and for my development as a fusion scientist.”
At DIII-D, Eskew will collaborate with Dr. Dmitri Orlov of University of California San Diego, whose group specializes in energetic particle physics and plasma control.
Eskew is a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Physics at Auburn University, and her award highlights Auburn Physics’ expanding impact in plasma and fusion research, supported by strong faculty leadership, graduate training, and national laboratory partnerships.
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2026-01-20
People with autism have brains that are wired differently. This can make them especially strong in some areas—such as noticing patterns, remembering details, or thinking logically—while making other things like social cues or changes in routine more challenging.
There can also be stark differences in the way autistic and neurotypical people communicate, to the point where it may seem like each is using a different language, creating complications from social situations to the workplace.
For example, while non-autistic ...
2026-01-20
ITHACA, N.Y. – Incorporating a rainbow flag into a company’s website logo during Pride Month seems less meaningful to LGBTQ+ employees and customers than gestures of solidarity at other times of the year, according to new Cornell University research.
The paper, published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Process, found that timing – not just content – influences whether expressions of allyship are perceived as authentic.
In six experiments of 3,000 people, LGBTQ+ participants consistently rated advocacy as more genuine when it was displayed outside of annual Pride Month celebrations in June, perceiving it ...
2026-01-20
Ikoma, Japan—Emotions are a fundamental part of human psychology—a complex process that has long distinguished us from machines. Even advanced artificial intelligence (AI) lacks the capacity to feel. However, researchers are now exploring whether the formation of emotions can be computationally modeled, providing machines with a deeper, more human-like understanding of emotional states.
In this vein, Assistant Professor Chie Hieida from the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), Japan, in collaboration with Assistant Professor Kazuki Miyazawa and ...
2026-01-20
Exposure to wildfire smoke during the final months of pregnancy may raise the risk that a child is later diagnosed with autism, according to a new study led by Tulane University researchers.
The study, published in Environmental Science & Technology, analyzed more than 200,000 births in Southern California from 2006 to 2014. Researchers found that children whose mothers were exposed to wildfire smoke during the third trimester were more likely to be diagnosed with autism by age 5.
The strongest association was observed among mothers exposed to more than 10 days of wildfire smoke during the final three months of pregnancy. In that group, children ...
2026-01-20
Rice University’s SynthX Center, directed by Han Xiao, has received an up to five-year, $18 million award from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Lymphatic Imaging, Genomics and pHenotyping Technologies (LIGHT) program to develop innovative solutions for lymphatic diseases. This project award has the potential to transform the diagnosis and treatment of complex lymphatic anomalies (CLAs) and lymphedema, which are rare conditions that arise from abnormal growth of lymphatic vessels and can affect multiple organs.
LIGHT is led by ...
2026-01-20
January 20, 2026, Mountain View, CA and Houston, TX — The SETI Institute announced that alliant Global CEO, Dhaval Jadav, joined its Board of Directors. Dhaval brings a deep lifelong passion for space science, a strong commitment to STEM education, and a shared belief in the SETI Institute’s mission to explore one of humanity’s most profound questions: Are we alone in the universe?
This marks the beginning of a strategic partnership that gives the SETI Institute the ability to leverage alliant’s resources ...
2026-01-20
Political published writing retains an “important and complex role” in the national conversation – despite huge social and technological changes this century, a new book shows.
Books and magazines have been so fundamental and intrinsic to the political process, and, hidden in plain sight, they are in danger of being overlooked, experts demonstrate.
The persistence of long-form political writing, through the advent of TV and radio, and then through the internet age, is a phenomenon that cannot be taken for granted.
Writing Politics in Modern Britain: Genre and Cultures of Publishing since 1900, is edited by Professor Gary Love, from the Norwegian University ...
2026-01-20
Weill Cornell Medicine has received a $5.2 million, initial two-year award from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Lymphatic Imaging, Genomics, and pHenotyping Technologies (LIGHT) program to develop a comprehensive and innovative approach to diagnosing lymphatic disease. LIGHT is led by ARPA-H Program Manager Kimberley Steele, M.D., Ph.D.
The lymphatic system is a network of vessels, nodes and organs that drains excess fluid from tissues, filtering out waste and ...
2026-01-20
A hundred years ago, quantum mechanics was a radical theory that baffled even the brightest minds. Today, it’s the backbone of technologies that shape our lives, from lasers and microchips to quantum computers and secure communications.
In a sweeping new perspective published in Science, Dr. Marlan Scully, a university distinguished professor at Texas A&M University, traces the journey of quantum mechanics from its quirky beginnings to its role in solving some of science’s toughest challenges.
“Quantum mechanics started as a way to explain the behavior of tiny particles,” said Scully, who is also affiliated with Princeton University. “Now ...
2026-01-20
An interdisciplinary team including researchers at McGill University has found a range of unexpected chemical contaminants in human milk samples from Canada and South Africa. The chemicals include traces of pesticides, antimicrobials and additives used in plastics and personal-care products. The findings were published across five papers.
“It is important to note that these chemicals were detected at low concentrations, and we do not fully understand the health effects of many of them. So, despite these findings, breast milk remains ideal for infants, as it has the nutrients infants need ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Auburn Physics PhD student earns prestigious DOE Fellowship
Award supports fusion energy research at DIII-D and reflects Auburn’s leadership in plasma physics
