Josefine H.E. Proll

Josefine H.E. Proll is a part-time Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Physics and Science Education at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and serves as Group Leader for stellarator transport modelling at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Greifswald, Germany since June 2024. Her work targets solving global energy challenges through nuclear fusion research, focusing on turbulence mechanisms in magnetic confinement devices like tokamaks (ITER) and stellarators (Wendelstein 7-X).

Education:

• BSc in Physics from Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Germany
• MSc in Physics from Imperial College London, conducting research at Culham Centre for Fusion Energy near Oxford
• PhD from Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Greifswald

Proll's research investigates instabilities driving plasma turbulence, their interactions, and saturation mechanisms. Her theory predicted instability suppression through optimized stellarator shaping in Wendelstein 7-X, with experimental validation ongoing. This work is critical for improving heat confinement in fusion reactors, directly addressing barriers to net energy generation. Her expertise spans theoretical modeling, experimental collaboration, and reactor optimization, emphasizing stellarator-specific turbulence control.

Her recent publications (2024-2025) reveal a consistent focus on stellarator/tokamak turbulence mechanisms, advanced diagnostics development, and engineering solutions for sustained plasma operation. Key trends include validation of shape-dependent instability suppression, novel measurement techniques for neutral density profiles, and water-cooled component integration for long-pulse campaigns – demonstrating a multidisciplinary approach bridging physics theory and reactor engineering.

Scientific Awards:

• NWO Grant for optimising turbulence in fusion reactors (2019)
• Max-Planck/Princeton Center for Plasma Physics Postdoctoral Fellowship (2014-2015)
• Helmholtz PostDoc Grant (2015-2016)

Proll has supervised 19 students and taught the 'Fusion master class: Stellarators' course from 2016-2024. Her research is funded by major grants including the 2019 NWO award and Helmholtz PostDoc support, enabling deep collaboration with Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (USA), National Institute for Fusion Science (Japan), and University of Wisconsin (USA) teams for experimental validation and modeling.

She leads the stellarator transport modelling group at Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics while maintaining active membership in the Wendelstein 7-X Team, working directly with experimentalists in Greifswald. Her diagnostics development work involves international consortia across 388+ researchers, with particular focus on turbulence reduction strategies for next-generation net energy producing stellarators.