Resume

houshmandyar@gmail.com 

Professional Experience

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4738-3569

• Senior Research Fellow
• Institute for Fusion Studies, The University of Texas-Austin, 2024-present.
• Scientist
• General Atomics, 2022-2024.
• Research Associate
• Institute for Fusion Studies, The University of Texas-Austin, 2014-2022.
• Visiting assistant professor of Physics
• Gonzaga University, 2013-2014.
• Postdoctoral research associate
• Plasma Physics Lab, Prairie View A&M University, 2011-2012.

Education

• Ph.D., West Virginia University, 2010.
• Experimental plasma physics

Publications

• S. Houshmandyar et al., "Correlation of large-scale turbulence and improved confinement in wide pedestal quiescent H-modes", in preparation.
• V. Weinzettl et al., "Development of the diagnostic tools for the COMPASS-U tokamak and plans for the first plasma", Fusion Eng. Des., 191, 113545 (2023).
• S. Houshmandyar, T. A. Thomas, William L. Rowan, Jaromir Zajac, Viktor Veselovsky, Vladislav Ivanov, Ondrej Bogar, and Vladimir Weinettl, "Design of an electron cyclotron emission diagnostics suite for COMPASS Upgrade tokamak", Rev. Sci. Instrum., 93, 113514 (2022).
• S. Houshmandyar, K. H. Burrell, B. A. Grierson, J. McClenaghan, C. Crystal, G. M. Staebler, M. R. Halfmoon, D. R. Hatch, L. Zeng, and M. E. Austin, "Explaining the lack of power of the of energy confinement in the wide pedestal quiescent H-mode via transport modeling," Nucl. Fusion 62, 056024 (2022).
• "Recent progress on electron cyclotron emission diagnostics development for ITER," EC21, ITER Organization (2022).
• M. Fenstermacher et al., "DIII-D research advancing the physics basis for optimizing the tokamak approach to fusion energy", Nucl. Fusion 62 042024 (2022). 
• S. Houshmandyar, R. Xie, M. E. Austin, W. L. Rowan, and H. Zhao, "Fast modulating electron cyclotron emission (FMECE) for tokamaks," Rev. Sci. Instrum., 92, 033510 (2021).
• R. Xie, S. Houshmandyar, and M. E. Austin, "Active feedback control of ECE radiometer channel frequencies for improved electron temperature measurements," Rev. Sci. Instrum., 92, 033530 (2021).
• A. Wingen, R. S. Wilcox, L. F. Delgado-Aparicio, R. Granetz, S. Houshmandyar, S. Shiraiwa, M. R. Cianciosa, and S. K. Seal, "Helical core formation and evolution during current ramp-up in the high-field tokamak Alcator C-Mod", Phys. Plasmas 26, 022501 (2019).
• S. Houshmandyar, M. E. Austin, M. W. Brookman, Y. Liu, W. L. Rowan, and H. Zhao, "Variable location channels to improve efficiency and precision for direct ᐁTe measurements, and high spatial resolution Te-profile measurements using electron cyclotron emission", Rev. Sci. Instrum. 89, 10H109 (2018).
• S. Houshmandyar, D. R. Hatch, D. Horton, K. T. Liao, W. L. Rowan, B. Zhao, N. Cao, M. Greenwald, N. T. Howard, A. E. Hubbard, J. E. Hughes and J. E. Rice "Electron critical gradient scale length measurements of ICRF heated L-mode plasmas at Alcator C-Mod tokamak", Phys. Plasmas 25, 042305 (2018)
• G. Taylor et al "Update on the status of the ITER ECE diagnostic design", EC 19, EPJ Web  of Conferences 147, 02003 (2017).
• H. Pandya, R. Kumar, S. Danani, P. Shrishail, S. Thomas, V. Kumar, G. Taylor, A. Khodak, W. L. Rowan, S. Houshmandyar, V. S. Udintsev, N Casal, and M. Walsh "ITER ECE Diagnostics: design progress of IN-DA and the diagnostic role for Physics", IOP Conf. Series: Journal of Physics: Conf. Series 823, 012033 (2017).
• L. F. Delgado-Aparicio, et al., "Locked-mode avoidance and recovery without external momentum input using ion cyclotron resonance heating", IAEA (2016).
• S. Houshmandyar, Z. J. Yang, P. E. Phillips, W. L. Rowan, A. E. Hubbard, J. E. Rice, J. W. Hughes, and S. M. Wolfe, "Temperature gradient scale length measurement: A high accuracy application of electron cyclotron emission without calibration", Rev. Sci. Instrum. 87, 11E101 (2016).
• W. L. Rowan, S. Houshmandyar, Z. J. Yang, P. E. Phillips, M. E. Austin, J. H. Beno, A. E. Hubbard, A. Khodak, A. Ouroua, and G. Taylor, "Physics design of the in-vessel collection optics for the ITER electron cyclotron emission diagnostic", Rev. Sci. Instrum. 87, 11E132 (2016).
• E. E. Scime et al., "The Hot hELicon eXperiment (HELIX) and the Large Experiment on Instabilities and Anisotropy (LEIA)", J. Plasma Physics, 1, 1 (2014).
• S. Houshamndyar, X. Yang, and R. Magee, "High resolution ion Doppler spectroscopy at Prairie View Rotamak", Rev. Sci. Instrum. 83, 10D506 (2012).
• X. Yang, S. Houshmandyar, O. Dada, E. Reddic, and T. S. Huang, "High sensitivity, low noise Mirnov coil array on Prairie View Rotamak" Rev. Sci. Instrum. 83, 10E304 (2012).
• S. Houshmandyar, and E. E. Scime, "Enhanced neutral depletion in a statichelium helicon discharge", Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 21, 035008 (2012).
• S. Houshmandyar, and E. E. Scime, "Ducted kinetic Alfven waves in plasma with steep density gradients", Phys. Plasmas 18, 11211 (2011).  [Top 3rd, MOST READ paper in 2012]

