David A. Hammer

David A. Hammer is the J. Carlton Ward, Jr., Professor of Nuclear Energy Engineering and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cornell University's College of Engineering. He has been a faculty member since 1977 and has held visiting positions at Imperial College London, Applied Materials, Inc., and the Paris Observatory. His work bridges nuclear engineering, plasma physics, and electromagnetics.

His research focuses on high energy density plasmas generated by pulsed power systems, particularly through wire explosions, X-pinches, and gas-puff Z-pinches. Key areas include inertial confinement fusion, magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities, and plasma diagnostics using visible and X-ray spectroscopy, laser-based methods, and electro-optical instruments. He also explores the application of X-pinch radiation for biomedical radiography.

His recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on Z-pinch and hybrid X-pinch dynamics, plasma turbulence, magnetic field diagnostics using Faraday rotation and Zeeman splitting, and the development of advanced imaging and spectroscopic techniques. His work frequently involves the COBRA pulsed-power generator and addresses fundamental questions in plasma stability, implosion dynamics, and radiative collapse.

• Distinguished Career Award, Fusion Power Associates Board of Directors (2018)
• Cornell College of Engineering Teaching Award (2006, 1998)
• Cornell IEEE Professor of the Year Award (2006)
• McCormack Advising Award (2005)
• IEEE Plasma Science and Applications Committee Award (2004)

Hammer has advised numerous graduate students and led experimental campaigns involving plasma diagnostics, liner implosions, and laboratory astrophysics. His work is supported by grants from agencies interested in fusion energy, plasma science, and advanced diagnostics. He has developed innovative platforms, including 3D-printed plasma loads, to study turbulent plasma jets and magnetization. His lab at Cornell is a key facility for high-energy-density plasma research.

He leads a research group focused on plasma diagnostics and pulsed power experiments, operating the COBRA generator and developing novel measurement techniques. His team investigates plasma instabilities, magnetic field generation, and the transition from radial implosions to collimated jets, with implications for both fusion and astrophysics.