Professional Experience
Dmitri M. Orlov is an Associate Research Scientist and Principal Investigator at UC San Diego’s Center for Energy Research and an Affiliate Professor at Auburn University. He specializes in controlling edge instabilities in tokamaks, studying heat and particle transport under 3D non-axisymmetric fields, and advancing plasma science for ITER and other fusion devices. His research spans experimental and theoretical plasma physics, with contributions that have shaped advancements in both fusion energy and aerodynamic flow control.
Dmitri has held numerous leadership roles in the plasma physics community. He is Vice Chair of MagNetUS and the US Transport Task Force (2024–2026) and serves as Vice Chair of the Coalition for Plasma Science (2021–present). Additionally, he is a member of the Sherwood Fusion Theory Executive Committee and the DIII-D User Board Council. Dmitri has also led collaborative initiatives, such as organizing the Frontier Plasma Science Collaborative Research Facilities Joint Call for Runtime Proposals, fostering opportunities for groundbreaking research across multiple institutions. With a career spanning academia and extensive collaborations with national laboratories, Dmitri continues to drive innovation in fusion energy and mentor the next generation of researchers.