The Team

Mathieu is a Professor at the University of Bordeaux, France. Mathieu Bailly-Grandvaux received his Ph.D. degree in 2017 from the University of Bordeaux, France, specializing in Astrophysics, Plasma and Particles. In 2017, he relocated to California to work as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the High Energy Density Physics (HEDP) group of Professor Farhat Beg. Mathieu received an award in 2018 from the University of Osaka, Japan, for his outstanding contribution in the field of HEDP and Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE). His research focuses on the study of energy transport and particle acceleration in plasmas, with a particular interest in magnetized environments and applications in IFE and laboratory astrophysics. 

Felipe is an Assistant Project Scientist at the Department of Earth and Planetary Science of the University of California, Berkeley. He is a part of Burkhard Militzer's research team, and his area of focus is the study of planetary interiors, specifically the physics of high-pressure and high-temperature matter. Felipe obtained my PhD degree in physics from the Universidad de Chile in 2015, and in his research, he uses molecular dynamics and electronic structure calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) to understand matter at the atomic level. This approach allows him to determine equations of state for materials, even under conditions where experimental data are not available, which is crucial for constructing models of planetary structure and evolution. By advancing our understanding of planetary processes, both within our solar system and beyond, we can gain a deeper insight into the workings of the universe.

Benjamin received his B. S. degree in Physics from Penn State University and his M.S. and Ph. D. degrees in Physics from UCLA. Currently, he is a Computational and Data Science Research Specialist at the UCLA Institute for Digital Research and Education. Previously, he was a postdoc at UCLA as well as a researcher at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Since 2006, he has been a workshop instructor at the UCLA Institute for Digital Research and Education, where he has developed and taught courses in Data Visualization with Python, Exploring Data and Machine Learning with Interactive Python Tools, Using SQL with Python for Data Analysis, and Intro to Jupyter.

Simon is an expert in magnetized HEDP and laboratory astrophysics. He received his Ph.D. degree from École Polytechnique (France) in 2019, where his work focused on laboratory investigations of magnetic reconnection driven by high-power lasers. He joined the group in 2020 as a postdoctoral fellow. Today, his research focuses on laser-plasma instabilities in magnetized environments and magnetized collisionless shocks. Simon's research interests include magnetized plasmas, collisionless shocks, magnetic reconnection, and laboratory astrophysics

Salma is a 2nd-year PhD student in the Department of Earth & Planetary Science at the University of California, Berkeley, and has been an NSF-GRFP Fellow since Fall 2023. Salma is a part of Burkhard Militzer's lab, where they use DFT calculations to model planetary interiors. She received her Master's degree in Chemistry at San Francisco State University, where she used ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to study superionicity in solid-state electrolytes to improve Li ion batteries. Her current project uses ab initio MD and DFT to study high-pressure electrides, which are materials that have their electrons localized away from their respective atoms in interstitial sites. As a San Francisco native, Salma enjoys playing tourist with friends and seeing the sights. Her favorite place to visit is Pier 39 because of the view, and there are a lot of historic seafood restaurants there.

Tristan is a 3rd year Ph.D. student at the University of Rochester, working in the Flash Center for Computational Science with Professor Petros Tzeferacos. Their background is in computational and observational cosmology, having worked with the Dark Energy Survey for their undergraduate research. They are interested in computational astrophysics, especially as a means of bridging the gap between laboratory astrophysics experiments and observational astronomy. They are particularly interested in magnetized systems, including accretion and jet launching systems, cosmic magnetogenesis, and magnetized collisionless shocks in astrophysical systems. They are also deeply invested in education and outreach, and hope to eventually become a professor. In their free time, they enjoy hiking, playing guitar and singing, and playing both tabletop and video games.

Robert is a 1st-year Ph.D. student at UCSD, working in Professor Farhat Beg’s Pulsed Power and Z-Pinch Laboratory. He is currently focusing on plasma diagnostics for high-energy-density physics (HEDP) applications. His research interests include inertial confinement fusion (ICF), magnetic confinement fusion (MCF), Z-pinches, pulsed power, HEDP, laboratory astrophysics, shock physics, and plasma diagnostics.

Alemayehu "Alem" is a first-generation Ethiopian-American born and raised in Chicago, IL.  He earned his Physics degree from the University of Chicago, where he worked at the Flash Center for Computational Science on modeling laser-plasma interactions. Alem is currently a 5th-year PhD student in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UC San Diego under Professor Farhat Beg. During his time here, his research has transitioned to a more experimental focus, including projects on the mitigation of laser-plasma instabilities relevant to Inertial Confinement Fusion and the formation of magnetized collisionless shocks in supernova remnants. Recently, Alem became a UC-National Laboratory In-Residence Graduate Fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he is developing mechanisms for efficient laser-plasma-based electron acceleration and MeV photon production. Outside of research, Alem enjoys playing basketball. 

Tanner is a 4th-year PhD candidate in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California San Diego. He is part of Farhat Beg’s research group, and his focus of study is on X-ray spectroscopy of warm dense matter. Specifically, in diagnostic methods to understand the ionization and density effects that can drive behaviors beyond what can be explained with typical plasma physics or condensed matter physics. This has applicability in understanding stellar and planetary interiors and the dynamics of the imploding capsules of inertial confinement fusion. Tanner is currently collaborating with both Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Laboratory for Laser Energetics at the University of Rochester for our experiments.

Brandi Daddario is a 3rd year PhD student working with Sarah Stewart at Arizona State University and a graduate student at CMEC. Her research interests revolve around equation of state development for mixed materials in the HED regime, laboratory astrophysics, and the formation and evolution of Water Worlds, Super Earths, and Ice Giants. Outside of her research, Brandi enjoys rock climbing and backpacking. 

