John Labbate

John joined the APAM Department at Columbia in the Summer of 2024 after earning a Bachelor of Science in Physics and a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering in 2023 from the University of Maryland, College Park. John first explored plasma physics through his undergraduate thesis, where he developed, tested, and modeled a helicon-like ion thruster at his university's Space Power and Propulsion Laboratory. During the Summer of 2023, John completed a SULI internship at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory studying negative triangularity configurations in the SMall Aspect Ratio Tokamak (SMART). John also worked to improve the mapping of 3D magnetic sensor data to the tokamak wall using informed basis functions choices during the Summer of 2024 at Columbia.

Research Focus: Currently, John is focusing on stellarator modeling and optimization with respect to retaining energetic particles, specifically those nearing resonant conditions.