Sam Novak
University of York
Co-hort year: 2025
I completed an integrated master’s in physics with Astrophysics at the University of Manchester, graduating in 2025, with my project focused on investigating the first supermassive black holes in the universe using data from the James Webb Space Telescope. During my degree, I developed a strong interest in nuclear fusion and co-founded the UK’s first university fusion society to connect students with researchers, host events and trips, and build cross-university collaboration. I am now joining the Fusion CDT to research new startup methods in fusion power plants under the supervision of Professor Roddy Vann and Dr. Simon Freethy. Through my research, I hope to contribute to society’s transition toward clean and reliable energy, helping bring fusion and other renewable technologies closer to widespread adoption.
The size and cost of a spherical tokamak reactor are strongly influenced by its central column, which currently must contain a large solenoid to drive current in the plasma, and heat the plasma as a result. In present designs, the solenoid is limited to providing a small “seed” current. If this seed current could be created in another way, the solenoid could be removed entirely, allowing for smaller and cheaper reactors. Recent experiments on the MAST device have shown that it is possible to start a tokamak without a solenoid by using carefully applied microwaves. My PhD project will build on new models of this start-up process, applying them to realistic power plant scenarios and designing experiments to test the predictions on MAST Upgrade. As a result, my project will contribute to the broader effort to improve microwave techniques for controlling plasmas. This is a crucial but underexplored part of making fusion power plants viable.
Email: sam.novak@york.ac.uk