Leonhard A. Leppin
Postdoctoral Fellow Predictive Engineering and Computational Sciences
Biography
Leonhard joined the Oden Institute in 2024 after obtaining his Ph.D. with a thesis in computational plasma physics from the Technical University of Munich, Germany. In his Ph.D. work, performed in the Tokamak Theory Division of the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, he investigated turbulent transport in magnetically confined plasmas. Specifically, he focused on high-fidelity simulations of turbulence in the outer confined region of Tokamak fusion experiments, the H-mode pedestal. During his Ph.D., Leonhard was a member of the GENE code development team and collaborated with the experimental teams of the Tokamaks ASDEX Upgrade and JET.
Leonhard's research at Oden leverages theory and high-performance computing to advance the understanding of plasma transport in fusion experiments. In a joint project with UT Austin's Institute for Fusion Studies (IFS), he contributes to the development of reduced models for pedestal transport and profiles with validated, predictive capability. Such pedestal models can enable the optimization of plasma scenarios and increase confidence in performance predictions for future fusion reactors.