Andrew David Maris

Andrew is a DOE Fusion Energy Sciences Postdoctoral Fellow at the Columbia Fusion Research Center, working with Prof. Carlos Paz-Soldan and Dr. Chris Hansen. His research focuses on transient and off-normal phenomena in magnetically confined fusion plasmas, with particular emphasis on electromagnetic modeling of induced currents and their implications for plasma-facing structures and reactor design.

Andrew earned his Ph.D. from the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, where he was advised by Cristina Rea, Robert Granetz, and Earl Marmar. His doctoral research centered on understanding, predicting, and avoiding the tokamak density limit. This work spanned machine-learning analyses of multi-machine experimental databases and real-time avoidance experiments on DIII-D.

Beyond his core research, Andrew maintains an active interest in the intersection of fusion physics with engineering, economics, and policy. He is a co-founder and former president of the Fusion Student Delegation, where he helped organize sustained engagement between early-career fusion researchers and policymakers in Washington, DC.