• Ph.D. Dissertation.
• S. Houshmandyar, S. Sears, S. C. Thakur, J. Carr Jr., M. Galante, and E. E. Scime, "Measurement of neutral helium density in helicon plasmas", Rev. Sci. Instrum. 81, 10704D (2010).
• E. E. Scime et al., "Time-resolved measurements of double layer evolution in expanding plasma", Phys. Plasmas 17, 055701 (2010).
• B. Shokri, and S. Houshmandyar, "Nonlinear gain and threshold current variations in a periodically corrugated waveguide", J. Plasma Phys. 72, 409 (2006).

Recent presentations

• "Recent progress on electron cyclotron emission diagnostics development for ITER," EC21, ITER Organization (2022).
• "Explaining the lack of power degradation of the energy confinement in wide pedestal quiescent H-mode at DIII-D via transport modeling," APS Division of Plasma Physics (APS-DPP) (2021).
• "Fast Modulating ECE diagnostic for tokamaks" S. Houshmandyar, R. Xie, and M. E. Austin, US-PRC Magnetic Fusion Collaboration Workshop (2021).
• "Power scaling of the energy confinement in wide pedestal quiescent H-mode at DIII-D" S. Houshmandyar, K. H. Burrell, M. R. Halfmoon, D. R. Hatch, R. Hong, T. L. Rhodes, and M. E. Austin, APS-DPP (2020).
• "Electron temperature fluctuations measurements within the pedestal in dominantly electron-heated wide pedestal quiescent H-mode", S. Houshmandyar, M. E. Austin, D. R. Hatch, M. T. Kotschenreuther, G. Merlo, T. L. Rhodes, and K. K. Barada, EU/US Transport Taskforce (TTF) meeting (2019).
• "Critical gradient scale length measurements via variable location ECE channels in the EAST tokamak" S. Houshmandyar, M. E. Austin, H. Huang, Y. Liu, W. L. Rowan, and H. Zhao, APS-DPP (2018).
• "Variable Location Channels to Improve Efficiency and Precision for Direct ᐁTe Measurements, and High Spatial Resolution Te-Profile Measurements using Electron Cyclotron Emission" S. Houshmandyar, M. E. Austin, M. W. Brookman, Y. Liu, W. L. Rowan, and H. Zhao, High Temperature Plasma Diagnostic (HTPD) meeting (2018).
• "Electron Profile Stiffness and Critical Gradient Length Studies in the Alcator C-Mod Tokamak", S. Houshmandyar, D. R. Hatch, K. T. Liao, B. Zhao, P. E. Phillips, W. L. Rowan, N. Cao, D. R. Ernst, and J. E. Rice, APS-DPP (2017).
• "Electron Temperature Gradient Scale Length Measurements at Alcator C-Mod: Critical Threshold and the Associated Temperature Fluctuations," S. Houshmandyar, D. R. Hatch, Bingzhe Zhao, P. E. Phillips, and W. L. Rowan, Transport Taskforce meeting (TTF) (2017).
• "Temperature Gradient Scale Length Measurements in ICRF Heated Plasmas at Alcator C-Mod," S. Houshmandyar, P. E. Phillips, W. L. Rowan, N. T. Howard, and M. Greenwald, 58th APS-DPP (2016).
• "Temperature Gradient Scale Length Measurement: A High Accuracy Application of Electron Cyclotron Emission Without Calibration," S. Houshmandyar, Z. L. Yang, P. E. Phillips, and W. L. Rowan, HTPD (2016).
• "Correlation Between Plasma Rotation and Electron Temperature Gradient Scale Length in LOC/SOC Transition at Alcator C-Mod," S. Houshmandyar, W. L. Rowan, P. E. Phillips, J. M. Greenwald, J. W. Hughes, and J. E. Rice, TTF (2016).
• "Search for Correlation Between Plasma Rotation and Electron Temperature Gradient Scale Length in LOC/SOC Transition at Alcator C-Mod," S. Houshmandyar, W. L. Rowan, P. E. Phillips, J. R. Walk, and J. E. Rice, APS-DPP (2015).
• "Critical Electron Temperature Gradient Scale Length Investigation at Alcator C-Mod," S. Houshmandyar, K. T. Liao, P. E. Phillips and W. L. Rowan, US/EU TTF (2015).