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For operational updates and health guidance from the University, please visit the COVID-19 Resource Guide.
To learn more about our spring term, please visit the Updates for Students page.
209 S.W. Mudd
Mail Code 4721
Gerald A. Navratil is internationally known for his work in the field of fusion energy and plasma physics. He directs the U.S. Department of Energy funded HBT-EP tokamak experiment in the Columbia Plasma Physics Laboratory as well as an off-campus collaboration at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility in San Diego.
Navratil’s research interest concentrates on applying experimental plasma physics to the problem of developing controlled thermonuclear fusion as a source of energy. Fusion energy has the potential to provide a virtually unlimited source of power with a very plentiful fuel supply (deuterium and lithium), no carbon dioxide emission, and a greatly reduced environmental hazard. His research work focuses on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equilibrium and stability of magnetically confined plasmas, and the application of advanced feedback control of MHD instabilities that limit the performance of fusion plasma experiments.
Navratil received his BS degree in physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1973 and his PhD in plasma physics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1976. He was named an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow in Physics in 1984, a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 1989, and he was awarded the 2007 John Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics by the American Physical Society.