I am a PhD student in the superconductivity group at Durham University. I previously completed a 4 year master’s degree at Cambridge University. My research focuses on the effect of strain and high magnetic fields on high-temperature superconductors (HTS). The current densities achieved in HTS materials are typically less than 1% of the theoretical maximum, meaning that significant improvements in performance may be possible, allowing stronger, smaller and cheaper magnets to be constructed for use in compact fusion reactors. High temperature superconductors are known to be highly strain dependent, so better understanding of the effect of strain on the behaviour of these materials in the high magnetic fields found in superconducting magnets will inform construction of magnets used in fusion reactors. Durham has a state-of-the–art 15 T Helmholtz magnet which will be used to measure the critical current density in HTS and LTS materials.