Kimberly is a Master's student at UCSD. She is in Professor Farhat Beg's Z-Pinch Lab. She is currently working on the effect of gas species, density profiling, and external magnetic field on stability and dynamics in triple-nozzle gas-puff Z-pinches. Her research interests include laboratory astrophysics, pulsed-power drivers, and plasma diagnostics. She is a first-generation college student and is proud of her Mexican culture. Outside of research, she enjoys knitting, going to the beach, and learning how to bake traditional Mexican dishes.

Tanja is a 5th-year PhD student at UC Berkeley working under the supervision of Burkhard Militzer in the Earth and Planetary Science Department. Her research focuses on determining multi-component phase diagrams for planetary materials under high-energy-density conditions. She is learning to calculate phase diagrams of two-component (binary) mixtures, for example, MgSiO3+H2O, MgO+H2O, and Fe+Ni. These multi-scale methods include using density functional theory molecular dynamics (DFT-MD) to calculate an equation of state for a single binary composition at varying pressure-temperature conditions) and fitting equation of state models for unary and binary systems (which includes composition dependence). Her work is funded by CMEC and the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). A bit about Tanya's background: she is a refugee, she attended community college (where she learned what a PhD was), and she only ever got a 4.0 GPA during her community college and undergraduate studies (remember, doubts kill more dreams than failures!).

Roman Lee is a 7th-year PhD student at UCLA under advisor Warren Mori. His research has focused on developing algorithms and software for particle-in-cell codes that run on the largest high-performance computing systems in the world, as well as using particle-in-cell simulations to study laser-plasma interactions in the context of inertial confinement fusion. He received a BSc in Physics and a BSc in Mathematics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 2017.

Mary is a 2nd-year Ph.D. student working under the supervision of Petros Tzefaracos in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Rochester. Mary enjoys computational physics and astrophysics. She is motivated by education and outreach, and hopes to become a tenure-track professor in the future. In her free time, she enjoys swimming, playing video games with her friends, and painting.

Alex is a 1st-year PhD student at UCSD working with Professor Farhat Beg. As an undergraduate, he assisted with the characterization and analysis of short-pulse laser-accelerated protons using CR-39. During his past internship at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, he was involved in an experimental campaign at the Jupyter Laser Facility conducting multi-modal radiography using the Titan short-pulse laser, in addition to his work studying the effect of proton-generating foil degradation on TNSA ions for Fast Ignition using the Particle-In-Cell code WarpX. His current research interests are related to EUV lithography, and outside the lab, he enjoys listening to music and playing the guitar/keyboard.

Michael is a 6th-year PhD candidate and Sloan Minority PhD Program recipient in the mechanical and aerospace engineering department at the University of California, San Diego. He is in Professor Alexey Arefiev’s research group and a member of CMEC. Michael's research area is magnetized collisionless shock formation, where he uses kinetic particle-in-cell simulations and novel data analysis techniques to help interpret observations from laboratory astrophysics experiments. His research interests include computational physics and machine learning applications for high-energy-density science. In the summers. Michael interned at LLNL using neural networks to predict inertial confinement fusion experiments. He has been able to take the skills he developed during the internships and apply them to his CMEC research. He has won 2 best poster awards in back-to-back SSAP symposiums and has a recent publication demonstrating how neural networks can be used to accelerate Thomson scattering data analysis for laboratory astrophysics experiments. A fun fact about Michael is that he can squat over 400 pounds.

Sheron Tavares is a Ph.D. candidate in the Materials Science and Engineering Program at the University of California, San Diego. She is a part of Meyers' group, and her research focuses on Cantor-Derived Medium-Entropy Alloys. Sheron is investigating quasistatic toughness in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Additionally,  she is working on understanding the spall strength in the lower strain rate regime, in cooperation with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Moreover, Sheron is studying the spall strength in the extreme laser-driven regime, in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Outside of her graduate work, Sheron enjoys going to the gym, dancing with friends, and exploring new countries and cultures.

Mercedes is a 5th PhD candidate in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science at UC Berkeley, where she is part of Professor Jeanloz's mineral physics group. Her research is centered on investigating the role of thermal transport in the structural evolution of planetary cores, specifically by measuring the thermal conductivity of iron meteorites at pressures relevant to planetary interiors. She is interested in developing experimental techniques for measuring transport properties at extreme conditions, utilizing ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy and laser-heated diamond cell methods. With her experience as a first-generation college graduate, she is dedicated to creating pathways for others to pursue higher education. When outside the lab, Mercedes enjoys reading and is the captain of a women's soccer team.

Kyla is a 3rd-year Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley working with Professor Burkhard Militzer. She is currently studying the properties of mixtures of planetary ices relevant to Uranus and Neptune using computer simulations, calculating equations of state and transport properties of these materials, and then applying them to magnetohydrodynamic models of these planets.  Her first paper on this topic, "Double superionicity in icy compounds at planetary interior conditions," was published in Nature Communications in 2023. Her research interests include using computer simulations to study planetary interiors and formation, and machine learning for materials science. Outside of research, Kyla enjoys mentoring UC Berkeley undergraduates, STEM outreach for kids, fishkeeping, and baking.

Oren is a PhD student at UCSD working in Professor Farhat Beg’s lab. He is interested in plasmas and fusion and is currently working on gas puff Z-pinches. One project Oren is working on is looking at stabilizing the Magneto Rayleigh-Taylor instability by changing the radius of the liner in a staged Z-pinch. He also had an internship at Sandia National Laboratories working on pulsed power components. Oren chose to apply to graduate school to learn more and help make fusion energy a reality.