Julia is a sophomore at Columbia University majoring in Physics and Archaeology. She has a strong interest in particle physics and electromagnetism and plans to pursue graduate studies in Physics. In addition to her academic pursuits, Julia works at the Synthetic Biological Systems Lab, where she grows bacteria to create bio-art. Outside of the lab, she enjoys making art, racing cars, and exploring the outdoors.
Julia is currently involved in the pellet ablation experiment's assembly and operation under Professor Paz-Soldan's guidance. The research focuses on studying ablation rates of pellets as a strategy to mitigate plasma disruptions in fusion devices. Her current work involves designing the gas line and developing a pressure-based PID control system to automate pellet production, including the creation of pellets using multiple gas types.